Can you overdo the paperwork?

[lucyD]

I am overdue my first grading insp, and for the past few months have become obsessed with all sorts of paperwork to make sure I am recording everything. Now I think I may be doing too much! Is that possible???

I have written in my evaluation that I want to take a look at my paperwork & see if I can streamline/cutdown but until I have this visit I really am not sure what is expected of me. There seems to be so much difference in inspectors & what they look for etc that I feel at least if I do it I have covered my back but I just feel swamped by it all & some of it seems pointless..
An example is I do a toy cleaning rota (as I was told this was good practice) but it takes time for me to fill it in & are they bothered? I know I have done it, do I really need to record it or will they accept my word)

Going mental here...any advice welcome

[Tunja]

I am overdue my first grading insp, and for the past few months have become obsessed with all sorts of paperwork to make sure I am recording everything. Now I think I may be doing too much! Is that possible???

I have written in my evaluation that I want to take a look at my paperwork & see if I can streamline/cutdown but until I have this visit I really am not sure what is expected of me. There seems to be so much difference in inspectors & what they look for etc that I feel at least if I do it I have covered my back but I just feel swamped by it all & some of it seems pointless..
An example is I do a toy cleaning rota (as I was told this was good practice) but it takes time for me to fill it in & are they bothered? I know I have done it, do I really need to record it or will they accept my word)

Going mental here...any advice welcome

I don't have a toy or house cleaning rota, it says in my health and safety policy it will be done as required. I do not fill in a fridge/freezer temperature chart. Mine shows the temperature on the outside of the fridge/freezer so it only needs recording if there is a problem. My policy says I look round and assess for problems/risks daily. I do not record this it is on an annual check sheet.

I have no set volume of observations. I only record new developments and exciting moments, usually by a photo and one or two sentences, occasionally if valid a next step. Once a month I indicate which areas of the EYFS they have covered. Planning for under threes is all covered by routines, continuous provision and outings. As children become interested then other elements of the EYFS are added through activities and more outings.

Tunja

[sarah707]

Yes you can overdo it! I see a lot of childminders who do too much.

As long as you are showing that the children are making good progress that's the most important...

Good luck with your inspection

[Wheelybug]

I agree, you can definitely over do it! I was like you, wanted to get a good grade so made sure I had every possible piece of paperwork. However 4 years down the line, I only have what is necessary. No cleaning rotas, temperature logs and I don't spend hours writing reams in daily diaries. I think as you say it's because we are faced with so much conflicting information, usually accompanied by the phrase 'it's good practice' which makes you feel like you need to do it. In our area DO's are, as someone recently put it 'paper freaks'. They'd have us spending every spare moment completing forms and paperwork! Not really that helpful when you are looking to them for support and advice.

[phoenix2010]

Alot of my paperwork has fallen by the wayside

I no longer have a cleaning rota , toy cleaning rota , fridge temp chart , daily risk assessment ,

only some of my children have daily diaries , I leave it up to the parent whether they want one and out of 5 EY children only 2 did

as long as you have a daily register and document and plan for childrens development then everything else seems like a waste of time and can simply be mentioned in your policies

good luck

[lubanana]

Yes I am in agreement with the others who posted on here. For years I thought you could only get outstanding if you had reams of paper work. Have been proved wrong! I got outstanding a couple of weeks ago and the paperwork I keep is now honed down to a workable amount.
I plan on a flip chart sheet that covers a half term. All areas listed, each childs initials are written with the area/idea for next steps. Parents add in comments, always using a green pen! This is only done once every 6/7 weeks.
I jot down things that have happened during the day/week on the flip chart and note again a childs initials.
Daily diaries are a chatty information about each child's day. Might include a photo.
Learning journeys focus on EYFS with approx 1 obs each week, sometimes less depending on how often they attend, they might link to a diary entry so I dont repeat the info just write 'see diary entry and date it'
I do have a type of SEF but only partly online as I note down a couple of sentences in a notebook detailing what and why I changed something or noted how something is working well.
I dont have fridge temps, toy cleaning rotas, cleaning charts, or any of the fairly useless bits of paper work that most local authorities request!
I do have some risk assesments but I do not note every visit, only note if something was dangerous to remember for next time.
I have the regulatory policies and proceedures and review them in September each year, or if a new child attends - this takes minutes!
I employ 2 part time staff and we get together each half term and evaluate the last terms activities and plan for next term, within this have a very informal appraisal. This is usually accompanied by a glass or 2 of wine!
I do have a QIA inspection in March, as I am accredited and I think they will want more useless paperwork completed, BUT as I got outstanding from Ofsted - na na na na na! ;o)) We shall see.

[pinky33]

We were told the first tome that sometimes less is more,they like to see detail rather than mass.