Restructure help

[Foreveryoung]

We are a term time (currently) setting full day care, we have our own building and 15 staff. We have a reception desk and two rooms plus other areas/activities.

Our office worker is leaving and we feel we need somone on reception for main part of day 9-4  and for administration duties. Also deputy is wanting to job share not full time.

My mind is a fuzz with how to restructure, the buisness side is greater than i have thought and i need to ensure i get it covered. 

What's your structure,  if you are of a similar make up, im wondering about admin apprenticeship to help make things work saying that i really dont know 

[FSFRebecca]

Hi Foreveryoung!

It's so hard isn't it?! When I first started the nursery I did everything ... that's simply not sustainable as numbers grow. Now, we have 22 staff (probably 15 at a time) and up to 60 children. I have two equal managers [me+very qualified other], we don't have a deputy. We are both supernumerary, but being two of us we can get into rooms to support staff, develop practice, make observations etc One of us is always 'available' (ie, not in a room). We both work about 75% of the week at nursery and 25% at home. We have an office manager for 25 hours a week. The management is split: I do staffing, finance (with the office manager) and am line-manager for the 3+ team. My colleague is SENCO, staff training and induction and is line-manager for the 0-3 team.

The plus side is that we can be really flexible and 'available' for our staff, we get on extremely well, we completely trust each other (it wouldn't work otherwise) and parents get quick answers to any questions. The downsides are that you have to 'let go' of some things if they are handled slightly differently to how you would have done it. It works for us and it's great to have an 'equal' to share frustrations, ideas, the development plan  with. It works for us!