The Bretsa blog keeps you up-to-date with what's been going on at Bretsa along with useful industry news.
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£100 Referral Scheme Winner
2 February 2012
It's on the application forms, we talk about it in interviews and in our marketing but it seems that people still forget that there's £100 in vouchers up for grabs for referring friends!To qualify for £100 vouchers for either John Lewis or TopShop you need to refer someone who is:+ qualified to minimum level 2 or 3 in early years+ successfully passes our competency based face to face interview+ have great references+ works over 100 hours for usJohn popped down to see our lovely level 3 Emma at her regular nursery placement yesterday. Here she is receiving £100 in Top Shop vouchers for referring her friend Stevie.So a big Bretsa thank you to both Emma and Stevie - happy shopping!
It's a big Christmas THANK YOU!
22 December 2011
It's almost THAT time of year!We've had music on the office and been getting a bit festive. And we thought we'd show you some of our fab Christmas lights.We'd like to say an enormous HAPPY CHRISTMAS to all, especially:+ our wonderful clients including private day nurseries, school nurseries, schools, children's centres, other creche settings+ our amazing field staff including level 2 and 3 nursery nurses, nursery assistants, nursery teachers, special educational needs staff and teaching assistants+ our fabulous suppliers, including our website and branding designers, our web optimisers, our IT support, our software companies, our office syuppliers, and all the lovely job boardsYou all help make our business happen so THANK YOU for your support in 2011 and we're looking forward to 2012!Nick and the Bretsa team.
Nursery Training Courses Updated
22 November 2011
We're delighted to announce that our partners Training Designs have confirmed their 2012 nursery training open course list.If you've ever attended a nursery training course through Bretsa and Training Designs you'll know that they're fab! Great content and delivery that's tailored to the pace of the group. When we're hosting it always sounds like everyone's having a great time.Here's the list, or for more details check out our website here or click the course titles to check out the individual course contents!Saturday 3rd DecemberHow to identify and work effectively with Children with Special Educational Needs - £69Saturday 14th and Saturday 21st January – Central LondonPaediatric First Aid (Surestart, OFSTED, NCMA and HSE- standard) - two-day course - £89Certificate (valid for three years)Saturday 4th February – Central LondonDo you really understand EYFS? – Part 1 - £69Saturday 18th February - Central LondonDoes OFSTED think you’re Outstanding? - £69Saturday 3rd March – Central LondonDo you really understand EYFS? – Part 2 - £69Saturday 17th March – Central LondonA Holistic and Healthy Approach to looking after Children in your Care - £69Saturday 31st March – Central LondonHow to get the best out of You and your Team - £69Saturday 14th April – Central LondonP is for...... Play! - £69Saturday 28th April – Central LondonThe Magic of Managing Children’s Behaviour - £69All courses need to be booked paid in advance by cheque, BACS, credit or debit card. Please call for group booking rates on 020 8858 5958.
Agency Worker Regulations Update
18 November 2011
The AWR is the “new” law giving temporary workers the same pay and benefits after 12 weeks placement. We’re in week 7 and things are going smoothly. As we expected, the majority of clients with spot-booking patterns are in no danger of any real changes. Those few others are proving straight forward – phew.Our software monitors placement patterns and we can give you an accurate update of anyone on track to qualify under AWR. If you have any questions or would just like an update — drop us a line on 020 8858 5958.PS Hope you like our new Bretsa baby - he's the face of our November Newsletter that was sent to clients today!
Remembrance Day
11 November 2011
Today is Remembrance Day, then day when we remember members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty.According to Wikipedia's entry:"Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918; hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice".In line with most other offices around the country, and commonwealth, we will be observing 2 minutes silence at 11am.During those 2 minutes our phone will be diverted to voicemail. We will pick up any messages and respond straight after.
Bonfire Night!
4 November 2011
This time of year is always fun, Halloween followed by Bonfire Night!What are your plans? Up to anything exciting? As we're in south east London, Blackheath dominates our local area with an enomous firework display.Hopefully it won't rain too much tomorrow, but as of right now it's not looking great on BBC weather.As we all know though, the forecast can change quickly so keep checking back for updates.Whatever you do, enjoy!
Office phones out
1 November 2011
but only for an hour!We're having an upgrade to our phone system here in the office which will give us more effective call handling abilities. That unfortunately means the phones are going down for 45 minutes to an hour.We'll be back up very soon, but if you need to get in touch urgently then please call the office mobile on 07977 695 205.Our emails, website, Facebook and Twitter are all running fine so you can contact us via those ways if you need to.Speak soon!
Clocks Changing!
28 October 2011
Today is the last Friday of British Summer Time. And as it's my first early shift in months, I have to say it is horribly dark until about 8am. The clocks change this weekend so no excuses for being late on Monday!Nick
New Client Incentive - tell your friends!
27 October 2011
We're running a new client incentive for for nurseries and schools - click through and check it out!Click here
Greenwich University Job Fair
27 October 2011
John and Glen spent 3 hours yesterday meeting students from Greenwich University. Was a great few hours, very busy. I popped down to see how they were getting on and I do wonder from this photo if the pressure was getting to them...Nick
Greenwich University Job Fair
26 October 2011
We're back on the job fair push today with our first in a few weeks - this time Greenwich University Job Fair.Our intrepid recruiters Glen and John are heading down there now to meet Early Years graduates for our permanent and temporary positions.If you're around and looking for an informal chat today then pop down and say hello!Queen Anne 075 (Edinburgh) and 063 (Council)Greenwich CampusPark RowLondonSE10 9LSOf course if you're looking for work you can always call 020 8858 5958 or apply direct to one of our jobs here - http://www.bretsa.co.uk/job-search/
AWR is here - Keep Calm and Carry On
5 October 2011
We've mentioned them here before, but they're finally in place. There's been lots of worry from agencies and clients alike about the issues involved, but with a little preparation they're really not too bad (in our view!).Here's a little question and answer guide:What is the Agency Worker Regulation (AWR)?The AWR is a new European law that has been implemented by the UK parliament in 2010, and went live at the start in October 2011. Its aim is to give greater benefits to agency workers, particularly after 12 weeks of work at a setting (or group of nurseries).From of 1st October 2011, the temporary workers are entitled to access the same facilities as your own staff and be made aware of any permanent vacancies. The bigger part comes after 12 weeks when the AWR gives agency workers the right to the same pay and benefits as your equivalent full-time staff.Don't worry right now though, because the 12 weeks start from the 1st of October, the soonest any temporary pay and benefits changes will happen is around Christmas time.How is the 12 weeks (also known as the Qualifying Period) made up?12 weeks sounds like a long time, but under the regulations a “week” can be as little as 1 shift, and there can be breaks of up to 6 weeks between each “week”.These breaks can be even longer for statutory sickness, maternity / paternity / adoption leave, and include standard closures such as if your setting shuts down for Easter, August or Christmas.The 12 weeks may also be made up of supply via different agencies - eg if you have a temporary worker for 11 weeks via 1 agency and then they come via Bretsa - they would be at 12 week qualifying period at the end of that week.If you have multiple sites then the 12 weeks may be made up of 6 weeks at site A then 6 weeks at site B.What happens after the 12 weeks Qualifying Period?The basic concept is that after 12 weeks, the temporary worker will have qualified (be entitled to) for the hourly pay, overtime and benefits that permanent staff are entitled to. For example this may include:• Matching any increase in pay, overtime rates, lunch vouchers or bonus payments• Matching any increase in holiday entitlement (28 days including bank holidays)What happens if the setting pays less than the agency?In that case the agency worker pay rate stays the same, and we would just need to check other benefits like holiday pay etc – and arrange to match any uplift.What happens if the setting or Bretsa miss the 12 week mark?Then the temporary worker may bring an AWR claim against the setting, or Bretsa, or both of us!How will Bretsa monitor the 12 weeks?Monitoring agency worker qualifying periods is a joint effort between the setting and us.We at Bretsa have recently updated our booking software to help us monitor individuals. But we will need your help.You’re probably familiar with our confirmation emails which show the name, CRB information, grade and photo. From 1st October they will show a new question asking you to check if the person has been before via any other agency.If this is the worker’s first visit to your setting through us it’s very important that you check and respond to this – as failure to do so may have legal ramifications for both you and us.How should the setting monitor the 12 weeks?From the 1st of October 2011 you should keep a register of temporary workers who have been to your setting (or group settings), and let us know if the worker has been to you before via another agency either verbally at the time of booking, or via our confirmation emails.You’ll need to give us information on the pay and benefits your equivalent staff get so that we can make arrangements to pre-empt any relevant 12 week Qualifying Period changes.We’ve put together handy simple forms to help you with this process (you can find it at the end of the new terms of business), and we’ll be happy go through them with you.And of course you’ll need to keep us updated on any annual pay or benefit changes that might take effect for your equivalent staff.Does this mean the setting has to keep workers longer than normal?No, your usage patterns don’t have to change. You’re never required to keep anyone longer than you need them, and just like now you can stop using a temporary worker if your needs change.So basically?It really is business as usual – except from the 1st of October you now have to:o Give temporary agency staff the same access to facilities as your own staffo Put permanent vacancies up on the noticeboardo Keep a log of temporary workers names and their dates of assignments within yourorganisationo Keep us up to date about your pay and benefits for the equivalent workers that we supplyThere's a lot to read through there, but feel free to ask us anything - we're up to date and we've got new systems - this will all feel routine in just a few months!We're open from 7am to 6pm weekdays - drop us a line on 020 8858 5958.
New Nursery Training Schedule
23 September 2011
The long wet summer is over and we're back to full term-time speed here at Bretsa towers.We're half way through the Paedatric First Aid course and that's obviously now closed to new bookings, but we've released our dates for the rest of this year.Due to the success this year we've moved to a larger space at the lovely Leathermarket in SE1.Our Autumn schedule covers:08/10/2011 - EYFS and Child Development 29/10/2011 - Managing Children's Behaviour with Confidence23/11/2011 - Role of the Childcare Practitioner 23/11/201103/12/2011 - How to identify and work effectively with Children with Special Educational NeedsTake a look at our Facebook page for more details:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bretsa-Recruitment/145816445476217
Thank you for all your nice words!
13 September 2011
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifWe launched the new Testimonial page of our website a few weeks ago and we've been delighted to watch it filling up.We've had a dozen or so clients already go on to make a statement - so thank you very much - it's appreciated!Check out the testimonials and feel free to add your own!Just click the link here
Childcare costs 'create debt' for families
7 September 2011
The rising cost of childcare is forcing families into debt, according to research for Save the Children and the Daycare Trust.Nearly two-thirds of parents surveyed said they were struggling to pay for nursery places and child minders.Hywel Griffith reports.From the BBC News website.See the video here
New Agency Workers Regulations - AWR
25 August 2011
Are you ready for AWR? Usually the answer so far is "No, what's that?". What is the Agency Worker Regulation (AWR)? The AWR is a new European law that has been implemented by the UK parliament in 2010, and goes live in October 2011. Its aim is to give greater benefits to agency workers after 12 weeks of work at a setting (or group of nurseries). From of 1st October 2011, the AWR gives agency workers the chance to have the same pay and benefits as your equivalent full-time staff after 12 weeks in the same job. Bretsa is keen to make sure that all our clients and temporary staff are aware, prepared and guided through the issues surrounding the new legislation in as straight forward a manner as possible. Over the coming 2 weeks you'll be receving information and updates and we'll be arranging to speak about the issues involved. There's no need for concern - there's some basic new monitoring that needs to happen from the client side - and we'll talk you through it. But it really is business as usual! If you'd like to get ahead of the curve feel free to contact any member of the office team and test our AWR knowledge on 020 8858 5958!
Eid Next Week
23 August 2011
Summer is a quiet time for most nurseries but next week is likely to change that - it's Eid on Tuesday or Wednesday. Eid typically leads to a big rush of bookings at the same time as a drop in availability of staff. So... + For all our clients - please check your numbers and get any requests in sooner rather than later! + For all our temporary staff - please let us know your availability for next week ASAP! Just drop us a line on 020 8858 5958, or by your usual text / email routes. And of course, Happy Eid!
Pizza Day in the office!
29 July 2011
Glen won this months incentive and chose Friday pizzas for lunch... On Bretsa obviously!
Great choice Glen, thank you.
Here's my La Reine pizza. So good it was gone in 7 minutes. I'm (nick) not greedy really!
Hints and tips to be always early!
15 July 2011
Being early is something that escapes even the best time manager sometimes. But there are straight forward hints and tips, and new ways of thinking that can really help.Follow the link for more info... herehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Bretsa Star for June is Christine!
14 July 2011
We're delighted to say that June's Bretsa Star is Christine.Christine is a qualified Level 3 Nursery Nurse who started with us just after Christmas this year.She's been working in a variety of placements and here you can see her receiving a certificate and presents from Glen today.Despite some personal challenges, Christine has always been positive, punctual and given her best to each nursery she's been.We're all proud to have her on the books and she's a great ambassador for us.Well done and thank you Christine!
Slimmed Down EYFS on the Way
12 July 2011
Bretsa says Hurray to simplification - it's got to be a good thing.http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/News/MostRead/1078547/EYFS-review-Slimmed-down-EYFS-payment-results-Sure-Start-childrens-centres/
Training Course Alert!
2 July 2011
We're delighted to confirm that we've had an extra BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT course added for this Thursday - 7th July.The course will cover:• What is behaviour / types of behaviour• Why do children behave in a certain way• Child development linked to behaviour• Using goals and boundaries• Effective communication with children• Developing strategies for effective behaviour management• How to involve parentsIt's an open course so it's available to current Bretsa clients and staff at a discounted rate of £49 per head and all others at standard rate of £59 per head. There are currently 5 places available - so if you're available on Thursday then book now on 020 8858 5958.Note that Bretsa staff and clients can pay through the normal systems or card payment facilities are available.
Speed of placement
29 June 2011
We'd like to say a big thank you to all those who attended the open day in Barking last week.We're delighted to say that 1 person has already had a permanent job offer at a fabulous local nursery and starts on Monday!AND in the space of just 11 days we've managed to get 17 CRBs back which means 17 new temp starters!Our CRB service is getting faster and faster - it's not unusual now to get CRBs back in 48 hours.Fabulous, and as Speedy Gonzales would say "Andorle andorle!"
Glen's had a record released!
21 June 2011
As some of you know we have a Rock God in the office. Glen (day job looking after north London nurseries!) is the lead singer in the group "Dig For Victory". They gig across London playing a variety of things, including their new single which is officially released on 27th June on the Hipsters 2 compilation album. We're all really excited and it sounds great - congratulations Glen!Check out the link to their Facebook site and LIKE them for more updates hereOr click straight through to Amazon and order here
Sponsor a Child
13 June 2011
What a difference a few pounds can make to someone's lifehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13697855
