Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

Original poster

How many nursery teachers are supposed to look after children???

14 replies

lozzawoo · 03/08/2006 21:56

In the nursery my son goes too there is one teacher to look after all the children on a morning or afternoon. Some days it can be a different teacher for a different day. Would you think that would just confuse them even more????

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Blossomhill · 03/08/2006 21:58

No I think it's good for them to get used to different people. They change every year anyway!

mumeeee · 03/08/2006 22:16

There should be a nursery nurse or ateachers assistant with the teacher.The teacher should not be on her own loking after a class of nursery children sometimes nusery nuses work part time so there may be diferent staff on different days.

beccymay · 18/08/2006 16:33

Staff ratios in a nursery should be as follows 1 staff to 3 babies under the age of two. 1 member of staff to 4 children over 2 and 1 member of staff to 8 children over the age of 3. I think that a qualified teacher can look after 16 on there own Don't agree with that though!!

pixiepins · 18/08/2006 16:57

i don't think thats actually true.
i'm a qualified teacher and i still have to follow the ratios laid down by OFSTED!
i'm just about to open my own nursery in sept..and the ratios you stated are correct. i was never told that one qualified teacher could lookafter 16 on their own! or maybe i wasn't listening!

Pamina3 · 18/08/2006 16:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pixiepins · 23/08/2006 09:51

1:13!
what?
maybe it's different for a school based nursery?
but i'm sure it's not...i only had my OFSTED inspection etc 3 weeks ago and she was so strict about ratios!
i just can't see how that type of ratio is at all workable!

Tommy · 23/08/2006 10:10

My sons has just left a school nursery where there were 25 children - one qualified teacher and 3 assistants.
I assume that was legal - they managed to pass their OFSTED anyway!

gladbag · 23/08/2006 10:12

Pamina3 is right. For school-based LEA nurseries the ratio is 1:13. I worked in one for a few years, me and a nursery nurse with 26 children.

magnolia1 · 23/08/2006 10:24

My dd is starting a school nursery in september. There are about 35-40 children and between 7-10 staff all quailified.

pixiepins · 23/08/2006 10:33

well you live and learn...but i don't see why it should be different for school based nurseries and non school nurseries etc.
that just sounds too many for my liking!
ah well...

gladbag · 23/08/2006 10:38

I agree - it is far too many, although it is only the minimum requirement and most schools have more adults than that to make it truely workable.

fairydust · 23/08/2006 10:42

dd's school based nursery was 1:13

alex8 · 23/08/2006 11:01

a lot of the leagal limits don;t seem to apply to schools. I taught a reception class of 30 4 years old with no help and it was perfectly legal

prettybird · 23/08/2006 11:15

In Scotland (or at least Glasgow) they have just changed the rules so that the only qualified teacher is the headteacher of the council run nurseries (pre-schools).

Those "surplus" to requirements have been redeployed to the primary schools under compulsory transfers.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page