1 week to go... are you ready?
The revised EYFS is now a week away! :panic: Are you ready? :clapping:
Here are a few more things you might need to do to prepare yourself…
• Are you happy that you understand how to use the prime and specific areas of learning, so the focus is on the prime areas for the little ones… but all children still have plenty of opportunities to sing, dance, make music, explore the world around them, use ICT etc?
Have you thought about how you will show this in your paperwork?
• Are you aware that any safeguarding training you attend in the future must be local authority approved? Have you spoken to your LA about which training provider(s) they intend to approve so you are organised?
• Have you noted that once a child starts school you do not have to deliver the full EYFS - BUT you do need to speak to their parents and other settings about how to complement their learning and care? Do you have a system in place ready to evidence your conversations and parents / other setting thoughts?
• Are you aware of the new requirements that if a child attends your provision who speaks English as a second or additional language you must be ready to show how you will support the child’s use of their home language in the provision as well as teaching them English?
If this applies to you... have you thought about how you will evidence it?
• Have you made a decision about which risk assessments you are going to write and which will be in your head? Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater!
• Have you noted that records about individual children must be retained for a ‘reasonable period of time’ instead of 3 years as in the current EYFS? However, for insurance purposes many records must be retained until the child is 21 years old.
Parents need to be informed about which records are retained and for how long to help you comply with the Data Protection Act - have you thought about how you will organise this?
• Have you noted that the EYFS (2012) no longer requires you to note an adult with ‘legal contact’ for the child - however parental responsibility must still be recorded?
• If you employ an assistant have you noted the new requirement - childminded children may be left in the sole care of childminders’ assistants for 2 hours at most in a single day?
It is strongly recommended that you keep accurate records of times when children are left alone with assistants in case of query or complaint in the future.
• Have you noted the revised requirement that fresh drinking water must be available and accessible at all times (not just available)? Do you need to make changes to the place where drinks are stored so they are always accessible to the children? How will you manage this if you have children of very different ages?
• Are you aware that, under the revised EYFS, children must usually be within sight and hearing and always within sight or hearing? Are there any times during the day when children are out of your sight and hearing - such as when you are collecting older children from school or due to the layout of your house while you are preparing meals?
How will you arrange things from Sept to ensure you meet the requirement?
• Have you read that new requirement that parents must be provided with a telephone number to contact in an emergency? Have you provided this information to all parents?
• Are you aware that there is no longer a requirement to gain permission from parents to obtain medical advice or treatment on behalf of a child? You will need to be aware of this when you are completing documentation with parents, especially if the form you currently use to ask this permission also requests details about emergency contacts as these will still be needed.
• Have you noted that there is no longer a requirement to carry out fire escape practices with the children? Have you thought about how you intend to show evidence that children know what to do in the event of a fire if you no longer write down their reactions to practices?
A lot of childminders are worrying that there is more of a burden than ever before to complete documentation, despite the government telling us that we should be doing less!
It is true that some things do need organising so you are ready for the start of the revised EYFS in September.
However, once they are in place, they should only need tweaking in the future!
There is lots of help around the forum and in free downloads... just one last push ready for September guys! :jump for joy: :D
confused !! doesnt take much at the moment :)
had my revised eyfs training this morning and the lady said about downloading the development matters etc which is fine but she made it sound like we use them as we used the old ones, eg date when achieved in obs. I didnt think we were meant to do that when the new one comes in?? or did i dream that ???
