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View Full Version : Variation advice please!



Monkey1
18-11-2012, 03:49 PM
Just had a text from my co minder to say she's not coming back and that she doesn't like working with kids! Between the 3 of us we are allowed to have 9 under 5s . We have this on a Monday Tuesday and Wednesday . I have one leaving at Xmas and another one was ment to be dropping down some days. My mum is registered as an assistant and can do a few hours to help. Im going to ring ofsted in the morning to ask advice. I don't want to hire anyone else as I'm sick of being let down! Any advice would be gratefully received x

sarah707
18-11-2012, 04:13 PM
What do you want advice on hun? I'm a bit confused - doesn't take much some days :o :laughing:

If you are registered for 9 under 5 with 3 adults then there must be 3 adults - otherwise you need to drop children or find another adult to cover all the time there are 9 under 5 in the provision so you are within your ratios.

Is anyone else registered to work with you who can take over until Christmas? Or anyone registered who can step in so you just need to let Ofsted know you have a new assistant with all the necessary qualifications - would that work?

At least you are not wasting money paying someone who does not want to be there.

Are you sure you want this in general chat??

xx

rickysmiths
18-11-2012, 04:44 PM
Monkey the rule have changed now and your certificate with its conditions on is now void even if you haven't got your new one. I was with an Ofsted Early Years manager yesterday and it is going to take Ofsted until March 2013 to get all the 70,000 certificates out because that is as fast as they can physically print them all.

The only conditions that will be on the new ones will be that you can have 6 under 8s If you have your own children in this age group you take them off that number and that is what you can have. The only time Ofsted will reduce the numbers and put it on your new cert is if your numbers are lower because of the size of your house or flat.

Ofsted do not want any calls about variations any more and will not advise. They will refer you to the EYFS and ask you to do it yourself and document it. The only time they may look at it is during an inspection.

So if I assume you have no children of your own in the under 8 age group this is what you do.

Each cm and assistant can care for 6 under 8s.

You need to have enough room and you need to look in the EYFS document where it will give you the detail for each age range of children. The available space to measure has changed as well so if like me for instance you have a kitchen/diner and you use it for cooking and eating and for craft activities you are allowed to include this space in your calculations. You do not take the bare room size you must measure accounting for large furniture like sofa, tables, bookcases.

You then work out how many children of each age group you can have, babies need more room than a 5-8yr old.

If you have already had 9 under 8s then I suspect space won't be a problem for you.

I would have thought that two of you will easily be able to have 9 under 8s but only you will know how the children are and if you and your mum can cope with the children you have on your books.

You then need to do a detailed RA. So do you have all the equipment, sleeping room, etc etc. which if you have been already looking after them the answer will be yes.

You then ask all your currant parents if they are happy for this arrangement to carry on with just you and your mum and you get them to sign that they do.

You then file away all this paperwork in your new Variations File ready for Ofsted to see if the want to during your next inspection.

You do not have to ring or write to Ofsted at all any more. Oh and they also don't need to know if one of your own children or a minded one is rising five and then turns five. You deal with it an document that it has happened and when.

Just as a point of interest to add here. You now don't have to contact Ofsted if you want to now use a previously unregistered room. You RA it yourself and use it.

You do not have to inform Ofsted if you are doing any building work again you do the RAs and record them.

You do not have to inform Ofsted if you have space added that the minded children are not going to use but you do if you are going to use it for cm, but a simple letter with a copy of RAs and personally I would sent photos will be sufficient.

The clear message is that they are reducing their paperwork and we should be too. They don't want phone calls all the time about things that are covered in EYFS and that we need , her words, to do as professionals ourselves and use common sense.

There is a new Ofsted paper about childminders and Risk Assessment being put on the OFSTED web site next week she was very apologetic that she couldn't give us the number. Heads up is they never expected to see masses of written RAs for the old EYFS and they don't now. The chances are very high that this EYFS will be change dramatically in the next two years anyway so I wouldn't do anymore than you have to.