Guest Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 we seem to be being asked to do more and more tasks that i feel are not in our job re-mit, and is taking us away from the children if we do them in the session, or our learning journeys, if we do them after the session. am i just moaning or is reasonable to expect us to do these? closing and opening (padlock) the school gate when our parents leave and come back, as anyone could wander into the rest of the school grounds otherwise shredding - office only do their own shredding ordering stock for school when we take last one sluicing mops if we use them and emptying any liquid in them - cleaner does clean them once a week if she remembers do a risk assessment of grounds, even though the caretaker does a daily check - if we find anything it's always our fault, not hers.......................... to name but a few. rant over. that's better. i feel i need to make a stand as it's getting worse and worse x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest terrydoo73 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I often feel like moaning too! I work in a Playgroup setting - open for 2 1/2 hours per day ie 9.15 to 11.45. I go to work every day for 8 am - why - to get some admin done before anyone gets in. I obviously have to do the usual setting out paints, putting water in the tray, risk assessing toilets and outdoor space etc which can take a good half hour some times. At the close of session we are expected to clean - brush floors, cover paint, empty water, clean toilets and wash hand basins and once a week ensure the floors are all moped. Daily it takes us roughly half an hour. We are then supposed to have just 3/4 hour to do all our observations, planning etc. Originally when I was employed I was given an additional half hour to do admin. We don't have an office administrator and only that I am good with the computer they just accepted I would do it as necessary. My day usually finishes at 2 pm and when I come home I am doing research, typing up policies, publicity for the local newspaper schools etc as well as fitting in a few planning ideas. My job is so diverse - today for instance I had to reconcile the bank statements to discover how much we are overdrawn - nobody on the Committee gave the decision to put the weekly fees into the proper account and now we have no money left to buy the basic necessity of milk, bread and fruit for the children's snack. Tonight I am supposed to be rewriting policies to bring them to our Committee for their approval but having my own life outside work has pushed that to one side. Now at 10 pm I have to still make a birthday cake for one of our children who turns 3 tomorrow - that will mean an early start to get it iced tomorrow morning before Playgroup starts. I have one other person who works with me on a daily basis - my Deputy. She starts at 9 am and finishes at 1 pm. She has her mobile phone alarm set at 1 and will throw everything down no matter what in the middle of just to get out the door. I guess it is not a bad attitude but I think a bit of give and take sometimes would be helpful. The most annoying day is Friday when we have additional cleaning duties and usually I am the one left to put everything back together again either on that day or else first thing on Monday morning. Sometimes I just wonder if I stopped doing half of the things I do would anyone really notice or care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melba Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Oh Terrydooo, how often do we all feel that way! Here I am at 4:18 up because I can't sleep for having imaginary discussions with parents in my head AGAIN that I will never have time or freedom to actually have with the parents because there are so many other things to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest terrydoo73 Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Oh I know that feeling - I was off for a week last week and I really did chill out big time - going nowhere just reading and lazing about at home. It was heaven. Monday was so funny - I didn't really get the fact that I was back at work. Then Tuesday morning at 5 am it hit me big time and there was no point sleeping anymore. Tuesday and Wednesday were bad with so many things running through my head but as I have found in the past - writing everything down is my secret and I set myself boundaries of what I want to achieve every day. The only thing I haven't managed to do this week but I need to be in the mood for doing it and that is writing an amended policy as well as another new one I think. We have new Standards to adhere to over here in NI and I have set myself an ambitious target of addressing one Standard a week from now to Christmas and hopefully in this way be ready for the inspection process in January. I will try and unwide this weekend but there are no guarantees! My husband wonders why I go out shopping every Saturday and don't actually buy very much - it is the therapeutic value for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouseketeer Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) sooty99 I,m not sure what your set up is...ie school site but independent, paying rent, or part of the school, this would make a difference to what I,d expect to be doing or what i would expect the school caretaker should be doing, we recently moved from village hall to own prem on school but independent, so very different responsibilities now, we have to unlock/lock gate for our parents too. Terrydoo73, not sure what the answer is, just to say you,re not alone, staff do a clean up before leaving dead on time...toilets, sweep/Hoover, tables, kitchen, but as seeing children out talking to parents still I'm sure they think I don't clean...I,m sure they think we have self cleaning windows, ledges and skirting boards, and that the cleaning fairies come in and clean the paint splashes off the walls and the accumulated fluff and lost things under and behind units that no one else appears to see ! Would never think that you leave later, arrive earlier and show up through your holidays even though unpaid....many of us seem to wear the 'mug' cap in early years Also make endless 'to do' lists to ensure everything happens. Edited November 9, 2012 by mouse63 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 sooty99 I,m not sure what your set up is...ie school site but independent, paying rent, or part of the school, this would make a difference to what I,d expect to be doing or what i would expect the school caretaker should be doing, we recently moved from village hall to own prem on school but independent, so very different responsibilities now, we have to unlock/lock gate for our parents too. Terrydoo73, not sure what the answer is, just to say you,re not alone, staff do a clean up before leaving dead on time...toilets, sweep/Hoover, tables, kitchen, but as seeing children out talking to parents still I'm sure they think I don't clean...I,m sure they think we have self cleaning windows, ledges and skirting boards, and that the cleaning fairies come in and clean the paint splashes off the walls and the accumulated fluff and lost things under and behind units that no one else appears to see ! Would never think that you leave later, arrive earlier and show up through your holidays even though unpaid....many of us seem to wear the 'mug' cap in early years Also make endless 'to do' lists to ensure everything happens. yes school local authority nursery. i lnow p v i people are angels and have far more than me, but sometimes i think what is the point of having a caretaker or cleaner?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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