any experience of committee run playgroups? HELP!!!

[Trebuchet]

Hi all

To cut long and mad story short I am the unlikely chair of a playgroup. I'm far too soft..Lots of work and I'm not a natural but I'm trying hard.

The current leader is..words cannot describe..but a NIGHTMARE. She claims I'M LETTING THE DEVIL IN WHEN i TRY TO GET HER TO IMPLEMENT THE THINGS THAT ofsted HAVE RECOMMENDED. Whoops sorry about caps...

She sneaks off out the back door way before the end of the morning sometimes missing an hour. She is rude to the parents. Her personal hygeine is bad. Talking to her is like swimming thru treacle.. she just talks over you and will not listen. The good thing is that she is lovely with the kids and they are very fond of her, but she is becoming increasingly difficult and at times irrational.

On Monday when toddlers is on that she also runs, I turned up to find some bemused parents and no..lets call her Jane. Apparently she'd been there for half an hour, got all of the equipment out, and then left as she had an important appiontment. Her assistant had called in sick too so we were on our own.

I had to stay til 12.30 to wait for someone with a key to arrive as Jane is supposed to lock up. I had my 2 kids with me, I don't even work there its all unpaid and I had to lug away heavy equipment on my own as the other girls there were either pg or just had babies.

On Tues I approached her and said very pleasently that if neither she or assistant could make it perhaps Toddlers just shouldn't run that day. She flew off the handle, shouting how she'd worked here for 33 years and I begrudge her a single day off. I said it was nothing of the sort I'd have covered it myself if I'd had a few hours notice or got cover staff. She screamed that I wasn't her boss and that she'd given her whole life to this place

Didn't know what to do...

The other girls on the committee have been saying for ages she needs to go. I'm startig to think I agree

Where do we stand on this?

If this happens I'd like to make her redundant as she'd at least get some money, but can we do this, do we have the "power"? Seems strange as we're all voluntary that we should be able to do this...

Thanks. Sorry this is so long...

I was Chair of a Playgroup years ago-remember you have the committee so work together. She will have to go!!
I expect there are all sorts of rules about formal warnings etc first.
I would suggest going to the CAB and getting the facts before you proceed.

Thanks Piscesmoon. It is very hard and sadly nobody wants to be on the committee its just 3 of us. Feels awful making a decision that will affect someones life. Thanks for the response x

Are you members of the Preschool Learning Allinace? Because they have a law advice line which would be a good starting place for you. I'd give them a ring and ask.

Think you will probably have to go through a disciplinary procedure if you want to sack her. What does her contract say about disciplinary procedures, gross misconduct etc?

Don't think you can make her redundant as you would have to make the position redundant - so you couldn't hire a replacement for her.

Read your constitution and find out what it says on her employment contract. We had a playleader like that a couple of years ago but she had only been with us for a maximum of 8 months.
She had never actually signed a contract and refused to, but still turned up for work, which in the eyes of the law means that you have accepted the contract.
You will need to find out if you are a member of either the Pre-school learning alliance or if you can get help from your local council.
When was her last review? You need to set up a meeting with her and the committee and go on from there.
Sounds like she can't cope with the job anymore and sadly, the older playleaders can't seem to cope with the EYFS.
Our original playleader was running the pre-school for 20yrs and gave up just before EYFS became law.
Hope you manage to sort things out, just make sure you all stick together as a committee.

And YES, the committee is her BOSS! She must be in her 50's right?

Yes nearly 60. Thanks for your responses. Feel utterly exhausted by it all. Hate the idea of her not working there as I'm really worried about how she'll cope its been her life for so long but we'l get closed down if she continues to work, I'm sure, because she's so unwilling to follow any advice from OFSTED or the Early Years team.

Thanks Missus I didn't realise that. Could we make her redundant because she's not willing to do the NVQ training and you can no longer be a leader without it? Just don't want to humiliate her by sacking her...

You'd need to check, but I think you need to make the post redundant rather than the person.

Would she retire rather than be sacked if it came to it?