Advice needed re staff qualifications

Hi all
First post so please be gentle! been reading for a while though.

My situation is that I have just started work a couple days of week at a pre-school with the hope that I will be funded to do NVQ2 level soon.

The pre-school has seen dramatic staff changes in the last 12 months due to a failed OFSTED inspection (supervisor left)but the new supervor brought it back up to scratch. Unfortunately she then lost the deputy, quickly followed by a non returner off maternity leave and loss of temporary staff. The supervisor has managed to keep things ticking over (used agency staff) and as said recently she got a new deputy (NVQ3) , full time assistant (NVQ3) and me as part time assistant (no qualifications - science graduate and mum!!). Anyway, assistant (NVQ3) lasted a couple of weeks (kept not turning up etc), and then this week the deputy has said she will not be returning after the summer hols (familiy issues). I hasten to add that all these staff issues have nothing to do with the supervisor (great lady, hard worker, kids and parents love her etc). When we had issues with the full time assitant not turning up we tried to employ another NVQ qualified staff but no-one applied for the job! So a temporary member of staff (worked at the preschool before so crb checked etc) returned to cover and has since been offered the job. We definately need a NVQ3 level deputy and just hope that we manage to find someone before sept (or its back to agency staff which are mega expensive!). Hope you are all following this...
so to conclude we have
Supervisor nvq3 (and BEd)
Deputy - will have to have NVQ3
Full time assitant - no qualifications to start NVQ2 asap
Part time assistant (me) - no qualifications to start NVQ2 asap

However, supervisor now has read in the guidelines that the supervisors have to have nvq3 and half of all other staff must have nvq2. So are we correct in saying we dont have the correct number of qualified staff (not that we can find any!!!). Does trying to get qualified/trained not count?

Other thing is I have just got back my crb check this morning. I have never toileted or been alone with the children so far because of this. Now I have it I know I can toilet etc but am i allowed to be alone with the children even though not qualified?

Thanks for any info or advice. I am loving the job at the moment and we had just got to bonding and being a good staff team only to have to start all over again! Shame.

[DizzyDora]

First of well done to you all for pulling through from a bad ofsted it must have really knocked the settings confidence

If you were in my setting (school based wraparound/ out of school club) provided you had a satisfactory CRB and i was happy you were competant you would be allowed to toilet children. Would suggest you also do child protection training.

Regards nvq your supervisor is right management staff need to be nvq 3 and half of all other staff need to be at least nvq 2 however when we were ofsteded they were happy that a member of staff was still training.
Would also recommend an action plan where supervisor shows that you are getting qualified and how long it will take also a good place to list any other things she knows need improving in the setting we got a good ofsted because my action plan showed i was aware of the things we could have been marked down on and showed how i was going to improve them and by when.

Hope this helps a bit keep up the good work and keep smiling

Thanks for the advice. Yes, as soon as the new TADO training book comes out we will be busy signing up for courses. i did say to my supervisor that I thought we would be ok so long as we could come up with a time scale when all training would be completed. She has been marvellous keeping things going and was just getting used to delegating a bit to her new deputy ( who is just like her and very good). They are both giving me and the other assistant great on the job training its just we obviously need to back up up with the courses and qualifications.
When we were reofsteded ( Iwas parent help on thed day!) ti went from special measures to ok. The ofsted inspector was impressed with how much the supervisor had achieved in such a short space of time especially considering she had no permanent members of staff! Here's hoping that once the staff issues are sorted it will go from strength to strength. Wed also have just had a new committee take over so will have to see how they do things...its all change!

[cabin]

Hi brock-cruse, and welcome to the forum.
I agree with what Dizzy-dora said about action plans etc.

but what I wanted to add was about your training - are you doing it through a college or training provider? - if through a college I would like to suggest perhaps you should consider going straight onto level 3... you say you are a sience grad, which means you have clearly proved your ability to study at a higher level, so would be able to manage the L3. Difficult I know if others at your setting are doing L2 but worth considering.xxxx

[SomeoneSpecial]

to get more workers try advatising in nursery world mags or online people who are newly quolified or looking for work will look there for a job.

to be alone with children here you need a level 3 quolification level 2 is to assist but not to be alone. i think it would be worth you going straight for a level 3.

welcome btw :)

It always happens at once... but hopefully you will all come out the other side intact!!

As said, make an action plan for doing qualifications and training to show you are aware of need of setting,

You don't say how long you have worked with this age group, but may be worth investigating level 3 , if you are able to do it and if current supervisor would be willing to help you if needed in some areas. Must admit all my staff who have had children managed level 3 to begin with and they had little learning past 16 prior to that...

Once managed level 3 ..
thinking ahead, with your degree you could go further and become early years professional , which all settings will have to have eventually (2015). I know it may seem a long way off, but while funding is available .....

In our setting you only have to have a CRB, and passed interviews etc to be alone with a child... qualifications really don't come into it...not that we are often alone except when toileting.

[Ruthierhyme]

Hi, & a warm welcome to the site

Sounds like you're all seeing through a pretty rough patch, very best wishes to everyones determination & commitment.

Also echoing others suggestions for NVQ3

Enjoy Silkysteps

xx

Hi all
Thanks for the info. Not sure yet if training will be at college or on the job assessment. It was my supervisor that suggested level 2 but think that was to be able to do it with the other full time assistant that is there ie moral support. I also work at another job (Sainsburys) at night time (5-10pm) so if it was an evening course it would have to depend on the night it was. Would love to give up Sainsburys (just did that to fit in with my children...youngest starts school full time after xmas) and take on board the pre-school career which is why I am hoping that I can get funding for the qualifications! Although I am science graduate aI love doing this more than I ever did doing during my time in the science industry..funny isnt it?!! I have been working voluntarily wihth the pre-school during the staffing crisis and then got offered the part time job start of may with the hope that I can gain experience and training.
As for hiring new staff..think it must be quite hard to recruit an NVQ3 staff memeber when the job is only 7.45 to 12. They are needed to set up in the morning plus tidy up for 30 mins afterwards. Not exactly the best working times. Hence last time we advertised we hired the only 2 people that were qualified. Luckily one has been brilliant although has to leave as said earlier.

The other bit about being alone...for example one member of staff covering inside, one at the toilet, me outside,one floating between inside/outside depending on numbers. Now I am crb checked would i be ok being outside on my own with the children (depending on ratio etc).
Thanks again

I assume you are able to have free flow so children move freely between in and outdoors.. in which case no reason not to be on your own in that situation.. its all part of being flexible and covering children s needs.

we cannot do that but have to have group outside time...