i had my inspection on monday and im not happy . The inspector seemed friendly but i raised some issues about some home improvements we are doing outside. basically there were 3 things that on my last few inspections were passed on as ok and this inspector raised actions on them. Also she questioned the 4year old i mind and the parent that collected the child is that right??? She also said the children came first so if they needed my attention she would wait to speak to me. well she was here for 2halfhrs and then my daughter when the minded children had gone wanted my attention and shes only6 she was hungry, the inspector told my daughter to wait as she needed to finish the paperwork with me which then took a further half hr!!!!
I got so upset when she left i think i have got a satisfactory but not good when i was a good!!

I'm so sorry that you are not happy with your inspection. It is a very stressful thing to go through.

The inspector is allowed to talk to the children and ask them age related things...such as "what do you like doing the best" that type of thing, and yes they can talk to parents as well.

I wasn't happy with my inspection either, it is the inspectors personal opinion that counts on the day... but you know if you are good or not, judge yourself by how happy the children and their parents are :)

Take care ((( hug ))) to you :)

Thanks yes i will just learn from it i suppose its just frustrating when you have done this job for years as i have and you dont get any recognition for that. It seems ofsted are now pushing the goalposts further which is good but i wish there was more support for us minders when we work on our own mostly.

I know of other minders who have been less than satisfied with the outcome of their inspection. On reflection some have accepted the grade , addressed minor issues and realised that happy parents and children are what matters. Others have complained and had their reports, and sometimes grades , amended.

i would take a day or 2 to think things trhrough , maybe read your report when it appears on line , then decide what to do.

Im afraid I dont agree that minders should get recognition for 'length of service' though - experience is only valuable when reflected in practice. Some long term minders are amazing , as are some newer ones. Where I strongly agree is that there should be much more consistency within Ofsted , and this has led to many unhappy and misguided minders.

I am one of those minders who complained & had their report nulled & I was reinspected - resulting in an improved grade.

What I would say is sleep on it for a couple of days. Then if you do decide to complain, I would write down everything you can remember, every tiny detail. Your points need to be just, not just angry. I wrote a 7 page letter of complaint, but then again I had A LOT to complain about. Draft a letter & get someone to read it though, Id be willing to do that, but theres probably others on here with much more experience than me who could offer better advise. While your doing your letter get each of your parents (past & present) to complete a questionnaire. I have a fantastic one you can have a copy of, it covers all areas of learning & asks just the right questions.

Once youve got those in you can send your letter & completed questionnaires off (take copies for yourself).

BUT - prepare yourself for what will come next. Best case senario is you will be re-inspected. They will not just change your grade/alter your report. They will send another inspector out who has no knowledge of your previous inspection. Its a long process too. I think my original inspection was early July & my 2nd inspection end of Sept.

For me it was worth it, however Im now thinking did my mindee parents actually really care. They love me & know my worth, they dont need a piece of paper to tell them Im good.

Good Luck whatever you decide to do, its not an easy decision so take your time.

xx

? I thought "Every Child Matters" that includes your own. So why did she wait whilst the minded children needed your attention and not do the same for your child??????

I actually think that it is extremely unfair that our own children are included in the inspection. I do not childmind my own children I am a parent! I know of one childminder who had an inspector who questioned her giving her own son a chocolate biscuit during the inspection as it was not part of her healthy eating policy.
I fully intend making sure my own children are well out of the way next time I am inspected.

I also made a complaint following my ofsted inspection. I had failed to record a scratch my mindee had done the previous day in my accident book despite telling parents verbally and writing in daily journal. My report said that I had failed to record an "accident". I complained at length and finally had the word accident removed from the report. Other things where I felt the inspector had contradicted herself were not upheld. I could have asked for a repeat inspection but decided against it. Good luck whatever you decide.