Midday Lunchtime supervisor job- tell me all about it

[Christmashorse]

I am about to apply for Midday Lunch supervisor vacancy position in my local primary school.
I have absolutely no experience in this field ( education).
Please tell me what is the worst and best point about it, describe your day please.
I understand it’s one and half hour a day, so equals to 7.5 hrs per week, how is this calculated over the academic year as no work during half-terms and summer holidays?
Does this also means you finish on time or need to stay longer as I will have to pick up my son from nursery in another school on time.
Do you interact with the teachers?
If i child has accident get an injury, will I be responsible?
If a school has inset/ training days, does this applies to us too?

I really enjoyed it when I did it but I'm very active and enjoyed running round the school field with the children. It's great on sunny, warm days but winter is a different ballgame. I also hated it on wet days when they had to be inside. The children don't treat you with the same authority as their teachers . I was assaulted on one occasion by a very troubled child so didn't blame him.

On the other hand I formed some lovely relationships with the children and they felt comfortable talking to me or airing issues. You do have to have eyes in the back of your head. Yes you will get training as safeguarding applies to you too. Same for first aid.

I've been doing this for nearly 5 years and I still love it!
We don't have to do inset days, we do have to do safeguarding training.
It's a good way in to starting a TA role too which I also do.
We have first aid training, we interact with the teachers (any playground or food related issues etc) we usually finish on time.

I enjoyed it. My experience MDS-ing led to my TA training which is what I do now!

It will vary from school to school on exact rules and policies etc. I always used to leave on time as once I was done there was nothing to stay for (not so much now I'm a TA...). My first class was a baptism of fire as they are renowned throughout the school for being "challenging", but tbh their issues with respect were the same for all staff not just MDS. We had a uniform and were known as Mrs/Miss X as opposed to first names which helps I think.

We got training on safeguarding and other things that you need when working with children. We weren't First Aid trained so if there was an incident that needed dealing with they'd be sent to first aiders within the school. We had to interact with teachers quite a lot, to pass on any messages on behaviour etc ("Luis in 2d has been at first aid, he fell playing football and has grazed his elbow, they've given him a slip which should be in his pocket", "I had to have words with Elsa and Anna in 4a for being unkind to the younger ones, they've apologised now" etc).

A normal day would go something like this :
Arrive at 11.30 in order to have a chat with colleagues and pick up any messages before shift starts
11.50 the whole team goes to set the tables and benches up in the hall, putany toys or equipment out on the playground and collect the dinners from the kitchen
12pm the children start coming in and we lead them to their tables
12-12.30 the children are eating and we are on hand to help open packets, cut up food if younger ones need it etc
12.30 all who have finished eating go out to the playground with one member of staff, the other stays behind to assist the slower ones and start to clean and put away tables and benches, going out when the last child has finished.
12.30-1 we are responsible for the children's wellbeing, we play games with them and supervise, sort out friendship issues and the like
1pm end of playtime, we line the children up, once teachers have taken them back to class put away any equipment used and go back to the hall to finish putting tables away.
1.10 home time.

This will vary massively between schools, depending on what year group/s you have etc etc, lots of variables.

Hope that helps!

Also wondering this.

Can I ask if you get your pay spread out so you get paid in the holidays like teachers or are you only paid term time?

Also can I ask what is your take home pay? I assume no tax as it's below the threshold? And how many hours do you work? Schools round here seem to vary between 5 and 10 hours when advertising vacancies

Thank you everyone.
I am worried that I won’t know how to interact with the children especially with the older ones, in regards of playing games etc. I’m generally a very shy person.

My pay was spread out so I got paid 12 months a year. I can't remember my hourly rate but it worked out about £200 a month, so yes under the tax threshold.

I was quite shy when I started too but working with children is great for that, especially the younger ones! I got taken by the hand by a 4 year old dressed as Hermione Granger (it was dress up day) who proceeded to tell me everyone's names. That's actually a key point - the job becomes a million times easier once you know their names so try to focus on that when you start!

Also read the school's behaviour policy and don't be afraid to ask questions. If you're worried about them respecting you you need to know exactly what sanctions and rewards for behaviour you can give.

One more thing is that as an MDS I've found children are more likely to "open up" to you, as you're only around them in their least structured/formal time of the day. I've had children tell me all sorts, some of which has then needed to be reported for safeguarding reasons, and some is just an amusing story to tell the teacher. Be prepared for that!

I run a kitchen in a primary school so not quite the same but I'm paid all year round. I work a 20 minute drive from my daughters school and I've always been back in time to collect her

Don't worry about that, you'll learn to. I just copied what the other MDS' did and soon got the hang of it. I imagine you'll probably shadow one of them in the beginning anyway.
Good luck with your application op

Btw, I had no experience either, didn't even think I liked other people's children!!
Now I absolutely love working in a school and love the children there too!

re the INSET days, I've worked in schools where the dinner ladies still got their pay for all 5 days, and didn't come in on 4 of them, but then they were committed to come in for a full day on the 5th, when they would do First Aid Training or Safeguarding Training or whatever, so it balanced out throughout the year but most had to find childcare for the one full day so they could do their training.

Thanks .
Also do you get paid monthly or fortnightly?

@Teapleasebobb I feel the same. I’m ok with my old child but I worry how would I be with other kids around as have no experience.
My nephew used went into that school when younger and he said they all were making fun of the lunch ladies, never respected them, he told me it’s not a nice there for the dinner ladies.

*used to go

Monthly

Hm, well I work in an infant school so the children are lovely, not sure how it would be in juniors or secondary school.
We get paid monthly

I've been doing this for the last year. I love it. Don't worry about knowing how to interact with the kids, take their lead. By the time I've collected all the jumpers etc left on the playground and handed them out, I'm usually leaving 5 min or so late. We get paid monthly spread across the year. We don't usually have to do inset days, only 2 in the last year. One for safeguarding (half day) and one for 1st aid. I do interact with the teacher as sometimes you need to feedback things that have happened during lunch. I also have the occasional overtime covering in the kitchen or if a TA is off.

So I applied on Friday.
In regards of a dress code, what do you wear?
I guess as you spend most of time outside, do you just wear your normal clothes or does it has to has be a certain dress code like teachers have? Formal and office like?
Also are you allowed a nail polish etc?

My uniform was a school tshirt with black trousers. Trousers could be anything except denim. Trainers or comfy shoes. We were also given a school branded coat and hi-vis jacket. Nail varnish was fine.

This will vary wildly between schools though!

We're not allowed to wear trainers or jeans. I wear trousers with a smartish T-shirt or blouse or a dress/tunic and leggings. Usually Chelsea boots or toms on my feet. I also have a school logo zip up fleece but they're like gold dust where I am! The head tried to persuade us to wear tabards but we all vetoed that idea.

thank you.
No denim or trainers?
Oh, I only live in jeans and converse really.
Will black leggings do if I get some ?
Leggins and ankle boots? Normal winter coat?
I got quite few mostly jackets like from Joules, that type..

Leggings with a T-shirt is a no but leggings under a dress/tunic is fine where I am. Any coat will do as long as you're warm. You may find that you're allocated the hall rather than the playground anyway. I'm inside for an hour then only on the playground for the last 15 min.

I was a MSA for about 8 months 9 years ago.
We didn't have a dress code. As if !!
Comfortable, practical clothing.
I almost never worked outdoors, my duties were usually inside.
We had to clean up areas at end of shift, sweeping & mopping unpaid & lug tables away.

We only sometimes had brief chats with teachers about specific kids.
Can't recall how I was paid... monthly probably into bank.
Beware the kitchen space all has rules about what can go where, they have special sterile sinks (can you tell I once got it wrong).

Wet play days were different, a lot more challenging, we had to manage whole classes in their rooms & get them not to be too wild & tidy up after bell rang.

First aiders are designated regular people, you just know procedure to get kids to the first aid area. We once had epi-pen training, and had to know which kids had allergies to be aware of their signs of a problem coming on, is only special training we got. Otherwise health issues were outside our remit.

You may need to know bits of info about kids with SN or difficult home lives, this only happened to me once, though.

The little ones need encouragement to eat & not just socialise or day dream. They may need drinks poured for them to avoid mess.

yeah the older kids may take the mick but so what. You can nicely banter back. Yr 6s are delicate flowers in the SAT week, though, that special treatment time was sacrosanct.

Hi .. it's lovely to read all these post as I have just started as MDS .. only thing I am confused about is; if we need to book any annual leaves during term time (I am happy with unpaid as well ) as my parents live in another country just to see them for a week or two in special circumstances at times ..
Does the leave get approved as per your expey? As the administration mentioned to me I cannot take any leaves at all during term time .. (unless there is any emergency)
That's quite confusing for me ..

Would be grateful to hear from other ladies experience.. thanks

Generally you won’t be allowed to take annual leave. It’s the nature of the job.
I would have said book something before you start as they will often allowed pre booked holidays.
But schools rely on staff being in. And if they let you be off, the need to let everyone.

@Ayesha089 no you generally won't be allowed to take holiday in term time, same as most other school staff.