SEF help please

[JazzyL]

I have my inspection this week and am trying to do a sef. Do any of you show this to parents? I am thinking of how to word it, like stating 'children' 'mindee' or 'your child'? Never done SEF before and my stomach is in knots and brain struggling, any help re: sef would be much appreciated please?

[JazzyL]

Have got Sarah's SEF guidance from October but still struggling with nerves x

[moggy]

No, you do not show it to parents. It is for your own personal development but you show to Ofsted to prove you are doing it! You can refer to the children any way you wish in your SEF but might like avoid full names for confidentiality, I use initials, like "I care for 3 children: T is 23 months old, H is 18 months old etc etc"

[Samcat]

I had my inspection on Tuesday this week and completed my SEF on the Sunday before! A huge amount of time/work went into it and I found each section really difficult to start initially. My OH was a big help. We just talked things through first and his asking me questions about what I do and me telling him, really helped me focus on what needed to be written. I kept referring to the SEF guidance and the Evaluation Schedule for inspections of registered early years provisions Ofsted | Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision which lists all the criteria for each grading that the inspector will look for in the inspection/SEF. My inspector asked me if I'd used/was aware of this document. Sarah's e-book on the SEF is good too, but can be overwhelming if you're working to a deadline, as there's just some much useful info in there!
I didn't/wouldn't show my SEF to parents. I don't know if anyone else does. You would ask for their input either verbally, or using any feedback from forms or questionnaires you may have sent out to parents.
I mind 2 children, one with SEN and one with English as a second language. If it was relevant to the example I gave, I referred to them in this way. Otherwise I said 'one child is interested in...'.
Nerves are common - we all get them! There were times where I just sat in front of the forms whimpering!

[JazzyL]

Just completed my SEF, hoping Mrs O comes today as I think I will be asleep tomorrow. Night night

[Rick]

Just completed ** SEF, hoping Mrs O comes today as I think I will be asleep tomorrow. Night night

2.48am.....how do you do it! Needs must I suppose!

Good luck

[Samcat]

hope it goes well!

[eidoj1985]

I had ** OFSTED call to say there coming in a few days. She asked if I'd done ** SEF and I said I hadn't. I asked if i should get it done and she said not to worry as there wasn't the time and just provided me with 3 questions from it that she's want the answer for!!

[kezzylou]

Hi SamCat

I am due my inspection soon and currently have a child with English as a 2nd language like you. Would you mind telling me what imparticulat Mrs O wanted to know about that child, what you are doing to promote their speech etc. I've heard they are quite hot on children with 2nd languages and how much the childminders are helping them.

Much appreciated

Kezzylou xx

[Samcat]

Hi Kezzylou,
My LO is only 23 months with Russian as the home language and beginning to say words in both languages amidst the babbling. I asked mum to supply me with about 8 words in Russian and their phonetic pronounciation - all words for things the child particularly likes, such as car, bus, cat, chicken (partnership with parents and following child's interests). I made a little laminated book with the a photo of each object plus the words/pronounciation in Russian and English on each page and a photo of the child on the cover. Mrs O loved it as it was so personal to the child. Mum had told me she'd got Russian flashcards and books on Amazon, so I looked there and got an Usbourne book of first 1000 words in Russian (includes how to pronounce them) and has very child friendly illustrations and also a lift the flap story book.
She thought that was good support and mentioned I could also label the storage drawers in both languages. I then showed her I'd already done that with the child's favourite car drawer. She suggested continuing to label the other drawers as it would introduce the other children in the setting to other languages as well.
I also mentioned that when the child said 'bye' in Russian they reversed the syllables of the word. So I dropped into conversation that I was aware of some words in the home language and able to use them to the child - even if only 'bye' and 'cat'!
Hope that helps.