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- or the special Easter edition, as we have decided to call it! However you like to spend your Easter, have a happy and peaceful weekend.
We're delighted to welcome Oxfordshire to the local authority scheme and the FSF. Teachers, practitioners, and other providers from Oxfordshire can now register and subscribe free of charge (visit the LA pages to learn more). Additionally we're delighted that Leicestershire and Southampton are renewing their participation in the scheme for the second year, and that Dudley, Suffolk, Blackpool, Hampshire and Islington are renewing for the third year. Current members from these authorities need do nothing; their account subscriptions will automatically be renewed.
Managing your People Risks
Running or owning a business involves taking responsibility for the staff who work for you - this article describes ways to mitigate the risks associated with this.
The Early Years Foundation Stage is like an Onion!
Find out why the EYFS is more like an onion than a tomato...
Educational Pioneers: Susan Isaacs, 1885-1948
Continuing our articles on the most influential figures in early years education.
Here's a selection of conversations that have caught our eye over the past few weeks:
Planning Application to Build New Nursery Next Door...
"...Can anybody help? Yesterday a guy came to see me to say he wanted to change a guest house into a day nursery. Fine you might say, except for the fact it is 12 houses away from my setting.
This guy has no background in childcare, but is basically a developer and somebody has told him it would make an excellent nursery. And to be fair, the site is good. I have told him a nursery isn't a money making machine people seem to think it is, but I think he is just seeing £ signs...."
Setting Individual Targets for Reception Children
"... HELP!
As a school we are being 'advised' to set Literacy and Numeracy targets termly for each child and then to display them as 'must' 'should' 'could' with children's photos showing where they are working.
As a team in Reception we have said that we do not want to make a display as we have parents who will use the display as a 'weapon' against our professional judgement of their child!..."
Learning Walls
"... Thought I share how we're planning.
As a whole school we have introduced learning walls.Although the advisory teacher didn't think it was suitable for nursery, because of the way we plan/relationships with parents we have been the most successful...."
Playgroup to Reception Transition
"... Im an NQT this year and in reception. My head has started to ask me to think about the children I will be teaching next year and the transition process they will receive. In the past playgroup children have come in for reading sessions and circle times, but my head wants to try something new!
Just wondered what everyone else did to introduce the children to the school and school life..."
Nursery Funding - Increase to 15 hours Entitlement
"...Just wondered how other Sessional Pre Schools are feeling about the imminent increase to 15 hours (by 2010). What are other groups proposing to do? I feel that this could be the beginning of the end for Groups like ours. We meet in a church hall and can only offer 7 sessions of 2.5 hours maximum because the premises is used by other groups too. Any ideas? Looking for some sort of answers but at the moment can't seem to find a way around it, without closing. HELP!! ..."
Water and Sand Play?
Some great ideas for activities here!
Breast Feeding Complaint
"... We have received two written complaints from parents about another parent who breast feeds her child when bringing her older child, and collecting her. The "baby" is actually a toddler, and the mother feeds him whilst standing queuing up to sign in, and then sits either by the entrance door, or on the steps outside. She is not discrete, and does not attempt to cover herself up. Before we received the complaints we had offered her a more comfortable area to feed the baby, but she declined...
Do we advise the parent that her actions are causing difficulties for others, or do we let her continue oblivious, as we believe it is her right to feed her baby as and when she wishes? As always, any advice would be gratefully received!..."
Assigning Keyworkers
"... We have been reviewing our settling in procedures and currently we assign keyworkers before a child starts with us.This means we can let parents know who their child's keyworker will be. Parent and children spend one to one time with the keyworker at their settle visit and this works well and seems to help begin to build a partnership between them.However it seems over the first few sessions some children will be drawn to one of the other members staff which is fine and obviously we dont expect keyworkers and children to spend all the time together but if a child bonds with another member of staff then we are happy to swap keyworkers but it always seems a shame for the parents !
How does everyone else do this? Do you assign keyworkers straight away or wait and find out more about the child first...
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