what would you do

[Memina]

Good morning all,

Just had a little "what would I do?" Moment this morning and just wanted to gage response. Its a bit of a "what's best for the child vs whats best for ofsted" senario.

So imagine there are 10 children with assistant and childminder. It is pooring out side and you have 2 going to school.

Ages are 10 weeks (asleep), 19 months quite poorly with chesty cough, 3 years who is wearing sunmer dress and sandles with no change of clothes or coat. 18 month and 2 years sleeping, 10 month old quite grizzly and needs a feed, 4 year old and 18 month old due to arrive.

So what would you do???? Drag out any of the children in this torrential weather when its not really in the child's best interest as they are either asleep or hungry or not well or take some on school run and leave some behind.

Who would you take and who would you leave?

The max assistant is on school run is 30 mins.

Thoughts?????

[ChinaEYFSguy]

No way...we're staying in today babies!!!!

[yummyripples]

It has to be assistant going to school in my opinion.

[Memina]

So you'd go over numbers (8 under 8) for 30 mins?

Its hypothetical so pls dont panic.

I just feel that as a mother I would hate my child to be taken out or woken when not entirely necessary.

[kellyskidz!]

I'd let assistant take 4 oldest and 18mo who's ready to arrive as she'll be ready to go
But the 3yo in summer dress?! Is mum mad, it's chucking it down and cold here!! I would have said something when she dropped her off because how can you go out anywhere now if you don't have spare? What are they thinking sometimes x

[Mouse]

I thought with an assistant you could only have a maximum of 6 early years children? Haven't you got 8?

Whatever, you need to stick by the condition of having a maximum of 6 children under 8 at any one time, so at least 2 of the EYs children would need to go out on the school run. Have you discussed with parents the possibility of one adult being left at home with 6 young children - 2 of them under 1, one of them not well, one of them needing feeding etc. It may only be for 30 minutes, but will parents be happy with that? Have you risk assessed how you'd get them all out in an emergency?

I would send the assistant to school with as many of the EYs children as they can manage, to keep the number left at home as low as possible (within the allowed numbers)

[Mouse]

If it's just hypothetical, I would follow the rules in the Ofsted factsheet. It's not really about keeping Ofsted happy, it's about keeping within the legal requirements.

This is what it says: If a childminder is working with assistants or other childminders, each person must meet the ratios at all times. The EYFS allows childminders to leave a childminding assistant unsupervised with children for up to two hours in a single day with parental permission. This permission must be in writing if the childminder is on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register. If childminders choose to leave children alone with an assistant they cannot leave an assistant with more than six children under eight and only three of these children can be in the early years age group and only one of these may be under one.

As a mother you might not like the idea of your child being taken out, but when you have school aged children in the family, or where they are cared for alongside school aged children, that is the reality. If a parent didn't want their child taking out in the rain, they would need to chose a cm who didn't do school runs.

[supermumy]

8under 5 is that allowed?

And I'd send chesty ill child home I'd possible
Send a note home about the child in a summer dress
And maybe send assistant on school run but I don't know about assistants and what there allowed to do

[Memina]

The main point im trying to discuss is the "Rules vs whats best for the child scenario"

It's not a real scenario. Pls let me stress that!!!! Lol

I suffer from insomnia despite having a 10 weeks old who sleeps through the night I can't! So I have a lot of time to think up these scenarios.

As a mum I always go with what I feel is best for my child but as a childminder I must admit I'm a bit of a stickler for the rules.

[kellyskidz!]

The main point im trying to discuss is the "Rules vs whats best for the child scenario"

It's not a real scenario. Pls let me stress that!!!! Lol

I suffer from insomnia despite having a 10 weeks old who sleeps through the night I can't! So I have a lot of time to think up these scenarios.

As a mum I always go with what I feel is best for my child but as a childminder I must admit I'm a bit of a stickler for the rules.

Oooooh I thought it was real!! Lol was annoyed with lo mum for sending her in summer clothes duhhh x

[supermumy]

Oh ok lol well in that case it wouldn't happen so dont worry lol

[dette]

where I live(on the coast near the lake district )its usually wet and windy.On days where I work with an assistant and have more than I am allowed on my own I send her on school run with LO's who can go in a pushchair with a good raincover to keep our numbers right.

[KatieFS]

Ha ha you sound a bit like me..

I'd prioritise by illness then age if they are sleeping etc. sadly you need to keep the numbers right whatever the situation. I suppose if you feel summer dress child and those not very well might not be able or in their interests to go on school run and parents know you have to do that you could ask them to pick up or drop off more clothes for child?

[JCrakers]

I've had a situation before where its been torrential downpour and high winds. I had two mindees in double buggy who were warm and dry in rain cover but a 3yr old who had to come out with me and do the 15min walk down to school and back... Umbrellas and hood wouldn't stay up as it was too windy.
I had to try and push the buggy back up the hill (raincover was like a sail and very hard to push) and drag the 4 school children home. It took double the time and we were all soaked to the bone when we got in. The children had wet pants and socks, wet books and bags. Homework had been ruined and library books were soaked. It was awful No change of clothes for the school children, they had to strip off down to underwear, leaving their wet underwear on and had to put dressing-up clothes on while I used the tumble dryer to dry all their clothes.

My *IDEAL* situation would have been to leave the children at home with my dh (who isn't my assistant but is first aid trained and CRB checked, children know him well) and drive down to school to pick up the children and drive them all back. But I couldn't obviously.

[charlottenash]

I see the school run as a great opportunity to get fresh air, because if weather is terrible we don't get out too much.

[westbrom44]

Speaking as a mother, I would have to take the children on the school run as there is nobody to leave the children with.

[singingcactus]

Speaking from a mums perspective, I wouldn't send my child away sick so that would never be a concern for me. I would send my child appropriately dressed and with spares (I have a tendency to go ott with spares) so again I wouldn't be in that position of having my british child taken out into the british weather in silly clothes lol. As for the sleepy kids, well, to be fair, being woken up is kinda part of life, so they would need to deal with it really.

I think leaving one person with 8 under 5's, some tired, some ill, is definitely not in the kids best interests. Ill kid home, summer dress kid would be putting on the spares in her bag which she WOULD have here, and tired kids woken up.

For the most part, ofsted regs are in the childrens best interests. Some might overprotect the kids but none of them are harmful to the kids.

[rickysmiths]

If this isn't a real situation then why are you asking about it? Bit strange.

Over six is not allowed even if you have an Assistant unless you have checked with your local Planning Dept to see if they require Planning permission if you want to have over 6 children and an assistant in your home.

If you have two under ones then you are only allowed one more under five and the other three would need to be over 5 and over that over 8yrs.

In answer the same as all the others the Assistant to do the school run with her max numbers.

Send the ill one home.

I would not have accepted a child in only a summer dress and sandals on a day like today. I would have sent parent and child home to get suitable clothing and coats etc. It is on my Contracts that parents have to send children in suitable clothing including coats and or wet gear. Wet coats are required all year round.

[supermumy]

If this isn't a real situation then why are you asking about it? Bit strange.

Over six is not allowed even if you have an Assistant unless you have checked with your local Planning Dept to see if they require Planning permission if you want to have over 6 children and an assistant in your home.

If you have two under ones then you are only allowed one more under five and the other three would need to be over 5 and over that over 8yrs.

In answer the same as all the others the Assistant to do the school run with her max numbers.

Send the ill one home.

I would not have accepted a child in only a summer dress and sandals on a day like today. I would have sent parent and child home to get suitable clothing and coats etc. It is on my Contracts that parents have to send children in suitable clothing including coats and or wet gear. Wet coats are required all year round.

I thought the same to be honest seems very percific info and seems quite sure of the scenario to be pretend but oh well

[Memina]

Oh dear was just trying to think of worst case scenario in all events. My lot would be so upset if they missed the school run its the best part of the day for them.