As title say My friend had her inspection today and has probably lost her outstanding grade because according to the inspector she should wash a babies hands after she changes the nappy. She was also told that the progress trackers should not just be marked in the age ranges in the DM but she needs to be more specific in the months, eg in stead of 22/36 put 24 mnth 5 weeks. She also asked why she hadn't given a 21/2 yr old a knife with her lunch. When she said she does sometimes the inspector said "well you clearly don't because she would have asked for one now. I'm feeling upset for her as I know she puts so much into her setting and she feels she let herself down on these small points

This makes me really cross and I bet this inspector has never looked after a child! I would advise your friend to challenge her grade as I feel this smacks of an inspector being in a bad mood and not having her professional hat on. This happened to me a few years back (the inspector didn't work in this field for much longer, clearly not cut out for it) and after he graded me inadequate for the most ridiculous of reasons and took his findings back to the office he was made to up my grade as they looked at my past record and basically said he was wrong! I've been in this job for over 25 years and never been below a good grade until he visited!! Your friend sounds as though she is doing a great job so tell her to believe in herself and try not to get too upset (she's doing more than me and many others I know).

Thanks I'll pass on your support. She gave her outstanding in learning area but said she couldn't in the other areas saying " not that your house is dirty but it could be better ".

I'd certainly make a complaint ASAP- keep it factual, list the words of the inspector, ask for confirmation of receipt from Ofsted and follow up.
She should not delay- while it is fresh in her mind and before the report is too far into the Ofsted Quality Assurance Dept system.
These are very unprofessional comments, they should be following the CIF and EYFS.

Gosh this is awful, this is what I'm so nervous about, what if you just get an arsey inspector on the day they could pick on the tiniest of things :-(

As title say My friend had her inspection today and has probably lost her outstanding grade because according to the inspector she should wash a babies hands after she changes the nappy. She was also told that the progress trackers should not just be marked in the age ranges in the DM but she needs to be more specific in the months, eg in stead of 22/36 put 24 mnth 5 weeks. She also asked why she hadn't given a 21/2 yr old a knife with her lunch. When she said she does sometimes the inspector said "well you clearly don't because she would have asked for one now. I'm feeling upset for her as I know she puts so much into her setting and she feels she let herself down on these small points

Not to sound stupid(!!!!) but how would you wash a babies hands exactly anyway, would a wipe suffice?

I've just had a prospective parent and granny round to visit. We were talking about inspections (both work in schools) and I mentioned inconsistency in cm inspections and that I would be inspected in next 6 mths ... granny (who I've known for ages) said she'd come round and defend me! ;-)
Hearing things like OP said just scare me.

Not to sound stupid(!!!!) but how would you wash a babies hands exactly anyway, would a wipe suffice?

I use a baby wipe, unless they've managed to get their hands in anything nasty when I use a wipe first then carry them to the sink for a proper handwash.

The theory is that you're cleaning away any germs that may have got on their hands and you're also teaching them from a young age to wash their hands after going to the toilet or used the potty.

Oh I'm shocked by her comments. With regard to the baby, did she definitely mean the baby's hands and not her cm's? Plus do you think the inspector thought that the baby contaminated her/his hands during the nappy change but then if she had have seen something like that she would have said. I just don't understand the comment!. Plus an unclean home, oh dear that would sting and how rude. Lastly with regard to the 'knife' situation I think this is a hot potato at the moment, independence. Well it always has been but I think even more so now. In my inspection my lo's did use a knife to butter and cut their toast. I saw her watching. In my report, received this evening, she commented on them using knives and how I supervised. So heads up to everyone waiting - knife practise asap! So sorry for your friend. Please get her to take it further. Keep us informed please.

Apparently the inspector did point out the hand washing for the baby as beginning of toilet hygiene as mouse said but I changed nappies during my last inspection and it wasn't mentioned to me. But then we come back to inconsistency again.

Apparently the inspector did point out the hand washing for the baby as beginning of toilet hygiene as mouse said but I changed nappies during my last inspection and it wasn't mentioned to me. But then we come back to inconsistency again.

Yes inconsistencies. It's a shame she couldn't have said something like 'ok I'll take that on board but you will notice that I always was the baby's hands before all meals etc' but then it's easy to talk afterwards. Your friend must have been a wreak during the inspection with all the negative comments. I've never washed a baby's hand after a nappy change, yes if they got 'messed' but that goes without saying. Really feel cross for your friend.

Oh god I'm gonna be wiping babies hands with a wipe after nappy changes now (seems crazy to me personally!) x

Oh god I'm gonna be wiping babies hands with a wipe after nappy changes now (seems crazy to me personally!) x

Better do their feet as well!

Better do their feet as well!

Lol!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Oh I'm shocked by her comments. With regard to the baby, did she definitely mean the baby's hands and not her cm's? Plus do you think the inspector thought that the baby contaminated her/his hands during the nappy change but then if she had have seen something like that she would have said. I just don't understand the comment!. Plus an unclean home, oh dear that would sting and how rude. Lastly with regard to the 'knife' situation I think this is a hot potato at the moment, independence. Well it always has been but I think even more so now. In my inspection my lo's did use a knife to butter and cut their toast. I saw her watching. In my report, received this evening, she commented on them using knives and how I supervised. So heads up to everyone waiting - knife practise asap! So sorry for your friend. Please get her to take it further. Keep us informed please.

What would be expected of a baby between 1-1.5 food and independence wise?

Yes inconsistencies. It's a shame she couldn't have said something like 'ok I'll take that on board but you will notice that I always was the baby's hands before all meals etc' but then it's easy to talk afterwards. Your friend must have been a wreak during the inspection with all the negative comments. I've never washed a baby's hand after a nappy change, yes if they got 'messed' but that goes without saying. Really feel cross for your friend.

Yes she was annoyed anyway as she was told inspection would be yesterday or today and if she wasn't there by 10 she wouldn't be coming only to get another call yesterday after 10 to say if she wasn't there by half 11 then she wasn't coming that day! Still wasn't there by 10 today so she phone tribal to be told she was booked in for 11.30 today so we are wondering why the second call was necessary yesterday. I hope she does make some form of complaint but she might need some persuading. Hoping all your comment help to make up her mind

I must admit this is the first time ever I have heard about washing a babies hands after I change their nappy! I have been registered over 9 years

I've heard of this before both in nurseries and childminding, they say it should be done to promote hygiene skills etc, and so they learn from an early age that hands are washed after toileting. It gets them in a habit/part of routine.

Oh gosh. It's reading things like this that makes me terrified about my first inspection. Your poor friend. :( I will be wiping babies hands with a wipe from now on. Though, do wipes even kill germs? What age should little ones have a knife from? I've only got under 17 month olds and my own daughter. *scared* It's this kind of stuff that scares me, not the paperwork. O_o

This reminds me of my past two inspections, it's awful and demoralising. There are childminders who put immense amount of effort into their business and for 1 person to come along and say a comment about one or two small things is shameful. I really feel for your friend and I believe Ofsted are doing more harm than good in childminding settings.

Since my last inspection I have lost my passion for the job and I'm probably not the only one. Now I only do what has to be done, nothing more. I don't go above and beyond anymore because I don't have the energy for it.

It's personal comments from individual inspectors and inconsistency that really gets my back up. What's good for 1 inspector isn't for another. I've never washed a babies hands on a changing mat but have encouraged hand washing from a young age. All my mindees wash their hands without fail after toileting and before eating but I've never wiped them after a nappy change.
It sounds very picky but I don't expect anything else from Ofsted, that's what they do.

Tell your friend though to be happy with the Good she received. If she's doing a good job and parents and children are happy then she's obviously doing a great job :thumbsup:

I also had an inspection on Monday I have been downgraded, I am gutted which I told her but she said I am a good grade, she said the back yard is not an outstanding area, i explained its not what it looks like its what the children can do out there, and anything inside can be taken out, we had the tuff tray in the kitchen with sand it ended up like a beach and no it wasn't just for the day it is a regular thing we do in the kitchen, her answer was i have seen it all before, to get outstanding you have to show me something i haven't seen, to which i replied that i have never heard that statement before to get an outstanding, she then added that my sef wasn't academic enough, again never heard of this before.
She was very nice and polite at all times, but still I am gutted and still in shock about this, I am waiting for my report and just wondering if I should take this futher, no one seems to be working from the same criteria it really does seem to be who you get on the day.

Feel for you Janet. There is a childminder down the road who was Outstanding in her last two inspections but went down to a good. Reason on her Ofsted report was that she doesn't give the children enough time to answer questions....but she was probably a bit nervous.

My inspector said she wanted to see number and shapes in my garden, I told her we take toys/resources outside and we also see shapes and numbers outside the setting as we go out a lot. School playground is full of numbers and we go twice a day. My mindees are fantastic at recognising their numbers but this wasn't enough for her. I told her I wasn't adding numbers and shapes to my garden as its my home and my own two children are teenagers. :rolleyes:

For a bit of balance, can I say that I had mine two weeks ago. My inspector was fantastic, and seemed to really 'get' childminding. She said that if parents wanted their children to go to a nursery setting, they should send them to a nursery. She said a childminder provides a home setting.
I was very nervous. She also asked me lots of closed questions to get the answers out of me, such as 'you do cooking with the children, don't you?'

Although I only did my SEF the night before, and she knew that, she did read it all, and asked to take it with her so she could add some of it to her evidence, and even commented positively on it on my report.

For a bit of balance, can I say that I had mine two weeks ago. My inspector was fantastic, and seemed to really 'get' childminding. She said that if parents wanted their children to go to a nursery setting, they should send them to a nursery. She said a childminder provides a home setting.
I was very nervous. She also asked me lots of closed questions to get the answers out of me, such as 'you do cooking with the children, don't you?'

Although I only did my SEF the night before, and she knew that, she did read it all, and asked to take it with her so she could add some of it to her evidence, and even commented positively on it on my report.

That sounds really nice :D My inspector didn't seem to understand childminding.... she asked me to open up my lounge area (which I use for quiet time/TV only) to create a playing area for the babies. She didn't seem to understand that it was my home!

I wonder if the inspector is a ficcers fan. In there is says you should wash babies and your hands after you remove nappy and before you put on a clean one,totally unpractical and again once clean one is on. (Must be at the sink with soap and water baby wipes are not enough) Total nonsense in my opinion

I also had an inspection on Monday I have been downgraded, I am gutted which I told her but she said I am a good grade, she said the back yard is not an outstanding area, i explained its not what it looks like its what the children can do out there, and anything inside can be taken out, we had the tuff tray in the kitchen with sand it ended up like a beach and no it wasn't just for the day it is a regular thing we do in the kitchen, her answer was i have seen it all before, to get outstanding you have to show me something i haven't seen, to which i replied that i have never heard that statement before to get an outstanding, she then added that my sef wasn't academic enough, again never heard of this before.
She was very nice and polite at all times, but still I am gutted and still in shock about this, I am waiting for my report and just wondering if I should take this futher, no one seems to be working from the same criteria it really does seem to be who you get on the day.

Oh Janet I am so sorry you had an inspector who didn't understand your ethos or how you work.

If you are not happy about your inspection you need to lodge a complaint NOW - not when you get your report.

If you feel, for example, that the inspector didn't look at your evidence properly or ignored how you work because of her own preconceptions then she maybe needs to be retrained.

Hugs xx

thanks everyone and thanku sarah I thought the report had to be issued first, I will definitely get everything wrote down and ring first thing Monday, i will let u know what happens xxxxxx

thanks everyone and thanku sarah I thought the report had to be issued first, I will definitely get everything wrote down and ring first thing Monday, i will let u know what happens xxxxxx

just updating I have filled out the online complaints form, after a phone call to ofsted hopefully will be hearing from them shortly xxxxx