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Preschool education

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

Calling any Pre-School Teachers - your help needed!

11 replies

YoMoJo · 05/03/2010 17:30

I am applying for a position as a teacher in a Children's Centre. I am pretty certain that I have the skills & experience to do the job but...

I have had 2 children in 2 years (and am currently on mat leave) so have spent much of the last 2.5 years on Mat leave. I went back for 10 months before 2nd lot of mat leave but was overlooked for any PD on account of being pregnant. "You won't be here next term/year so it doesn't apply to you" type thing (that happened first time around too!)

So I feel very "out of the loop" with regards to current issues in EY's Education.

Other than the obvious - ECM, EYFS framework, is there anything else that you think I need to swot up on? & just what are the current issues in EY's education?

I have been on TES forums but not had much luck so far.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Clayhead · 05/03/2010 17:58

Am not QTS but do help in a pre-school. I would say what you have already plus the introduction of the Common Assessment Framework , the introduction of the Single Funding Formula (different times depending on where you live), increase of hours to 15 hours per week (also, different in different areas, may have that already where you are) and the EYPS - I believe all Children's Centres have to have one EYPS by the end of this year (even if already have QTS).

There are more but I need to make tea...

HTH!!

littlerach · 05/03/2010 18:02

We revently recruited for play leader and many of the questions were about Safeguarding.
Also EYFS, especially observations leading to planning and then the unique child.

YoMoJo · 05/03/2010 18:03

Thanks so much - that is really useful stuff! I will have a proper look once kide are in bed.

OP posts:
YoMoJo · 05/03/2010 18:06

Thanks also Littlerach - xpost

OP posts:
MumInBeds · 05/03/2010 18:08

There's also a big push to spend more time outdoors, even in the cold and wet and a lot of talk of increased involvement of parents (particularly dads) in the setting.

purepurple · 06/03/2010 09:19

I work in a day nursery and the 'big issues' for us at the moment are

-freeflow play between inside and out

-children being able to take risks when playing outside

-the balance between adult-led and child-led activities

-activities being planned around children's interests and not themes and topics

-partnership working, between parents and setting and other settings that children might attend

-and the big one, have schools fully implemented the EYFS in their reception classes? Or are they still stuck in the past, where play is seen as the reward for work? IS the pressure bottom up from nursery to KS1 or is it too much the other way? Pressure down from KS1. Should the EYFS be extended to the end of KS1, similiar to Wales?

-and does it even matter? Nobody knows what will happen after the general election. Worrying times for all in EY.

Clayhead · 06/03/2010 09:39

Back again!

As purepurple says, planning is a big one at the moment - most of ours is now retrospective, i.e. written up at the end of the day to show what has happened and not planned in advance by adults. Some of it, such as small group time, is adult initiated still, in order to bring out specific skills like turn taking but the rest is a matter of recording what the children have been observed doing and then writing up what the adults will do in the following days in order to extend this learning.

We do have a long term plan but this is a single A4 piece of paper and records events during the year that occur at specific times (Christmas, Eid etc.). The mid term plan is a single page document which details which of the six areas have not been adequately reflected in the last half term and need more emphasis.

There should be no more pre-planned themes, although themes which come out of observing the children are OK - we have found that this leads to several concurrent 'themes' rather than one over arching one.

I had an assessment recently which concentrated on aspects of planning, risk taking and free flow play. You have to show how you allow children to keep taking risks whilst making sure they are still safe. Free play should involve a choice of whether to be inside or outside and anything can be done outside - not just slides, bikes etc. but take out markmaking resources and a table, take a mat and the construction/small world/matching & sorting.

I was also asked about partnership with parents - daily diaries, notice boards, parents' evenings, open days, website, parents letters, oral communication, open door policy.

At the adjoining school the big issue has been the transfer to Year 1 - the children who have been used to free flow and lots of free play suddenly being asked to stay inside and work all day. They have managed this by intrudicing it gradually with lots of outdoor time still in the autumn, still some now for small groups.

HTH

YoMoJo · 06/03/2010 13:53

Thanks everyone - seems I am more "up-to-date" than I had thought! Which I suppose is a good thing!

I have been swotting up on the things I know little about though - CAF, EYPS - seems to be some debate with the Unions over that one!

Just need the ECM website to finish its maintenance grrrrr!

OP posts:
TiggyD · 08/03/2010 00:01

Purepurple and clayhead said everything I was going to say!

SchrodingersSexKitten · 21/03/2010 21:49

Sorry to hijack slightly, just interested as the mummy of apreschooler...
Why are pre-defined themes now frowned on? At DD's school, they recently visited a farm and for the whole term, they have being "doing" farms:
Animals
Crops
Seasons
Harvest
Etc

DD has been captivated and learnt alot - and I know this topic was "imposed" by the teacher. What's wrong with this approach?

mrz · 09/04/2010 12:25

What age range will you be expected to work with in the CC (0-5?)

Lots of new publications linked to EYFS

nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/242798

nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/132558

nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/273401

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