Ofsted are coming!!!!!!!!!!

[louisepretty]

Got the phonecall today:eek:

It was a withheld number, which I don't normally answer because I am sick of sales calls but I had left a message for someone to call me back and when it rang thought it was them :panic:

Anyway I think I'll be OK. The inspector sounded really nice, not sure if we can name them on here so I won't but if we can then any feedback would be great.

All I've got to do this weekend is write up Octobers observations, write Novembers planning based on Octobers observations and generally tidy up all the leaves in the garden.

My husband on the other hand has to fix the bolt on the gate as with all the rain the gates have swelled and it doesn't slide in very easily. Don't want to be standing there with Mrs O, puffing and panting and going slighty red just trying to bolt the gate. He also has to put up some child friendly coat hooks. Only been waiting 3 years since my last inspection.

Oh and I've got to do the new bits on the SEF although Mrs O did say not ot worry about them too much and just submit what I've already done. My thought though is the more I've put in the SEF the less she'll ask me - right?

Anyway Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. If she's not here by 10.00am she's not coming.

I've had a good in my last 2 inspections but I've worked really hard to up my game since EYFS so would love outstanding - wouldn't we all.

Only slight niggle is my first aid expired yeaterday but they only run 2 courses a year in my town. I am booked on to the next one but it's not until January. I booked on to it when I got the reminder and it was the next available course so do you think that will be OK? Would hate to get a satisfactory or an inadequate for failing a welfare requirement but I only live in a small town so what can you do?

Everything else is bang up-to-date and I've just fininshed my NVQ3 so I think I can demonstrate my commitment. I have made a note of it in my SEF too so I'm not trying to hide it.

Will let you know how I get on - stupidly feeling quite excited :laughing:

[Zoomie]

Good luck for next week.

Have to say that I would be worried about the first aid thing .... have you a neighbour or someone who could run over in an emergency ?

[Kelly]

You sound ready, but I would also be very concerned about your first aid, I thought it was a straight inadequate for not having a current first aid. I don't want to worry you, but you should know. I know of a CM who it happened to, she was also booked on a course, but was told that was not good enough.

[Tink]

A friend of mine had everything sorted or so she thought, until it came to her first aid certificate which had expired one month before her inspection and she failed her inspection and too got inadequate.

[claire bear 72]

My friend also got inadequate for her first aid being expired.........even tho she was booked on next available course :mad: inspector siad she should have paid to do a private one as it is one of the main welfare requirements!!! hope everything goes ok........she may be leniant on you???

[jibberjitz]

Good luck for your inspection :thumbsup: I got the call also and know my inspector is coming either tomorrow or Tuesday!

[Merry-Minder]

After completing my first aid I was told that I should look at booking my next one at least 3 months before it expires - just to make sure its always up to date.
I really hope this doesnt affect your grade - good luck. xxx

[miffy]

Only slight niggle is my first aid expired yeaterday but they only run 2 courses a year in my town. I am booked on to the next one but it's not until January. I booked on to it when I got the reminder and it was the next available course so do you think that will be OK? Would hate to get a satisfactory or an inadequate for failing a welfare requirement but I only live in a small town so what can you do?


A current paediatric first aid certificate is a legal requirement - if you don't have one you are not meeting the EYFS Welfare Requirements and will be graded inadequate.

Sorry, I know that's not what you want to hear.

Miffy xx

[louisepretty]

Oh well, there's nothing I can do. My certificate expired November. I had reminder in August and rang up to book my course then and the next available course was January 2010. The previous one was June so I'd missed that anyway as it was before the reminder.They only run 2 courses a year in my town as its really small.

I'm paying to do it with St John's Ambulance, I don't know of any private companies that do First Aid as the only thing round here is St Johns Ambulance.

I'll look into it for the future though and tahnks for your advice.

I put it on my SEF under the welfare requirements as 'Partly in Place' and I listed it in the action. I remember when I registered that you didn't have to do your first aid for six months - that's probably more dangerous than a certificate being expired for 2! The information didn't leave my head when my certificate expired.

I will mention that my back-up childminder has current first-aid and is covering me in the gap as well.

Think it's going to be today so what am I doing on here, lol?

xxxx

[Jules12Wed]

Oh well, there's nothing I can do. My certificate expired November. I had reminder in August and rang up to book my course then and the next available course was January 2010. The previous one was June so I'd missed that anyway as it was before the reminder.They only run 2 courses a year in my town as its really small.

I'm paying to do it with St John's Ambulance, I don't know of any private companies that do First Aid as the only thing round here is St Johns Ambulance.

I'll look into it for the future though and tahnks for your advice.

I put it on my SEF under the welfare requirements as 'Partly in Place' and I listed it in the action. I remember when I registered that you didn't have to do your first aid for six months - that's probably more dangerous than a certificate being expired for 2! The information didn't leave my head when my certificate expired.

I will mention that my back-up childminder has current first-aid and is covering me in the gap as well.

Think it's going to be today so what am I doing on here, lol?

xxxx

You say certificate expired in November, it is only November now so are you still not covered.

[Straws]

First Aid is a legal requirement, have you got the letter to prove you are booked onto the next first aid course?, I think you will get actioned and another inspection in 6mths. Good luck with your inspection.

Straws xx

[Ripeberry]

If your cert says November then you should be OK, as I would think they would work like car tax discs ? :idea: But then if it ran out on 09th November or just before then it would be invalid.

[buildingblocks]

Make sure you have proof that you have tried to attend a first aid course e.g. letters acknowledging this, etc. Speak to your development worker as if you have tried to get it renewed before it runs out and you cannot access a course then maybe they could help in some way.

Although I have to agree with what has been said already I think it is graded inadequate. I would not be happy if our LA only ran these courses twice a year. They only allow a certain number on these courses at a time. So a lot of people could be disappointed not so important to those in nurseries or preschools where more than one person has the first aid but as childminders we do not have that luxury.

in our authority we have 170 childminders alone so twice a year courses would not be of any use at all.

[louisepretty]

Thanks for all your input. The inspector has been and gone. I have been graded Good across the board. :jump for joy:

I have an action to complete First Aid and I have to send a copy of my certificate when I get it. :blush: Next inspection in 3 years. I quickly wrote a procedure this morning to say that another Registered Childminder was providing emergency first aid cover for the gap in my certificates. Obviously had spoken to other childminder first and she lives round corner from me so logistically possible. The inspector said that was fine and that if a child needed attention that required a first aider then I should use the emergency services anyway as that is what they are trained for. I have to admit that in the 6 years I have been minding I have never done more than apply a cold compress or plaster and long may that continue.

The inspector was very nice. She didn't ask an awful lot but I had completed my SEF, thanks to Sarah for her e-book, and I think a lot of it was on there.

I did expected her to ask for a lot more paperwork but she sampled some children's folders and looked at my policies. She read my portfolio and that was about it. She didn't look at my inclusion file, or even talk about inclusion, and I spent ages putting the file together. Not interested in fire drill which I thought was a biggy. Asked children why they were washing their hands before lunch and they said to wash germs away. Stars :clapping:

She looked at todays register but didn't check whether I had history so could have just done one today! Not that I did. Didn't want to watch nappy changing so things I thought she might be interested in she wasn't. One mindee fell asleep on playroom floor, he had crawled under the Active World tray and she said to leave him there. I said I couldn't do that and I got a nursery bed out, made it up with his bedding and moved him. Wonder whether that was a sneaky test to see what I did but felt a bit like entrapment. He slept for 2 hours so glad I moved him!

To move up to outstanding she recommended I do parent questionnaires and ask parents to grade me on the same scale they use. I had asked parents for feedback before my inspection and most parents had responded but it was in paragraph form and they all said how happy they were but the inspector wanted grading information. She also said I need to share information with other settings and find out what other settings are doing with mindees so we don't duplicate activities. I find this hard to get my head round as I mind 12 children altogether of which 2 attend playgroup. I assume this means I'm not supposed to do activities which mindees do at playgroup, but then the other 10 children in my care may miss out on 'playgroup' activities. And if everything is child-led and playgroup have done something that has caught their imagination they may want to continue it with me, so do I or don't I? Or are they expecting me to set up 6 activities each day for the 6 children I have in making sure 2 of them don't play with 'lego' as they will be playing with it at playgroup? :doh:

Pleased with my grade and going to look at ways to move forward to outstanding over the next 3 years, assuming it doesn't all change by then, lol!

[sarah707]

Well done you! :clapping:

There is no legal requirement to ask parents to grade your service :eek: I wouldn't be doing that one!

Working with other settings is a minefield - I would just say that as I am child-led I go with what they want to do and if their interests are across all settings, so be it! :D

[Merry-Minder]

Congratulations on your Good grade!!

I have read your thread with intrest as I had a call from Ofsted today to say they will be coming soon, and so you have written a good insight.

I think I will defo be making some kind of a questionaire for my parents, did Ofsted mention how often you should give these questionaires out?

[louisepretty]

Thank you and what a good answer to the settings one - wish you had been at my inspection :laughing:

I bet they wouldn't ask a playgroup to change it's plans to make sure they don't replicate what childminders do with the mindees. Although she kept saying we're all working to the same curriculum the onus seemed to be on me to fit in with everybody else's plans. So playgroup can plan, reception class can plan and I mop up whatever they haven't covered. When did we become so inferior to be left with the leftovers? Mmmmmm - going to go away and think about this now because not sure its actually in the best interests of the child!

[louisepretty]

Congratulations on your Good grade!!

I have read your thread with intrest as I had a call from Ofsted today to say they will be coming soon, and so you have written a good insight.

I think I will defo be making some kind of a questionaire for my parents, did Ofsted mention how often you should give these questionaires out?

Unfortunatley no,there was no timescale but most things seem to be annual so I think that would be OK. I do baseline assessments in September every year which I send to parents and they write their comments on before they go in the child's file. I then have a starting point each year. At the end of the year I send a summative assessment to parents showing how their child has developed since the baseline etc. I think I will send the questionnaire with this as they will be able to see exactly how much progress their child has made down to me directly and should hopefully mean they grade appropriately. I would hate for parents to not realise exactly how much we do and just stick satisfactory down for everything.

As Sarah said though it is not a legal requirement and just something my inspector said would be nice. I have lots of feedback in other forms so I think there was a bit of clutching at straws going on as well :laughing:

[Zoomie]

I am really pleased to see that your inspection went well.

Congratulations.

[mrs c]

Well done for getting Good :clapping: :clapping:

[babs]

gratz on ur good grade well done :clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

[Anne66]

Well done on your inspection. Thanks for the info on the inspection gives us all something to look at how we are doing in our own practices. The thing about sharing info with other settings makes me laugh as i have now attened 2 nurserys since eyfs started and neither of those nurserys have had any interest about what the children do when they are with me even though i ask them for information about what the children are doing when they are at the nursery. I'll definately be waiting for the feedback i get from the inspector on that one. I try to get there newsletters and their plan for the term this all goes into their portfolio. I sometimes do pieces of work at my setting so the children can take it to nursery.

[louisepretty]

Thanks for your congratulations everybody.

I went to playgroup today to pick up 2 mindees and armed with confidence that my inspector said we should all be sharing information to give the child lots of opportunities to cover everything and no doubling up etc etc, I asked the playgroup leader how we could work together.

Her reponse:

"I have enough paperwork to do without copying you in on everything. I don't want or need your plans and we only share information with the parents at the end of the year so we can't give it to you before then.

Anyway your home-based so don't you do things like sort your laundry with the children because they can learn from that, can't they?"

:eeeek: shocked, stunned and totally speechless!

[suez]

what a cheek , we all sit on our bottoms allday dont do any planning or activities take kiddies to the park/farms arrh makes ya angry when people just think of us like that! :angry:

[nannymcflea]

Thanks for your congratulations everybody.

I went to playgroup today to pick up 2 mindees and armed with confidence that my inspector said we should all be sharing information to give the child lots of opportunities to cover everything and no doubling up etc etc, I asked the playgroup leader how we could work together.

Her reponse:

"I have enough paperwork to do without copying you in on everything. I don't want or need your plans and we only share information with the parents at the end of the year so we can't give it to you before then.

Anyway your home-based so don't you do things like sort your laundry with the children because they can learn from that, can't they?"

:eeeek: shocked, stunned and totally speechless!

What she means is "get on with drinking your coffee and let us professionals get on with our job!".....:eek:

Make sure you note that and put the response on your SEF...then for each playgroup child do a simple note of the 6 areas of EYFS and where each child is at(keep it simple for them!)...give that to the playgroup and you are sorted....if they don't want to reply and work with you thats not your problem. (as OFSTED told me at my inspection!)

Congtats on your grading.:clapping: