Staff/committee members - Staff breaks at pre-school

[Helennn]

Hi - another question from me I'm afraid.

We, the committee, have been reminded again that the staff at our pre-school should have breaks every-day away from the children. We of course realise this but are trying to figure out how to go about it in the most cost efficient way.

We always have a good staff to child ratio, ie not the minimum necessary, but this does not always mean that there is a 'spare' member of staff to allow a colleague to take a lunch break iyswim. How do other pre-schools manage it? Do you get a lunch-time assistant in, or is there something we haven't thought of yet?

Many thanks again

I'm intrigued to know too. We have now 2 part-time staff aswell as the full-time staff and I have told them they need to use the p/t ones to cover breaks, but they refuse to take a break. Which kind of leaves the committee open to accusations of breaking the working time directives!

The f/t staff work 6 hours a day so it should be possible to factor in a break.

well by rights their entitlement is a 20min break if they work OVER 6 hours. so if they work 6 hrs and are refusing a break then no problem!

Really Ruddynorah - I didn't realise that.

However, it is in their job contracts that they get a break, and it is also a requirement in the new Eccers monitoring thingy. We have the Eccers lady coming in October and this is something she will mark us on apparently, so we need to get it sorted by then unless we want to get down-marked!

Do they not have a break between sessions? or is it more of a day nursery setting?

Ours work 9-11.45 then break between sessions starting again 12.15-14.45 this gives staff a 25 min break around lunchtime( 5 mins in normally spent seeing parents out the door with their DC)

WTR says you get a minimum 20 mins (unpaid)break when you work for more than 6hrs. Upto and including 6hrs = no break.

We are a pre-school that offers sessional all day care, from 9.15 to 3.15 including a lunch club, so the staff effectively work all day continuously.

It looks like we will have to pay somebody to cover lunch-times to enable staff to take their 20 mins break, which of course adds on to the expenses each month! Just didn't know how others did it when they are not working at a higher ratio than necessary.

How many staff do you have and how many children? Can you work it they take a break at the quieter times?

We had this problem when our pre-school changed their hours meaning the staff were working 7 hours. We asked all the old dears in our village if they had an hour to spare between 11am-12pm to come and "play" with the children.
It has worked out brillantly, we have a rota with 4 ladies and 1 man. The children adore them and the staff all get their break.

Thanks for replying. That is an excellent idea Sparkles, think we have come to a solution but if not will suggest this.

we got marked down on our Eccers for this too....but some of our staff only work 3 hours day and only one works more than 6 once a week.... bit unfair of the new scheme I felt - we pay them to work not have breaks