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Pay rises, is it fair?


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Hello everybody - I hope you don't think this a strange question! At my nursery I am a room leader and I have a Level 3, but I am only 23. I have just found out that one of the other people in my room is going to get a big pay increase in April because the living wage has gone up. This means that she, who is unqualified, will be paid more than me - just because she is older. We all got a pay rise this year but it wasn't very much and now some people are getting even more and it doesn't feel very fair. I went to college to do my L3 and now I would get more per hour working in a supermarket, it's very frustrating. It is just me that this has happened to? Am I just moaning?

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Hello HelenaTroy! Welcome to FSF and well done on making your first post :D

I agree with sunnyday, it does seem very unfair but I also know that lots of nursery managers are in the same position. When we looked at the increases due in April, some staff who were on minimum wage were due to get an almost 5% increase and there was no way we could match that for all staff - we'd have to cut staff hours to finance that. It is possible then that staff who are over 25, who qualify for the living wage, might 'overtake' younger staff. It's not fair, but it's a difficult situation from both sides. I would be looking to see if there are any other 'perks' that might come to more qualified staff e.g more paid holiday or higher training budget maybe?

I'd be interested to hear what others are doing as it can't be just you that is feeling like this and we need to nuture our qualified staff. The recent NDNA workforce survey pretty much summed up what you are saying.

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I wouldn’t be happy either, we are in the position that no one regardless of age (all L3) isn’t already above the April NLW, but I have pushed for another small % increase for all in preparation for the proposed 2020 £9 (not that I think it will hit that), I think another 10% will be be needed over next 2 yrs though to even come close.

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On 06/03/2018 at 12:07, HelenaTroy said:

I went to college to do my L3 and now I would get more per hour working in a supermarket, it's very frustrating.

sainsbury’s is looking very good with the reported £9.20 an hour min NLW from April :|

Edited by Mouseketeer
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2 minutes ago, Mouseketeer said:

, and it’s flippin hard enough to get new staff now :-( 

Absolutely agree ...i have just employed a lovely new lady....after 18 months of recruitment! I have had lots of interest but the quality of the candidates has been truly appalling! lots of no qualified, most have been unable to even fill in a simple form and if they have got through to interview they have scored so low on our interview that we just won't take them any further. It is a real crisis in the industry .  Higher costs and lower funding does not help the situation though! 

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3 hours ago, Rebecca said:

It's a real dilemma isn't it? Do you feel that the sector is being pushed to work to exact ratios (so fewer staff) so that rates of pay can be higher? 

we have been working at absolute capacity for the number of staff (with 2 year olds included!!) We have had to enforce a much lower take up of 2's because of this.

Capacity is fine of course until someone is ill /unable to work!

Our building is large and spread out and really needs  a certain quantity of staff to monitor effectively. Interventions for SEND and EAL have definitely suffered as has supervisions of staff TBH!!

Upping our staff numbers will only cause more financial pressure but we cannot continue to provide the level of care without them......rock and hard place!

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8 hours ago, Rebecca said:

It's a real dilemma isn't it? Do you feel that the sector is being pushed to work to exact ratios (so fewer staff) so that rates of pay can be higher? 

Yes I do Rebecca, after all this was our previous early years Minister Mr Goodwills 🤔 response to how our pathetic funding rates would make it work for us!  I have always worked to one over ratio, and still do, but for how much longer??

This term I have had 3 staff off with various illness/family matters and this has meant we were working to ratio - and I haven't liked it one bit!!  There is simply no time for any additional support to children in need of it and it feels like herding cattle!  As Finsleysmaid mentioned EAL and SEN support is an almost joke when no additional funding is available to support these children - mind you even if you had the extra funding it's almost impossible to find staff to do the job!

I do hope in this round of Ofsted inspections that inspectors are really clued up on the pressure being put on early years settings and view tenacity as an outstanding quality!! 👍

 

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35 minutes ago, Rafa said:

Yes I do Rebecca, after all this was our previous early years Minister Mr Goodwills 🤔 response to how our pathetic funding rates would make it work for us!  I have always worked to one over ratio, and still do, but for how much longer??

This term I have had 3 staff off with various illness/family matters and this has meant we were working to ratio - and I haven't liked it one bit!!  There is simply no time for any additional support to children in need of it and it feels like herding cattle!  As Finsleysmaid mentioned EAL and SEN support is an almost joke when no additional funding is available to support these children - mind you even if you had the extra funding it's almost impossible to find staff to do the job!

I do hope in this round of Ofsted inspections that inspectors are really clued up on the pressure being put on early years settings and view tenacity as an outstanding quality!! 👍

 

We had to work to ratio today, we are in a big hall and boy did we notice our staff member off sick :|

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I’m not included in ratio or that’s the theory, but often end up sorting or covering toileting accidents, staff paperwork time, lunch cover or if someone is comforting an upset child etc so other staff are not stretched, we also have an apprentice not included in ratio.

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We always do- however on odd occasion we have had to work to ratio and in a hall the size of ours it can be a nightmare. 

Quite frankly even when we are working well over the legal ratio (like 29 3/4 year olds & 7 staff) it can be difficult. It only takes someone to be changing a nappy plus another on phone and someone trying to do some 1:1 work in the other room and bang- we have 4 staff- trying to manage 28 children in a massive hall. So if we were down to ratios, we would be out of them for most of the morning.

Hmmm... doesnt make sense but sure you all understand me

 

 

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