Early Years Foundation Degree - need some help please.

[termsandconditionsapply]

One of our staff (playleader)is studying for this qualification - she has asked to do this.

She is in college for one day a week, attending the course. She then takes a half day to study. These are both fully paid.

She also has a day off in the week.

She then has two half days of office and admin time.

So overall she is actually "with" the children for one full day and one half day.

Does this seem right?
Unfortuntaley there is nothing in writing, ie a contract, to check against.....

Your thoughts are welcome

lucky! i do similar unpaid

Thanks SEA.
Are you working whilst studying?

Questions are being asked and I'm not entirely sure what should be offered really?

I have staff doing level 3's atm - they do it in addition to working plus attend work for 2 more hours to work as a study group

I have had voluntary EYFD students working here for nothing plus I have employed some & they did it in addition to work

Mind you come 2015 when you need a degree qualified member of staff are you intending it to be her?

If she gets paid time off to study you should tie in her contract so she has to stay 1 or 2yrs once completed

I am doing this course and don't get paid to do it. I work 40 hours a week and go to college every wednesday 5 till 9.30. Because I leave half an hour early on weds, I have to have a half hour dinner during the week, normally on Fri.
I used to get paid study time, but the funding has been used up for the setting, so have to use my holidays or time owing. Or weekends. I am trying to write a 2000 word assignment on leadership and management at this moment in time.
Sounds like she is getting a good deal.

Oh, I just typed a big reply to this and lost it.
I did the Fda ECS and worked, many of the mature students on the course were working FT in quite challenging positions (outreach etc). FT work and FT study is not unusual.Many friends have done the full honours degree working FT and with families too, we're all doing just fine academically

She will need to do 50 hours of work based learning and some child-led research but will probably be able to fit that into her role in the day and a half so I shouldn't think she needs any more time with the children to get the qualification.

Or are you asking if she is taking the piss? If so I do think that a half day paid to study is generous as you didn't ask her to do the qualification. I'd agree to make it a condition of her contract that the time has to be re-paid unless she stays for more than a year after the qualification finishes.

We already have a degree qualified member of staff, though not in EY, but it is a full hons degree.
We have another member of staff studying for an unrelated degree also, in her own time.....

None of our NVQ staff get study time, or any extras, not even the one studying for level 4.

Prepurple, that is the biggie actually, the funding.
The setting gets £2K a year (guarntedd until april 2011) to support her..... it is costing about £100 a week in her wages, then the wages of someone ot cover her, plus her books, travel costs... well over the £2K

She is either getting a good deal or taking the piss, and I'm not sure which

I think she is taking the piss

It wouldn't happen in my setting

But the office & admin time is nothing to do with the course (as far as I can tell) so don't do/say anything about that

You're paying for books and travel too? Bloody hell. I know people being "put through" this course by employers who don't get that.

Sue, wrt to the day and a half with the children, I was thinking more along the lines that she is barely ever at the setting, and is the leader, so wondered if that part was quite right, as opposed to whether it was right for the course.

Good ideas re re paying the study time though, thank you

The office/admin time is supposed ot be for her key children, plus any additional things that come up.

She would get that whether on the course or not.

Ah, see what you mean. I don't know your setting but it does seem a little excessive.

Does everyone get paid time for their Key children?

Just a thought, but why can't she use her day off to study?
I wish I got money for books and travel too.
Katy, I don't take any paperwork home, relating to my key children. I don't get paid enough. We are supposed to get some admin time every now and again, nothing concrete. But usually we are too short staffed, so I often resort to doing it in a corner of the room during quiet times. Not ideal, but if I didn't then it wouldn't get done.

yes i work at same time and study in my own time. i suppose times are weird at my work (with redundancies looming) so if i had something in my contract tying me to my job could be quite meaningless (iykwim)

company paid some towards fees too, but quite happy to do in my own time as it's me that will hopefully benefit. not made to do it.

(hope that makes sense!)

Who agreed to this arrangement? I would tell her that once the £2000 is used up, she funds it herself. Why should the setting be out of pocket? It's different if she was asked to do it but this sounds ludicrous!

Oh I agree - we have been short-staffed for so long; I am taking on 2 staff instead of one so we can catch uphome

I won't have my ladies doing it at home that's just unfair (but all my competition do)

I'm currently mentoring someone on their third year of the EYFD she works in private day care and gets one day a week to attend university paid but nothing for books or travel and works the other 4 days as normal

Well, all staff get 2 hours per week to update learning journeys, and they each have between 8 and 10 keychildren.

Unfortunately, due ot a chnage in committee over the summer holidays, no one has actually agreed to it that i can see. But no one has (until now) questioned it.

One suggestion has been to give her the £2K and tell her that nothing can be claimed for and she won't be paid for the days at college.

The worry is that it is a 2.5 year course, followed by another 18 months ot op up to a full hons degree, then another year for the EYPS. It doesn't seem sustainable.

Why is it so long? All the fd where I worked were two years,one year to top up, if she's studying full time. My top up year ran Sep-May.

Umm

Why don't you ask her for the letter/email confirming the details/arrangements, as with the changes over the summer the records are missing

That way if she has anything you have to commit to it & if she hasn't it can be discussed from first principles

No idea Sue!

Katy, a new committee are looking into it at the moment and that is what will happen.

i was just fishing for other people's experiences as it is all so new. I htink the committee will be putting it into writing this week, but would like ot have some idea of what other people get. The previous chair has been reluctant ot enter discussions, probably as nothing was put in writing.

I think some time to study is fair but not all that unless there tied in to work for you a good while

have you looked at the information regarding EYFDs?
www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/foundation-degrees/potential-students

She is very lucky, I am currently doing an open university course. I work 3 days a week with the chidlren then use my two days a week that I dont work to do my coursework when my daughter is at nursery.

Thanks mrz.