How Many Deputies?

[Guest]

I am trying to find out whether you HAVE to have a named Deputy Supervisor on each session as well as the Supervisor!

 

We are a sessional preschool, open at the moment for 8 sessions a week, we will soon be opening for 10 sessions per week. Our supervisor works 4 sessions a week, I supervise 3 and deputise 1 session a week, we have one other staff member who Supervises 1 session and is deputy 3 sessions and as she works over 2 days only (she has another job) and is unable to be flexible. My supervisor wants to promote another 2 members of staff so that we would have a 'Supervisor' and a named Deputy per session. This would push the wages bill up and also create a situation where there would be more supervisory staff than practitioners!

 

Do you supervisors out there work full time, so you are there all the time, if not, how many deputies do you have? Can you just have a 'supervisor' on a session and no Deputy?

 

Thank you.

 

jenni x

[hali]

i am supervisor and work every session with a deputy that does the same, we have another member of staff who is deputy in my absence...

[Guest]

I am manager of my pre-school with a deputy and a senior assistant. When I am absent my deputy is in charge and the senior assistant is second in command. If both myself and my deputy were absent then the senior assistant would take charge. We have this all written in our staffing policy. All the other staff are responsible to the three of us.

Linda

[bubblejack]

I don't think you have to have a deputyand a supervisor at each session. . My deputy works most sessions anyway so she is aware,involved and able to cope with the extra responsibility if I'm not there.

[Guest]

I am the manager of my pre-school, but my immediate boss (the owner) deputises when I'm not there. We also have a supervisor or room leader which seems a bit silly to me, as we are only in one room and I am counted in the ratios so have to work directly with the children, although it is handy to have her when I have to leave the room for 'meetings' with my boss

[Guest]

Hi

We have a Manager and a Supervisor. One of us is always on the premises, it is usually both but if one is off then the other is always in as we have to have a level 3 on the premises.

[Guest]

I own and manage my sessional pre-school and have two deputy managers. One of us is always present but we do not have a named second in command for each session,although we do have 50 % qualified staff at every session. I was inspected under the new Ofsted system last year and they did not raise this as an issue.

[Guest]

I think there is a lot of confusion over this because standard 2.2 says "There is a named deputy who is able to take charge in the absence of the manager". But it doesn't really define what that means by "manager" "take charge" or "deputy". Settings all have different ways of working, different names for different roles and different ways of deploying of staff and one size doesn't fit all.

 

The way we interpret this is that if you can show that you have contingency plans in place so that if the person who is in charge of the children on any particular day is unavailable (or becomes ill/is injured on the job) there is someone else suitably qualified that could take over straight away. I think they need to be already on the premises, not on standby at home. We call that person the deputy. We have a supervisor, a deputy and an assistant working with 17 children each session. The first two have level 3. We also have a list of people (parents, ex-staff, friends, preferably with CRBs) who we have permission to call on in an emergency to cover as an assistant.

 

Carolyn

[Inge]

we work similar to carolyn , where we have 2 level 3 at work each session if numbers of children dictate that 3 members of staff are needed! .... (partly helps that we are all level3) but have always operated so even when we were different levels of qualification.

 

Wages are calculated according to the job we do each day. So wage rate varies daily. hard to explain but it works for us as we are all equal in level of experience and means we all actually earn a very equal wage each month without putting burden on finances too much. This is a quirk of our wages system.

 

as manager i get 6 hour extra each week for additional paperwork, and responsibility. we do have 2 named deputies who take over everything when I am away (tend to have term time holidays these days!!) , but have been sessions where other staff have run sessions but as said before they are level 3.

 

Also depends on numbers of children as standard 2.5 says that at least half of staff have to hold a level 2 qualification appropriate for care or development of children.

taking this if you have 16 children at ratio of 1:8 one has to be level 3 and other can be unqualified, or even a volunteer if 2.7 is taken into consideration . No need for anyone else! as 2.9 says a minumum of 2 adults on duty.

 

How many ways can we interpret the standards?

 

Inge

[Guest]

Thank you very much for your replies! Out of 9 staff 7 are Level 3 qualified, so we are more than OK there, its just whether we have to 'name' them on the rota's and inform Ofsted etc. If we promote 1 staff member, then the other will be insulted and leave!! aaahhhhh. But it would just be silly to have so many deputies!! We cant win really.

 

Jenni

[Smiles]

I run a playgroup and work every day, I have one Deputy who work three of these days but would deputised if I were to be absent. I like the idea of a Senior assistant, we have a nother memeber of staff who is working towards her Level 3. Recently at our Ofsted I questioned the Ispector about what constituted a 'regular volunteer' as we have in the past had to close because we couldnt get cover and I was told it has to be someone who comes into playgroup voluntary at least once a week!

 

 

Smiles

[Guest]

I run a playgroup and work every day, I have one Deputy who work three of these days but would deputised if I were to be absent. I like the idea of a Senior assistant, we have a nother memeber of staff who is working towards her Level 3. Recently at our Ofsted I questioned the Ispector about what constituted a 'regular volunteer' as we have in the past had to close because we couldnt get cover and I was told it has to be someone who comes into playgroup voluntary at least once a week!

Smiles

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"I was told it has to be someone who comes into playgroup voluntary at least once a week! "

 

 

If that is not written in the standards, with an asterix as mandatory, then the Inspectors comment surely must just be guidance ???

 

Peggy

[Smiles]

I have to say that I would go with you on that one Peggy , I was asking the inspector what she would class as a 'regular volunteer' . In an emergency I have used a past volunteer who was a regular helper and is familiar with our procedures etc. My committee want me to use commitee members who have never been in to help and count them as part of the ratio.

 

Smiles

[Guest]

I have to say that I would go with you on that one Peggy ,  I was asking the inspector what she would  class as a 'regular volunteer' . In an emergency I have used a past volunteer who was a regular helper and is familiar with our procedures etc.  My committee want me to use commitee members who have never been in to help and count them as part of the ratio.

 

Smiles

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I agree with you and if available would use someone who is familiar with the procedures, which must be in the best interest of the children.

 

peggy