FIS giving out grades

[mummyMia]

I have just found out that the FIS in my area has started adding Ofsted grades to the list of childminders that they give out to parents from the beginning of November. I just wondered if this is common practice in other areas?

I haven't bee graded yet and up until now have not been too concerned about what grade I get but now I am starting to worry about it. There are something like 160 childminders on the list and I wonder if parents are just going to skip over the satisfactory ones. A few days ago, a parent who came to see me said she was really shocked at the number of satisfactory childminders and would under no circumstance leave her baby with such a childminder. I did try to exlplain to her that a lot of it is down to paperwork but I don't think she quite took that on board.

I am interested to hear if other areas do this and how it has affected your business?

[mushpea]

I dont know if they do in our area or not as i havent actutaly seen what the fis give out but I get most of my work through childcare.co.uk, word of mouth and just recently a 'garden sign' from vista print which is on the front of the house, we are on a fairly busy road and the bus stops right outside which is why I got the sign.
if you have mindees and you are registered on childcare then you could ask parents to give you a reivew which may help your buisness.
what annoys me with these grades is that I got a good with outstanding areas yet the overall grad is good so unless they read my full report they wouldnt see that I am outstanding in some areas so what Im trying to say is the grad they give dosent always reflect our practise but parents dont understand this,, anyway you may welll get a good for your inspection

[The Juggler]

not sure if they are using ofsted grades or not??? but in any case any parent can put in a postcode on the ofsted site and come up with a list of minders and read their reports and grades. I imagine it would not take too much nouse to work out who these minders were from and FIS list of addresses so i wouldn't worry too much. the info is out there in the public anyway

[Louise317]

We were told last year on the ICP course that FIS is our area were going to start adding it. But as The Juggler said you could search Ofsted site anyhow and work out who who. And a lot of people don't think about using FIS to find a childminder.

I did before I registered to see what my neighbours grades were and for any tips I could get for my inspecton I live on a smallish road and there's 4 of which 3 of us live on a block of 6 houses my square!!

I would worry and just concentrate on your inspection xx