Question
Q – “I never get any time out to do my paper work ( leaning journeys and planning) but receive emails from my manager telling me to make sure my paperwork is up to date…. Just wondering how much time out you get to complete paperwork?”
Answers
A – “I think that’s why a lot of people leave working in childcare. It’s to much and not enough time to do it all”
A – “I have just started giving my pre – school staff 3 hours a week, they have 8 key children but focus on 4 a week. This time is for learning journals, emails, next steps and prepping.”
A –“ I worked in childcare setting for 9 years and I did most of mine in my unpaid break or at home with planning etc even my IEP’s and SENDCO paperwork…. but if it was quiet we would try to do it then. Just so you know it was hardly ever quiet… but you do it because of the children 🙂 because you want to see the progression and for the parents to see how wonderful their children are and you are for all you do for them”
A – “I don’t get any time out. Am the only full time member of staff in my room since August so have been running the room as room manager and had 22 key children to plan & observe for then had to do assessments for them all in December. Have just got staff this week but they have to do their 8 week induction before they can have key children and do obs and planning. So add training 2 New staff to my list I’m currently working 60 hours a week plus completing a management nvq at home. So much for work life balance”
A – “We give 1 hour out of the room for paper week each week and when it’s time to fill out assessments and progress wheels we give an extra half hour, planning the girls do during the lunch time quiet period or when convenient”
A – “We don’t get time out to do it. We use eylog . Each observation is automatically put onto their online learning journey. And you can plan the next steps on the observation. We do this while in the room. We occasionally get time out to do 2 year checks and summaries but that is all”
A – “I give my staff team half an hour a week (6-7hours a term) plus we are quieter in the school holidays so they get extra planning time sometimes as much as 5hours a week. It’s very hard as a manager to try and juggle staffing and funding. It’s going to go very wrong in September”
A – “I am the owner of 3 pre-schools, my managers receive 45mins per day admin time and deputies 15mins per day. All staff receive one paid morning per half term for completion of LJ’s. This puts a financial strain on the business but due to safeguarding any paperwork which can identify a child cannot be taken home.”
A – “At our setting, we have Spanish and dance sessions where only one or two staff members have to supervise so others can do paperwork. We let the staff do their planning during operational hours, and the write observations on post it notes and collect until we drop numbers either due to Christmas, the summer (holidays) or sickness and staff are able to catch up. I know some settings say staff have to do the work at home but I strongly disagree with that thinking they need their rest plus they have staff meetings first aid etc in their own time. The planning itself shouldn’t take too long and if t does, it needs to be revised.”
A – “My staff get 1 hr out per week each, which puts a financial strain on the business but they can’t take work home so it’s a must”
A – “I currently have 10 key children (3 of them being under 3 yrs old) and have 1hr and 15 minutes time out each week for paperwork”
A – “In my one setting I allocate half an hour per day for journals in my other setting the team take turns to sit out and update journals”
A – “I am room leader of preschool and the early years teacher, I I’ll have 14 key children by next week and have 1.5 hrs if I’m lucky for planning. Often start or finish planning at home though”
A – “Learning journals are not a legal requirement from ofsted and you shouldn’t take them home as is going against safeguarding. If you manager wants you to do them then they need to give you time out to do them”
A – “We have 2.5hrs within our working week for PPA (planning, preparing and assessment)”
A – “My staff get paid three hours a week on a Thursday afternoon”
A – “I get 1 hour a day”
A – “We have no time, all done in our own time not paid”