Will the EYF allow Nursery staff more time with the Children?

[callmeovercautious]

DD started in a new room today so I stayed a while, she is nearly 2 so has moved out of "Babies". There were plenty of staff in the room (5) but 2 of them were filling in observsations for each Child and another was doing all the nappy changes/potty sessions. So in reality the number of adults interacting with 19 Children was 2.
I was mobbed by little ones wanting to play with me and DD, all wanting attention and telling me about their Mummies and Daddies (it was really sad).

I talked to one of the staff about it and asked how much they had to do and I was really shocked. However she did say that when the new EYF comes in from tomorrow(?) they will have less to do.

I really hope so! I pay a fortune for them to interact and DD deserves some attention. We don't even get all these notes, they sit in a file for when an inspector visits. Obviously we can ask to see them but tbh last time I looked they did not tell me any more than the daily report sheets do. Why do they need both?

Rant over - hope it improves, for the DC and the staff.

As a childminder, when EYFS comes into force (Septemeber 1st) it will mean more work for me. Therefore, either less time with the children, or more work out of hours (which is what will happen with me).

I'm not sure how it works with nurseries, but not sure how it will mean less work for them.

It is sad.

Really? That is bad! The world has gone paperwork mad

That's exactly right.

I am a c same as SB, and for me it will mean the same, less interaction or work out of hours unpaid.

Nursery management are not going to want to pay their staff to do paperwork out of hours on overtime are they

Sad for all those littlies desperate fro interaction.

In a way it makes me glad I'm my own boss. I am a softy and will be doing paperwork unpaid in my own time. How ths will affect my health / stress levels / family relationships remains to be seen.

I am also a CM and my 3.10 son is at preschool (3 mornings a week til next month). When I went to see the school before he started last year, I was advised that they had started implementing EYFS a year earlier than legally required.

While I am very very happy with the preschool, I have also most definitely noticed that the staff spend loads more time filling in observation post-its rather than interacting with the little ones. It was almost farcical one day with the children running around and the adults furiously scribbling away on little yellow pads. It is something I intend to raise with the school in the new academic year.

Callmeovercautious, you are dead right! One of the main objectives of the observations is to provide OFSTED with the evidence that the child has achieved / reached / managed / whatever the "correct" phrase is, certain levels of development (and more contentiously, levels of learning). The interaction with the children is at risk with preschools or nurseries or childminder's settings where observations take over the interaction with children that they need and enjoy.

Thanks for the replies. The nursery nurse refered to the observations as "stickers" They fill in white lables and then stick them in the right place in the folders later rather than having 20 folders on the floor with them. At least that is efficient!

I am a bit disappointed it seems nothing will change. I really did think they were paid to play not do admin