Tips appreciated!

[knittaroo]

Hi all, I'm new :-)

I have just finished my CYPOP5 course online, sent all my paperwork and fees to OFSTED, and am now waiting for that first visit to get registered. I've done my first aid course and am booked on the safeguarding. I know I need to register with the inland revenue and data people, and set up a business bank account. I would love to hear your best tips an advice for what I can do to make the next few weeks go well - the visit from OFSTED and getting the business up and running. If you were starting again what is the one tip you would give yourself?

[Rick]

Hi all, I'm new :-)

I have just finished my CYPOP5 course online, sent all my paperwork and fees to OFSTED, and am now waiting for that first visit to get registered. I've done my first aid course and am booked on the safeguarding. I know I need to register with the inland revenue and data people, and set up a business bank account. I would love to hear your best tips an advice for what I can do to make the next few weeks go well - the visit from OFSTED and getting the business up and running. If you were starting again what is the one tip you would give yourself?

Go round your house and make sure you have resources and safety equipment you will need. Do your risk assessments of the house and policies. Did you get the set of questions from Ofsted which you are allowed to fill out and take into the inspection. Fill these out and be confident you can answer them as it is difficult to refer to them while questions are being fired at you.

It may take a while to get up and running with children, you may be lucky. Advertise on your local website, Facebook, childcare.co.uk, toddler groups, post offices etc.
If I was starting again I might start advertising a bit earlier as I had registered and had nothing lined up.

Hope this helps :thumbsup:

[moggy]

You do not need to set up a business bank account. From what I know proper business bank accounts can be expensive with all kinds of fees. All you need is either to open a regular bank account in your own name if you want to keep money separate, or just use your usual bank account- that is what I do as I want the money where I pay my bills from, rather than having to transfer it to my current account every month. You just need to keep records of everything you get paid and everything you spend on the business- I use the NCMA accounts book but there are many other ways (an excel sheet etc).

[dette]

keep all your reciepts in envelopes with the month writen on the front ,makes it loads easier to find them when you do your books

[knittaroo]

Go round your house and make sure you have resources and safety equipment you will need. Do your risk assessments of the house and policies. Did you get the set of questions from Ofsted which you are allowed to fill out and take into the inspection. Fill these out and be confident you can answer them as it is difficult to refer to them while questions are being fired at you.

It may take a while to get up and running with children, you may be lucky. Advertise on your local website, Facebook, childcare.co.uk, toddler groups, post offices etc.
If I was starting again I might start advertising a bit earlier as I had registered and had nothing lined up.

Hope this helps :thumbsup:

Thanks so much, haven't had the list of questions from OFSTED yet - hope they come well in advance! I heard that doing written risk assessments was a bit of a waste of time, but I think I will get into trouble if I just think them through so will jot something down, policies are done (well the essential ones).