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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To complain to the setting leaders boss?

5 replies

thecloudhopper · 22/04/2010 08:38

Hi I have started to work in a playgroup with a child with SEN. He is fab and is 2.6 more like a 18 month old.

Anyways back to the ABU- The setting leader is an ok person but my god the setting is crap in A the things we do do, B the ways in which children are delt with when they are upset at leaving their mums/dads/nans/carer.
C the singing that they do.

Examples of A- We have looked at the topic of farming and each week we have done an animal, so the one week we did sheep and all the children did was put some cotton wool on it and then put two googly eyes on the sheep, each sheep had the eyes in the exact right place all put on two eyes. My 1-1 chucked his eyes on and had one on the body and one on the face and I thought great and his work, the setting leader said to me and I quote "Child has not put the eyes on the face perhaps you could move them?" To which I replied No as it is his work.

We have now changed topic and are looking at Water this week we are making sea horses, now my 1-1 and I suspect will not know what a sea horse is and we just d the craft we ever dicuss it at all just something along the line of " this is a sea horse you fing them in the sea"
B- If a child is upset she tries to talk them down in a sing song voice. 9 times out of 10 this does not work and then she gives up and leaves them cry!!!!
C- We sing and do some OK songs we sing them a little fast for my 1-1. There is 1 song that really get on my nerves it is a song about crocodiles and we use in the song a mixture of crocodiles and dinosaurs, now some of the children think that dinosaurs are crocodiles.
We also watched tv the other week mid session!!

AIBU to relay some of this to her boss as I am concerned about what the children get out of the setting especially my 1-1.

OP posts:
thursdaynamechange · 22/04/2010 08:43

I have no idea whether you should complain or not but you are FAB!

JoeyBettany · 22/04/2010 10:51

Def complain about leaving the children to cry.Bad practice full stop.

Maybe come up with some constructive suggestions about alternative 'craft' activities-I'm sure you'd have loads of ideas but how about glittery playdough, wet and dry spaghetti-all things more appropriate to your 1-1's level. How inviolved are you in the planning? Are you able to attend meetings to discuss these issues before going to the boss?

Regarding the singing, how about leading by example. I'm an EYP, and if I saw this in a setting, I would probably say assertively, 'Let's sing this one Really slowly this time' as if you were doing it for fun from the kid's point of view IYSWIM.

Afterwards bang on a LOT about how well they all did.

Good luck!

thecloudhopper · 22/04/2010 17:35

Joey thanks for the advice,
I have started to do my own planning for him but am concerned about the other children's learning.

we have play dough but it stays on the play dough table.

Setting leader does not like messy play so that is a no no.

OP posts:
Clayhead · 22/04/2010 17:42

Planning also sounds iffy - under the EYFS she/the team should be observing the children's likes/interests and planning to extend them, not using pre decided topics (that's how it sounds, given your description!)

JoeyBettany · 22/04/2010 18:18

God, that's awful if the setting leader doesn't like messy play . How about contacting your early years team (details should be findable on your council website) and telling them.

They should be able to send an early years advisor or similar round for a visit for some helpful advice and to back you up.

BTW agree with clayhead-they are not interpreting the EYFS correctly-and thats's being polite.

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