trekker

Welcome back! Yes it certainly is tiring...I'm with toddlers and my knees don't much like sitting on the floor all day (well the getting up and down bit really! 😄)

Hi I think they technically can count in ratio but NOT at the level they are studying - if studying for level 3 they will count as level 2 for ratios. For your 13 children you'd need minimum of a level 3 qualified member AND at least half of any other staff qualified at level 2. So if the level 3 and two apprentices are all you have then no I dont think it works. However since ratios apply across the whole setting not per room (which I've always struggled to understand!) if there are other level 3 staff in the setting it may be. This is what I found on the kinderly website: Students on long term placements and volunteers (aged 17 or over) and staff working as apprentices in early education (aged 16 or over) may be included in the (qualified) ratios at the level below their level of study, if the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible (3.49). To assess competence, providers could use the criteria in Annexes C, D & E from the DfE Early years qualification requirements and standards to support them. This change means that someone studying towards an approved level 3 qualification (including qualifications at levels 4, 5 and 6) may count within the level 2 ratio, and someone studying towards EYTS or QTS may count within the level 3 ratio. For reference, not all level 6 degrees give a licence to practice. They must have been assessed in practice and be on the Early Years Qualifications List (EYQL), in which case they will count as level 3 for ratio purposes. To count as level 6 for ratio purposes someone must have EYTS, EYPS or QTS.

Hmm yes that could be an option...bonus of being dustproof too. Failing that I will have to get some fun fabric and get my machine out - its been quite a while but think I could manage something simple 😊

Hi - thank you for taking the time to reply ☺️ I had not been involved in dealing with preparing / storing the bedding in my setting until recently (it had always been set out by other staff as part of transforming the room for sleepers) so I was curious to find out how others did it. Apparently there is a monthly cycle and parents provide and wash them and they are stored stacked together...but that jarred with me a bit. I would think weekly cycle and separation of used sheets would be preferable but there have been no issues raised from parents or other staff at all. Can I ask where you get the little bags? - I've been looking but have only found drawstring ones and they are like shoe bags so quite big.

Hi all Just started my wrapping today - after a last minute shop as I wasn't happy with some of the original presents I brought. Need to knuckle down and get the wrapping done this weekend now. I'll do it while I watch some Christmas films and sip hot chocolate - starting to feel holiday-ish now and ready to settle down and do not very much for a week (one more shift to work on Monday though) ☺️🎄 Hope you all have a great Christmas !

Bit late but thought I'd check in and say hi! 👋 Decorations and tree all complete and enjoying the cosy feel of the twinkling lights in the evenings. Did a bit of a present inventory today and feel like I'm practically done - which came as a bit of a surprise really 😁 so just the wrapping to get to now. I don't finish until Christmas week and then back on 2nd as in nursery now...I do so miss the days of term time only pre-school!

Hello - its me! Just popping in. It's been a while since - no idea why really. Definitely quieter on here isn't it? Anyway quality rather than quantity counts I guess 🤣 Wind is picking up outside so I've duly got out my torches and so on 😬 Hope everyone is well and staying safe. Good to 'speak' with you all again.

The little bag sounds just the thing...thank you. Good to hear another familiar 'voice' again...I'll check out 'Friday' 😀

Hi and thank you ...bit quiet here unless its a Tapestry thing from the looks of it. I've been popping in again after quite a break ...glad to see some names I recognise still 😊

Just a few quick queries about how other settings manage childrens bedding in nursery. 1 Do you provide and wash it, or do parents provide and you wash, or do parents provide and wash? 2 Where and how is it stored hygienically for ease of access? We are a small setting with very limited closed storage space and are struggling to manage the pile! Just wondered if there was a easy solution we haven't considered 🤔

Unfortunately we get no CPD except essential updates to safeguarding, first aid, food hygiene....no inset days or anything....or staff meetings...so a BIG issue 😩

Haven't read it all - just skimmed through really but there are definitely parts I feel are better for the change - e.g. the greater emphasis on practitioner judgement and less need for written evidence. 😊

Me too - I really like the checkpoints - it will be much simpler to identify areas for development that will really make the most difference....should simplify planning and next steps (if you still do them!) and for students and newer staff it will be invaluable - I'd have appreciated something like that when I first started! I hope it will focus staff on the things that matter and reassure them.

I really like the birth to three section rather than the narrower bands of the old one too. I also think that, because it IS so different from the last, it will hopefully make it easier to support staff stand firm against continuing the tick list approach which unfortunately has become a crutch for many...a great opportuniity to let that go for good and take a simpler, less prescriptive and enjoyable approach to observing. Lets finally give staff permission (as this document does) to see the child for who they are and to celebrate what they do rather than stress over which statements they haven't perfomed yet!

Hi Less is more I'd say. I worked for many years trying to include individual planning, key person planning, next steps and yet more often than not it always ended up that we did something not on the plans at all.....and good stuff, stuff that mattered to the children but, because we had a plan, it stressed everyone out because we were trying to evidence that what we planned had happened even if we'd covered the same objectives in other ways or on different days.... so now we are fully in the moment and Ive been working without a weekly, daily, monthy, long, medium, short term plan of any kind for several years now. All we write are the individual observation, with the teaching element highlighted. Basically all the planning happens in the moment, on the day, with some inspiration from seasonal events. We have to have an environment and sufficient resources to enable that sponteneity....that is our long term plan - to build up the resources. You say your staff are already really good at responding to opportunities to extend learning so imagine there are already lots of 'activities' happening that are likely to be meeting childrens needs. I think what you have in place is perfectly fine....but I'd suggest not making it too much of a 'must do' / ' have to do' ....use the books as a provocation but you shouldn't need to write it up as a focus / daily plan at all - you'd have the evidence of it happening in observation records if needed ....but it's unlikely anyone is going to challenge you on whether you read X book on X day as your plan said. The main planning is best focused on building up the environment and resources to support you and to build the skills of staff to be able to work independently of plans and to develop high quality interaction skills - to think on their feet and to make the most of every moment!