I was wondering if when Ofsted started grading childminders was there a lot of ill feeling amongst the childminders if some of you graded higher than others iyswim.

As most of you know up here in Scotland we are just going into our second year of grading and the tension amongst the childminders is awful. Every one is complaining about inconsistency and comparing grades with each other. I was really pleased to get my grades, but now I feel awful as people are more or less saying that I must be kissing bottoms to get good grades.

Just wondered if it was the same for you and if it gets better?

I think there is ill-feeling still in a lot of camps

Well... on Saturday at the Macclesfield Ncma ARM, a childminder stood up to say a few words about another childminder who wasn't there.

She said...

'She got outstanding at her inspection... you know... she's one of those'

I sat there, next to another friend who is outstanding and we just looked at each other in total astonishment.

I really had no idea until that moment that there was so much ill feeling towards outstandings. :(

I work with a good group of childminders and we all know each other etc, and we have had a huge variety of inspection experiences. We are lucky that we have a good relationship with each other and because we know each other and our workings so well we have really seen that it is more about who you get on the day, because there are four of us that there is not any real difference between us and yet our grades were different and even for two of us with the same grade, one got given it with so much less hassle and proof etc than the other.

I definitely think it has caused some problems for the ones on the fringe of our group because of the gradings given, but the core of the group still highly recommend each other and that along with the impression we make on the parents who visit us has been enough to get us business, very rarely i think has the ofsted report been the deciding factor.

I wish it was far more standardised as regards the items you must have proof of doing, or be seen to be doing etc and then there to be another element where we are judged on our standard of caring directly for the children. I know someone who got outstanding when they didn't know or get asked about the new parental responsibility stuff or have bothered completing a sef, and another who had no checks whatsoever made as to whether she actually had any of the paperwork that she said she did!

It has caused problems for a couple of our local minders, but I have to say, they're not well liked anyway. It just seemed to be another thing for people to dislike them for! A lot of the mutterings were along the lines of 'well, they only got it because they go on every course going, they only got it because they dedicate their lives/houses to childminding, they only got it because they have lots of help from development officers' etc etc. Basically, it was all pure jealousy, but it didn't help that these minders constantly commented that they were better than everyone else because they were outstanding!

I did wonder what people would say when I got mine, but they couldn't have been happier for me. One of them commented that it was nice that someone 'normal' got it :D

I only just got registered yet so don't have any experience on the gradings for cm yet, but in my previous job we had to do a self assessment and then our managers would give us a grading..so very very similar, with one difference, our pay rise was based on the grading. so the better your grade the higher your payrise.
the grading was kept stictly secret by the managment as they wanted to avoid people discussing it ....but you tend to find out what people have anyways...coz someone tells someone tells someone iyswim.

the problem is that even if you have a standardised system, people have different managers and that always means there is room for different views, personal preferences etc etc.
or in one team you might get outstanding easier than in the next due to a ''nicer'' manager.. I guess the same is probably happening with the care commission reports...or even ofsted for that matter.

when I spoke to other cms in the area they told me..oh you have a nice cco, good for you...others had changes and what was ok one year suddenly wasn't ok the next...so I guess that makes the matter worse as people feel they have a genuine reason to feel that they have been judged harsher than someone else..

It is bad though if one cm is talking badly about another one saying..oh they just got the grade because of such and such.....would never do that!!

There is a lot of pressure in my area to get "outstanding". I got a good which I am really pleased with. A friend of mine got an outstanding and her ofsted inspection was completely different to mine. The checks they make dont seem to be consistent!

In my town there is a lot of bad feeling towards me because of my outstanding...made worse by the fact I was a newbie when I was awarded it...wouldn't swap it though!:D

Well... on Saturday at the Macclesfield Ncma ARM, a childminder stood up to say a few words about another childminder who wasn't there.

She said...

'She got outstanding at her inspection... you know... she's one of those'

I sat there, next to another friend who is outstanding and we just looked at each other in total astonishment.

I really had no idea until that moment that there was so much ill feeling towards outstandings. :(

arrr think i heard something about this,,, im wanting outstanding as i was graded good last time and think i have done so much more work and understanding of EYFS (thanks to the forum),, anyway im working very hard and doing a level 4 in managing quality standards because im determined to do my best. and if i get rewarded outstanding for my hard work not only will i party for a week but i will have worked hard to gaine the gade and so feel deserve it as do every cm that has worked so hard. so its jealousey because other cm's are not willing to put in the hrs and work ,, training and yes paperwork to show dedication to the job...

god help me when im close to inspection time ill be a bag of nerves as ive worked so hard and dont want my work to go un noticed.

i would never use blackmail on any ofsted inspector but im digging up dirt on each and every1 of them :laughing: :laughing: hahahaha in an evel B Movie voice lol x x xx

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Hi

I can understand all what everyone is saying. I have a friend who has just got outstanding. I think she would like to shout it from the roof tops but feels like she shouldn't. So instead I have for her because she is a wonderful minder. She inspired me to start minding. She doesn't have buckets of paper work, she hadn't completed all her SEF yet, but what she does have is a passion for what she does. I think her grade fully reflects it doesn't all come down to loads of bought paperwork, its about having that little wow factor!

I got a Good which I was over the moon about, since it was my first inspection. I went to a network group after and a coordinator who knew I was being inspected came up to me and asked "how many outstandings". I felt bad saying I had only got a good. So I fully understand the pressure. It was my first inspection for gods sake. I now know I am good at what I do, great start I think!! Gives me something to work on over the next 3 years!!!

Julia

I think anyone who gets outstanding should not be made to feel embarrassed about it, it is sad when an achievement like this almost makes you apologise for getting it.

My friend got an outstanding and she was embarrassed and felt she needed to explain it away, i got a good over a year before her when the inspection was pre eyfs and at that point my friend was surprised that i didn't get outstanding, but it was what it was, and she should not feel bad that i didn't get it!

We both believe that she got her outstanding with less trouble than i got my good, but we both now how we work and the parents that use us are more than happy, and would go to either of us!

The only thing that worries me about getting outstanding is the pressure to keep it up! I know that what i do i do all of the time and my paperwork etc is consistent and if they inspected me with no notice, they would not find any different, but as for outstanding, then who knows, because the inspector i had said blatantly that she never gave anyone it!, her comment to everything was well that makes you satisfactory so what makes you good, and on that basis i was surprised to even get a good, cos she reckoned she only gave one of them a week , and on the thursday i was her second!:laughing:

Anyone who gets outstanding should stand tall and proud!

Thanks for all the replies, it certainly is interesting reading. I fully understand that there is some inconsistency between inspectors and that some people are perhaps judged more harshly than others, but I know for a fact that I work very hard to keep myself up to date and my business in order and think it's quite sad that rather than being delighted I am embarrassed and don't want anyone to know!!

I would also like to say that I owe a lot of gratitude to this forum for a lot of the procedures I have in place, I think you are all outstanding/grade 6:D :D

Hi

I can understand all what everyone is saying. I have a friend who has just got outstanding. I think she would like to shout it from the roof tops but feels like she shouldn't. So instead I have for her because she is a wonderful minder. She inspired me to start minding. She doesn't have buckets of paper work, she hadn't completed all her SEF yet, but what she does have is a passion for what she does. I think her grade fully reflects it doesn't all come down to loads of bought paperwork, its about having that little wow factor!

I got a Good which I was over the moon about, since it was my first inspection. I went to a network group after and a coordinator who knew I was being inspected came up to me and asked "how many outstandings". I felt bad saying I had only got a good. So I fully understand the pressure. It was my first inspection for gods sake. I now know I am good at what I do, great start I think!! Gives me something to work on over the next 3 years!!!

Julia


Thank you Julia, what will I do without you?

I am the friend, and Julia's right, I haven't really told anyone that I got outstanding, she let it 'slip' to our small group of childminders, which was fine, as I really did feel to embarassed to tell them!! I know it sounds odd, but that is how I felt. After my inspection, I felt really deflated, I think it was because I really did want to tell people, but felt that other childminders might feel like I was bragging, which I didn't want to do.

I have now received my report and I am thrilled with it, I will share it with you guys when it goes online.

Kelly

Thank you Julia, what will I do without you?

I am the friend, and Julia's right, I haven't really told anyone that I got outstanding, she let it 'slip' to our small group of childminders, which was fine, as I really did feel to embarassed to tell them!! I know it sounds odd, but that is how I felt. After my inspection, I felt really deflated, I think it was because I really did want to tell people, but felt that other childminders might feel like I was bragging, which I didn't want to do.

I have now received my report and I am thrilled with it, I will share it with you guys when it goes online.

Kelly

You should want to shout it out from the rooftops!!!!

Everybody who gets outstanding should be proud of what they have achieved.

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