Originally Posted by
Mouse
Do Ofsted count it as continuity when children leave & want to come back?
I think you're asking yourself the right questions. You know all the children & are concerned that it might be too much for the younger ones. You're clearly thinking of the impact on them, not merely consider whether or not you could manage. That what it's all about now.
You also have to be able to explain to the parents how it's going to work. If you're having doubts, could you convince them that it's a good idea?
I did have a variation approved for a similar situation last year, but decided not to go ahead with it. On paper it looked OK - was for a limited time each day as one of the children went to nursery, all the children were current children so it was for continuity, I had all the equipment needed, I could work time into each day for each child to have individual attention, parents were all happy etc etc. Ofsted agreed to it, but when I thought about it I knew it wasn't right for me or the children, so had to let one of the children go. I realised I didn't really want to do it, but was only agreeing to it as I didn't want to let anyone down. I felt bad about it, but knew it was the best for everyone.
At the end of the day, only you can decide whether or not you want to take it on. If you do, I would do it on a trial basis until you can see how it is going to work.
Just another thought. What about during holidays? Would you need to have the nursery child for longer?