Working four ten hour shifts for a basic working week seems to make time fly past. My normal working week is 7.45am-6.15pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. This means that I never work more than two days together which truly is a bonus! However my term and conditions state that I am expected to work a 37 hour week and this doesn't really compute! Fortunately I never was much of a clock-watcher. By the time I get home I am pretty tired and have done far too much slumping in front of the TV, but I hope I shall get more used to it. Term begins again in a couple of weeks so regular week night events will start again and I am determined to have a social life of some sort despite the demands of the job.
The date for our TUPE from one charity to another is getting inexorably closer. We had a meeting with HR reps and others from both organisations last week and many of our questions were answered. It looks like the new organisation is very experienced at running nurseries and has good training in place so there should be excellent support.
From day to day I am steadily working my way through policies, procedures and risk assessments and trying to get to grips with the action plan produced by the temporary manager to get ourselves out of being considered a setting of concern. Very sensibly she has begun with all those identified deficiencies which contravene the law and most of these changes are in place and at least beginning to become embedded in practice. There is plenty left to do however in order to make the setting really good. So much that I have moments close to despair when I think of the difference between the way things are now and the way I would like them to be! I am continuing to try to talk to all the staff members in turn but because we are so short of staff it is hard to find time when I can take someone out of a room and still maintain legal ratios to supervise the children. I have realised that as I plan the rotas for the next week I have to identify times when I can do it, otherwise opportunities go by. The staff are keen to use these few periods when we have enough people to take time out to work on the children's records and the Team Leaders need planning time. This is a good thing. They all do seem motivated to turn things around and regain a reputation as a good nursery. Of course, 'Good' won't be enough for me; I want it to be 'Outstanding'. However as OfSTED are ready to admit the bar has been raised lately and as we are overdue an inspection already I cannot imagine I will have time to pull things up enough before the next time they visit.
Prioritisation is so difficult when everything is important!
Next week I want to focus on observation and planning but I also have a meeting with LA representatives on Friday so I will have to spend time seeking out the evidence they require to prove that the action plan is being implemented.
On Friday we all went out for a meal to say 'Goodbye' to the temporary manager. It was nice to be invited and to see the team in relaxed mode. I believe everyone will be very sorry to see her go and the team will miss the support she has given them. I know that stepping into her shoes will be quite a challenge!
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