First inspection alert

**Rachel1983** · 14-08-2012, 01:57 PM

Hi All

Well i'm now on my 9 week of childminding and Ofsted have announced they will be arriving next Tuesday at 9:30. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Am now just calming down form my made panic and am in desperate need of sleep as i feel very nervous....

I am currently noticing a lot of things i don't yet do...

I told Ofsted that i havent yet done my SEF as i only started 8 weeks ago. Will this count against my grade ???

Does anyone have any advice for me ??

Thanks for listening

**sarah707** · 14-08-2012, 05:26 PM

And breathe...

Read through the Eyfs (2008 - current one) and make sure you are doing all the MUST do things.

As part of your starting up I imagine you have made lots of notes about things you have changed and implemented - show the inspector these as they are self reflection!!

Also when you have been on training and courses you will have evaluated at the end and thought about what you will implement / change as a result - more self reflection!

You'll be fine! Good luck

notts · 14-08-2012, 07:39 PM

Good luck!!!

I'm due my first one in Sept and I won't actually start minding until Sept!

I feel your panic!!!!!!

**Rachel1983** · 15-08-2012, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by notts

Good luck!!!

I'm due my first one in Sept and I won't actually start minding until Sept!

I feel your panic!!!!!!

Good luck and thank you for the advice... I have spent all day making a long list of what i offer and what i will impliment

**Ant_h18** · 16-08-2012, 05:48 AM

Good luck and keep calm

**bunyip** · 16-08-2012, 07:31 AM

My SEF was completed botched, but the inspector said it wouldn't affect my grade, so long as I could demonstrate everything required through my practice and paperwork. I suspect it just took a little longer than if I'd done a decent SEF.

**Velleity** · 16-08-2012, 07:42 AM

Don't worry, I didn't do a SEF and still got Outstanding.

**Rachel1983** · 17-08-2012, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by Velleity

Don't worry, I didn't do a SEF and still got Outstanding.

i'm really keen to achieve outstanding as i'm sure everyone is but i am finding things i haven't done yet so im'm guessing that will count against me

**Rachel1983** · 17-08-2012, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by Ant_h18

Good luck and keep calm

The more i read i'm meant to have done the more i panic... But if i don't read it then i panic i don't know what it is i'm meant to be doing lol

**bunyip** · 17-08-2012, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Rachel1983

i'm really keen to achieve outstanding as i'm sure everyone is but i am finding things i haven't done yet so im'm guessing that will count against me

Not necessarily. I'd only been minding about 4 months when I was inspected, and I had a massive 'to do' list (which I'm still a long way from completing) of things I thought I really had to get done.

The things you haven't done should only count against you if they are essential to the statutory framework: ie. safety, EYFS delivery, etc. Anything else I'd put on a list, headed "My improvement plan" and Ofsted will probably be impressed that you've reflected on where you can make your setting even better than it is already, and have a list/plan in place of development goals that you've identified. They always want us to be improving. (I suspect that if they ever found a perfect childminder who couldn't get any better, they'd immediately downgrade them for not having an improvement plan.

)

So, as a purely hypothetical example, if your first aid was out of date, and you'd just never got round to do the training course again, yes - you'd have a problem.

But, OTOH, if you've been meaning to do, say, a baby-signing course but hadn't found the time so far - no problem. Stick it on your improvement plan, and tell Ofsted that you've identified it as an improvement target and are looking for the first opportunity to do the course.

You'll probably find you can apply this principle to a lot of the things you're worrying about, whether it's buying new resources, improving communication with parents, or redesigning your learning journals. Ofsted will be just as keen to see where you seek to improve as what you're doing now.

I'd be a hypocrite to say, "don't worry" cos I am an awful worrier, hate any sort of 'test', and am lousy at taking advice. But I'm sure that a lot of the reason you're worrying is because you have high standards for yourself, and that's no bad thing.

Try to be positive, and forget all the stuff we hear from CM's who think we should treat Ofsted as "the enemy." Think that they aren't there to catch you out, but instead they're there to give you your opportunity to demonstrate just how fantastic you are.