Training Day - Session Closure

[Guest]

Evening all! Pre-school needing advice!

 

Can any one give me some idea about how many "official training days " other Pre-schools have a year please. schools seem very comfortable with inset days but I have a "guilt issue!"

 

I have been told by my EY that training days are a very good idea and that the funding allows closure of the Pre-school to take into account some training!!!!! How much though?

 

 

My personal opinion is that 2 a year would be ok and that 3 a year would be fantastic to keep skills etc sharp for staff .

 

Our parents might not feel the same way!!!!

 

 

What are your thoughts please?

 

 

Chris ( goose)

Edited August 15, 2005 by Guest

[Inge]

Shows how every area differs....we have been told recently that we recieve no funding for training days and if we must not close any funded sessions. so we cannot have any closure days on which we have claimed for funding..... we are open 38 weeks now and find fitting in any in house training, meetings, accreditation planning etc etc etc very hard. no time..... and no money ......

 

 

Inge

[Guest]

We are going to have one at the end of every half term starting in September. This is just something we have decided to do as we feel it will give us the opportunity to do some in house training and developing the group. These will be in addition to the staff meetings we have each term.

I haven't heard about not being able to close on funded days-we will still meet the 38 weeks necessary for next year when funding is increased.

Linda

[hali]

hi,

 

we dont usually have training days although we do follow a local infant school and close when they have thiers.

Last year we did use 2 of those days to do the new 12hr 1st aid training, so if we do need it we fit it into those days.

[Guest]

Paid inset days - now wouldn't that be great. Although we don't have paid training days we do have local election day off in May which we can use for training/clearing up. Most of the other schools close of these days and therefore parents like to be able to take all the children out on that day when it is supposedly quieter. We have not yet gone to 38 weeks so we can always fit in around the beginning or end of term but this year I am going to try and incorporate some fun training type sessions short and sharp to get them thinking around problems, issues and values in my staff meetings - held half termly.

Nikki

[Guest]

Paid inset days - now wouldn't that be great.  Although we don't have paid training days we do have local election day off in May which we can use for training/clearing up.  Most of the other schools close of these days and therefore parents like to be able to take all the children out on that day when it is supposedly quieter.  We have not yet gone to 38 weeks so we can always fit in around the beginning or end of term but this year I am going to try and incorporate some fun training type sessions short and sharp to get them thinking around problems, issues and values in my staff meetings - held half termly. 

Nikki

36428[/snapback]

[Guest]

Thanks everyone.

 

This has ben an eye opener, our Ey is keen for us to close for training and I assumed it was pretty common. Think i might stick with the 2 for now and up to one a term when we go to 38 weeks.

 

Goose

[Smiles]

Slightly confused her when you day you are closed do you mean that the children do not get there full entiltlement of 11 weeks - you use someof these days for training? Is this allowed? We have staff meetings every term and staff are paid but we have these outside of the funding days. We have had to have several in house training days but these are also outside funiding day , staff are paid but it is eating into our funds.

We open 38 weeks a year so when the funding ups to this we will have to have pour meetings at different times. Guess what I am asking is are you allowed to use some of the days the children are funded for for training?

Sue

[Guest]

Slightly confused her when you day you are closed do you mean that the children do not get there full entiltlement of 11 weeks - you use someof these days for training? Is this allowed? We have staff meetings every term and staff are paid but we have these outside of the funding days. We have had to have several in house training days but these are also outside funiding day , staff are paid but it is eating into our funds.

We open 38 weeks a year so when the funding ups to this we will have to have pour meetings at different times. Guess what I am asking is are you allowed to use some of the days the children are funded for for training?

Sue

36445[/snapback]

 

 

Hi Sue

 

Yes , we have been given the go ahead by out EY to use "funded session time" to allow staff to meet the recommended 2 training sesssions per year. The Ey appear to appreciate that schools close and staff are paid from within the budget so why should Pre-schools be any different .

 

the staff meetings etc are part of our normal expenses and overtime etc is budgeted to meet this.

 

Amazing how we all differ though!

 

Chris

[Inge]

Sue ,

Before closing for Inset day Just check with your local EY dept ..

we cannot close on any funded day, children must get the 55 sessions (11 weeks) per term

(or as in our case 2 terms as we have a 6 term year)

 

We have to have meetings etc etc in out of term time.....we do get paid

but it does cause problems as staff with own children have to either find childcare or bring them to meetings......

 

Inge

[Guest]

Are you only open 33 weeks Inge? Or do you open 38/39 and charge parents for the extra weeks? We are ok at the moment as we are open 39 and don't charge the extra. I know many groups do and that we are not to subsidise the extra weeks with the funded money, but we have quite a few children who pay fees and that's how we manage to do this.

When we go to 38 weeks funded next year we will still be ok. So, what happens about the May day bank holiday? Do you have to work then as it is a funded day? I assume you don't. It will be very difficult to have training days etc outside funded days next year. Schools have them in school term time so that should apply to us too. I would think this is one of those instances when we would have to be contacting the DFES to insist on it.

Linda

[Inge]

Hi Linda,

we are open 38 weeks a year....children are funded for 55 sessions per term so if they only do 4 sessions are funded for the full term. we do charge top up for those on 5 days but most have opted for 4 as they are all paid for.

from january we will be funded the full term as it is only 11 weeks anyway... and from April funding will be paid in full for all children for 38 weeks a year....days like May day we either have to open or have an odd day in one week to cover the session!!!!! came a cropper with this one last term!!! had to open 1 day to cover it!!!

 

schools get closure days which always cause us havoc with staff needing to find childcare so we can open!!! but we cannot close and have it as a funded day, we would have to open another day to cover this.

 

Lots of other rules for us as I have said before....

unable to charge any child even after headcount if they are an eligable age (if they start we cannot claim any money or get money until next term)...

unable to ask for payment of registration fee....

cannot ask for money for trips, outings parties etc if it is a funded day....

These are just a few which cause us problems.... we have started to not take any child after headcount if it means we have to employ more staff to cover the numbers....many parents are sympathetic, many wait for the place (but I have taken a few who give a donation to the charity rather than fees when they ask if we can take them sooner!!!)

 

I do feel it is time for it to be the same in all areas... bit like finding a dentist or NHS treatment depends where you live!!!

 

Inge

[Guest]

Hi there - well I've been on holiday and have missed this thread ... well up til now! Anyway I'll add my two pennyworth.......

 

We have staff training days - 2 a term - 1 at the beginning and 1 is usually the Monday following 1/2 term. We do not hire the hall out for these days (saves rent) but have them at my house with sandwiches, cakes etc. etc. - this is to put us all in the mood for planning and any other issues!.

 

BUT we would certainly not be allowed to use a funded day to do this. So what I do is this (with the EYDCP's knowledge and agreement) ...... if the funding for a term is 11 weeks, I will make that term 11 weeks and 2 days long, so I am able to show that although there will be 2 weeks which are not complete weeks (i.e. the first week of the term will be 4 days and the first week after 1/2 term will be 4 days) I have compensated for it by adding an extra 2 days either at the beginning or the end of the term.

 

Hope I haven't made it sound complicated. When I first started doing it I felt I was going into new territory as no other Pre-school that I had worked in had done this, but so far so good. Personally I feel it is great for the staff - the planning gets done as a team effort, and most importantly the staff all get paid which I feel they should do. We do only open about 34 weeks a year (til next April) and do not charge top-up fees. Obviously we lose out on fee paying children for the days we are closed, but the daily wage bill is much higher, so this is the cheapest option for us.

 

I am not aware that in the NEG funding there is any provision for staff training days - is there ???????????

 

Inge - have just read your last post again - why can't you charge for outings/trips etc on a funded day. Oh dear .... maybe you'd better not tell me !!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest dawn.a.]

hi, at our pre-school we have three days per year where it is staff only we use these days for catch up planning getting ready for the term ahead and deep cleaning of those cupboards that don't get ssorted. took a bit of persuasion for the committee to agree to start with but my argument was schools can have inset days so why can't we have training days. we really do get alot sorted on these days and we are paid for them too.