What info has to be on a daily attendance register?

[Mouse]

I've always used NCMA or MM attendance registers, but begrudge paying the price when I don't fill half of the info in!
The current MM one has a section for age of child, number of hours etc etc. All I ever fill in are the names and the times of arrival & departure.

I'm going to make up my own form, but wonder if there is anything I should include apart from names, times & space for signatures (don't actually get parents to sign at the moment, but am thinking of starting to do it)?

At the bottom of my current register I write down any visitors we've had (I don't use a visitors book), so I'll also include an area for that.

[AliceK]

I have a monthly one for each child. It has the childs name and age at the top. Then the days. I log the exact time they arrive and the exact time they leave. There is a space for parents sigs which i used to get but don't anymore. Then the total number of hours actually attended every week / month

xxxx

[Toothfairy]

I have a monthly one for each child. It has the childs name and age at the top. Then the days. I log the exact time they arrive and the exact time they leave. There is a space for parents sigs which i used to get but don't anymore. Then the total number of hours actually attended every week / month

xxxx

Ditto :thumbsup:

I also have their contracted hours at the top and if they are term time only/holiday only or both.

[catminder]

I have a monthly sheet for each child. As well as the child's name I also put their date of birth. I don't bother to get parents to sign.

[Cazz]

I have an A4 sheet on a clipboard in my hallway which has columns as follows:-

Date/ Child's Name/ Arrival Time/ Signature/ Departure Time/ Signature

It's one sheet that I use for all the children. My d.w. suggested I use it and said it's really important to log the EXACT times and get a signature in case there was ever a complaint or the child has an accident - you have proof by their signature what times the child was in your home.

If I drop off at nursery or school I sign them out myself and if I collect I sign them in myself (the time I stop or start caring for them - not when we arrive or leave home).

I did ask her if each child should have their own sheet and she said no because there's only the child's name and no confidential information.

When I do my accounts I then transfer these times into an NCMA attendance register (which I used to use but it was only signed weekly and my d.w. said that's not sufficient). This is purely to make it easier for me to calculate the hours I have worked each week to do my accounts. The parents don't sign this one.

[mr man]

i use a project file , and ewach child has a divider - behind this is a huge table of 30 or so lines to fill in date the time in and time out and any notes . i had my ofsted inspection last week and this was fine. each child has own sheet.

hth

[miffy]

I have one sheet per week for all the children. It has space for their names, time in and out morning and afternoon. I don't get the parents to sign it.

I like the idea of having the names of any visitors at the bottom of the sheet.

Miffy xx

[gazanne]

We photocopy the NCMA attendance sheet and then file it in a folder with a named section for each child.
We have found this protects the children's privacy as it used to take us ages flicking through when a parent was waiting to sign.
Our ofsted inspector thought is was a good idea :)

[Mouse]

I like the idea of having the names of any visitors at the bottom of the sheet.

Miffy xx


My reasoning is that if there was a query about a visitor it would be useful to know which children were there at the time. Writing it in the register gives the info immediately & saves having 2 books.

[khlwomitchell]

i use a kids text book and write in week beginning and then the dates and next to each date the kid and attendance times. then each week gets my signature and parents signature.
very easy x

[Chimps Childminding]

I have an A5 sheet each week with all children on it! Log exact times in and out and also have a couple of spare rows at the bottom headed visitors! I don't get parents to sign in and out yet - will wait till Ofsted tell me I have to!! :rolleyes:

[louise]

I have a page for each week with all the children on as I find it much easier. I'm also dreadful at doing my accounts and have now decided that I may jot on the back all those things I buy and forget to put in my return and see how it goes.

[catswhiskers]

I've been using the NCMA attendance reg for past 7 years and I sign and parents sign at end of every week. It's something I've always done and one parent always asks if I forget!

Thought this was one of the EYFS requirements.

[ChocolateChip]

I also have a monthly sheet for each child, with space for child's name and age, the month and year at the top.
Then in columns I have the date, day (written in by hand) times for in, drop off, collection and out (to allow for nursery sessions or schoolies), a space for my initials and a space for comments, I just jot down here if anyone was sick, or collected early or went to a club etc. just to jog my memory if there was ever a query.
At the bottom is a space for parents to sign.

All that's actually needed is name, age and exact times in and out, and having a parent sig. is considered good practice.

But we all find different things useful :D

[rickysmiths]

I've always used NCMA or MM attendance registers, but begrudge paying the price when I don't fill half of the info in!
The current MM one has a section for age of child, number of hours etc etc. All I ever fill in are the names and the times of arrival & departure.

I'm going to make up my own form, but wonder if there is anything I should include apart from names, times & space for signatures (don't actually get parents to sign at the moment, but am thinking of starting to do it)?

At the bottom of my current register I write down any visitors we've had (I don't use a visitors book), so I'll also include an area for that.

Why don't you fill in half the info out of interest? I find the NCMA one great because it has the contracted hours for each child in each age group. It then has a space for name address dr and contact numbers for mum and dad.

The the attendance record.

I have use the NCMA one for years and years and think they are worth every penny. I can find contact details straight away if I need them. I have a signed and confirmed record of the exact time the child has been with me which has helps on several occassions when there has been a question about paynment and hours.

Best of all I have all the info in a book bound together so i can't loose any of it. :clapping: :laughing:

[rickysmiths]

I have a page for each week with all the children on as I find it much easier. I'm also dreadful at doing my accounts and have now decided that I may jot on the back all those things I buy and forget to put in my return and see how it goes.

This is not recommended because you are breaking confidentiallity by having all the childrens details on the same page if you needed to show a parent a time or when the parents sign at the end of the week.

[rickysmiths]

I have an A5 sheet each week with all children on it! Log exact times in and out and also have a couple of spare rows at the bottom headed visitors! I don't get parents to sign in and out yet - will wait till Ofsted tell me I have to!! :rolleyes:

I don't have a Visitors Book and I don't sign parents in and out. However I do get the parents to sign the Attendance register each week.

For 2 reasons. One to confirm the actual hours a child has been with me because it makes it easier to challenge a parent who is always early or late. Second for Child Protection reasons it records and confirms exact days and times which could be useful if an allegation was made against you.

[rickysmiths]

We photocopy the NCMA attendance sheet and then file it in a folder with a named section for each child.
We have found this protects the children's privacy as it used to take us ages flicking through when a parent was waiting to sign.
Our ofsted inspector thought is was a good idea :)

I think you will find you may be infringing copyright by photocopying an NCMA publication all the time for a different type of use. Why not contact NCMA and suggest they produce the Attendance Register in a loose leaf format to use in the way you do. You never know they might think about it, they did with the Accident book.

[rickysmiths]

I have an A4 sheet on a clipboard in my hallway which has columns as follows:-

Date/ Child's Name/ Arrival Time/ Signature/ Departure Time/ Signature

It's one sheet that I use for all the children. My d.w. suggested I use it and said it's really important to log the EXACT times and get a signature in case there was ever a complaint or the child has an accident - you have proof by their signature what times the child was in your home.

If I drop off at nursery or school I sign them out myself and if I collect I sign them in myself (the time I stop or start caring for them - not when we arrive or leave home).

I did ask her if each child should have their own sheet and she said no because there's only the child's name and no confidential information.

When I do my accounts I then transfer these times into an NCMA attendance register (which I used to use but it was only signed weekly and my d.w. said that's not sufficient). This is purely to make it easier for me to calculate the hours I have worked each week to do my accounts. The parents don't sign this one.


I have to say I dissagree with this. It is none of each of the parents business when another child may be late, sick, on holiday etc. All your parents will know other parents and childrens names so I feel it is a breech of confidentiality to have all the children on one sheet.

[louise]

This is not recommended because you are breaking confidentiallity by having all the childrens details on the same page if you needed to show a parent a time or when the parents sign at the end of the week.

I have been using it this way for awhile now and my inspector never had a problem with it when I was inspected in Nov and she was a fussy so and so.

[marleymoo]

i have only ever kept registration in a diary, with time of arrival, departure, any absence and which adults are in that day. for my past 3 inspections this has always been perfectly acceptable - no confidential info whatsoever.

[marleymoo]

My reasoning is that if there was a query about a visitor it would be useful to know which children were there at the time. Writing it in the register gives the info immediately & saves having 2 books.

yes i like this too, good idea, thanks

[marleymoo]

I have to say I dissagree with this. It is none of each of the parents business when another child may be late, sick, on holiday etc. All your parents will know other parents and childrens names so I feel it is a breech of confidentiality to have all the children on one sheet.

you don't need to put the reason they're not here, they're just not in attendance end of. now, if you DO put that kind of info on your register (for some reason i can't think of) THEN you might have a confidentiality issue

[rickysmiths]

It could be that a parent doesn't want another parent to know that their child is away. It doesn't matter the reason.

I put the information on my register so I can look back for instance and see exactly when a child was off sick, on holiday or just at home. It is very useful to have all such info so I can solve any querries on fees very quickly. It also makes it easier each month to work out my food costs for meals and snacks.

I also mark in my holidays so the parents are signing that they are aware that x week was a holiday so there can be no confusion.

The NCMA Attendance Register actually has a space each day to record reasons for non attendance.

[Sarahbelle]

I have an A4 sheet on a clipboard in my hallway which has columns as follows:-

Date/ Child's Name/ Arrival Time/ Signature/ Departure Time/ Signature

It's one sheet that I use for all the children. My d.w. suggested I use it and said it's really important to log the EXACT times and get a signature in case there was ever a complaint or the child has an accident - you have proof by their signature what times the child was in your home.

If I drop off at nursery or school I sign them out myself and if I collect I sign them in myself (the time I stop or start caring for them - not when we arrive or leave home).

I did ask her if each child should have their own sheet and she said no because there's only the child's name and no confidential information.

When I do my accounts I then transfer these times into an NCMA attendance register (which I used to use but it was only signed weekly and my d.w. said that's not sufficient). This is purely to make it easier for me to calculate the hours I have worked each week to do my accounts. The parents don't sign this one.


This is what I do too.:thumbsup:

[adele1985]

I've always used NCMA or MM attendance registers, but begrudge paying the price when I don't fill half of the info in!
The current MM one has a section for age of child, number of hours etc etc. All I ever fill in are the names and the times of arrival & departure.

I'm going to make up my own form, but wonder if there is anything I should include apart from names, times & space for signatures (don't actually get parents to sign at the moment, but am thinking of starting to do it)?

At the bottom of my current register I write down any visitors we've had (I don't use a visitors book), so I'll also include an area for that.

Hi hun, I make my own I have the date, childs name, parents signature, time in, parents signature and time out in that order ( if you have an assistant you also have to have each childs key person on there somewere)

I also have one for school pick ups that have the date, childs name, name of school, teachers signature , time in or time out depending on if they are being dropped off or collected

I also have a register (from playgroup network) which i also fill in each days with the date, childs name, time in and time out also mark on that onw if the child is on holiday or sick

[BuggsieMoo]

This is not recommended because you are breaking confidentiallity by having all the childrens details on the same page if you needed to show a parent a time or when the parents sign at the end of the week.

Its interesting you say this cos the NCMA is one child per page and the MM one is 6 children per page. I have used both and am currently using the MM one. Ofsted were fine with this and it not breaking confidentiality as it was only initials I use for the children and timings. I make notes re sickness etc in my own diary - just holidays are logged on the sheet. I am thinking of changing this and going back to NCMA as it makes monthly invoicing so much easier than flicking through loads of pages etc to see if I owe parents or they owe me on top of a monthly invoice (sickness etc).
Lisa x

[snufflepuff]

I used to use the MM ones- which had all children on one sheet for a week.

I have now made my own, one sheet per month per child. The parents sign at the end of the month. I've done it this way to save on paper really, and so that I don't have to remember to get parents to sign quite as often!!

Just out of interest- if it was breaking confidentiality to have all children one one sheet, would MM sell them this way? Mrs Ofsted saw mine when I used to use the MM ones and it was fine, i'm sure if it was an issue every childminder who uses them would have had it flagged up during their inspection and MM would eventually be forced to make them differently??

[Mouse]

I wonder how nurseries would manage if they had to have a separate sheet for each child :laughing:

I'd have thought Ofsted would prefer to see all the children on one sheet as they can easily tell that we're within numbers, which children were here together etc.

If they're all on separate sheets and there was a query, how would they be able to tell which children had been present that day? They'd have to be looking over several different sheets.

But that's just my opinion and as with so many Ofsted things, there doesn't seem to be any right or wrong way of doing things :rolleyes:

[Bob]

Mouse you seem to have hit the nail on the head about there not being a right or wrong way. This is just about registering what children are with you and when. It's not subjective it's factual so why isn't there guidance on the preferred method of doing it?

[marleymoo]

I wonder how nurseries would manage if they had to have a separate sheet for each child :laughing:

I'd have thought Ofsted would prefer to see all the children on one sheet as they can easily tell that we're within numbers, which children were here together etc.

If they're all on separate sheets and there was a query, how would they be able to tell which children had been present that day? They'd have to be looking over several different sheets.

But that's just my opinion and as with so many Ofsted things, there doesn't seem to be any right or wrong way of doing things :rolleyes:

precisely how i see it Mouse. as for all this signing in and out - i just don't have time for it. i can have anything from 3 to 6 parents at my door at any one time, with kids, day bags, handover chats - it would be total chaos and they'd never get to work and i'd never get round to my school runs! now, if this wouldn't cause confidentiality issues i don't know what would!

[Chimps Childminding]

I wonder how nurseries would manage if they had to have a separate sheet for each child :laughing:

I'd have thought Ofsted would prefer to see all the children on one sheet as they can easily tell that we're within numbers, which children were here together etc.

If they're all on separate sheets and there was a query, how would they be able to tell which children had been present that day? They'd have to be looking over several different sheets.

But that's just my opinion and as with so many Ofsted things, there doesn't seem to be any right or wrong way of doing things :rolleyes:

Good point Mouse :thumbsup: I had been thinking maybe I should have a separate sheet for each child :rolleyes: , but that would be 7 sheets each month (more if I take on more children) where as at the moment I use 1 double sided A4 sheet each month with all children on it!

[marleymoo]

and so common sense prevails