VARIATIONS UNDER REVISED EYFS - REPLY FROM DfE

[childcareexpo]

I have just received this reply from DfE about variations for continuity of care under revised eyfs.

Thank you for your email dated 25 April 2012 about the Early Years Foundation Stage.

The safeguarding and welfare requirements, in the revised EYFS, 'are designed to help providers create high quality settings which are welcoming, safe and stimulating, and where children are able to enjoy learning and grow in confidence'. Within that context the revised EYFS has been designed to provide a greater degree of flexibility for providers than the current EYFS where practicable, so as to ensure that the needs of both parents and children can be met. Provided that children are safe it is not intended to place unnecessary restrictions on who may be cared for.
The revised EYFS makes clear that childminders should not care for more than 6 children under the age of 8. Of these six children, a maximum of three may be young children (under 5), and there should only be one child under the age of one. Although this is the usual requirement the EYFS recognises that there may be circumstances where the ratios can be altered so that the particular needs of children and their families may be met. Providing that there are no more than 6 children being cared for at any one time paragraph 3.29 makes clear that ‘exceptionally, and where the quality of care and safety and security of children is maintained, exceptions to the ratios may be made’. When changing the ratio and/or the ages of the children being cared for in exceptional circumstances providers will not be required to notify Ofsted and seek a variation of their registration.


In particular the revised EYFS says exceptions to the usual ratios can be made when childminders are caring for sibling babies, or when caring for their own baby. If children aged four and five only attend the childminding setting before and/or after a normal school day, and/or during school holidays, they may be cared for at the same time as three other young children. However, these exceptions are not meant to be exhaustive and do not exclude other adjustments to ratios being made in exceptional circumstances, such as other cases where there are continuity of care concerns.

Miffy xx

If you need greater clarity, Chris Barnham from the Early Years area of the Department of Education will be at Childcare Expo talking about the revised EYFS and I'm sure he'd be able to answer your questions if this would be helpful for you?

[mlm]

Just back from my revised EYFS training and the trainer told us all about variations...or rather the lack of them in september she told us almost word for word what sarah has been saying about continuity of care...own child....etc...EXCEPT....she said it only applies to under one year olds????? So we can have 2 under ones and 2 under fives making a total of 4 under 5's .....but not 4 under 5's if they are all over one??? I did challenge her on this but all she said was....."we are working off a prepared script given to us by the people who wrote the guidance and we are awaiting further innformation which will clarify it"

so what happens when the 2 under 1's become over 1's!! I've just been asked to take on 7 month twins, I already have a 2 yr old and my own daughter is nearly 3, will go to pre-school in Jan. I am assuming this is fine, especially if i can arrange my own daughters care around the twins?

[sarah707]

so what happens when the 2 under 1's become over 1's!! I've just been asked to take on 7 month twins, I already have a 2 yr old and my own daughter is nearly 3, will go to pre-school in Jan. I am assuming this is fine, especially if i can arrange my own daughters care around the twins?

Once you have a variation in place it lasts as long as it is needed... until the children grow out of the age range or until someone leaves.

You will just continue to risk assess (as you will be doing already) to ensure you can meet everyone's needs, get new equipment and resources as required, check you are meeting all the other EYFS requirements etc as they grow.

Hth