So had Ofsted/Prospect round today for my pre-reg visit.
I was going to postpone it as I have been so ill this week, but decided to push through and go with it.
Summary - she was really nice, I stressed too much beforehand and probably overprepared (but thats okay as it will help me with my business), they want to help you and you should know your Ofsted booklet and EYFS.
I prepared the following:
- CV about me with ID and training certificates
- Policies and Procedures
- Risk Assessments
- Sample Menu
- Typical Day
- Permission slips parents need to sign
- Fire Evacuation Plan and Procedure
- Car Insurance and MOT
- Letter from Landlord (although she never asked to see it)
- Ofsted booklet
Safety equipment installed:
- socket covers
- blind cord reducers
- first aid kit
Safety equipment in boxes:
- stair gates
- fire guard
I was trying to get all the necessary equipment ready and set up beforehand but she said that I didn’t need to have anything set up until I started minding. I also was only planning to register downstairs only, but then she made a good point that registering the whole house (if it was safe) would make it easier for myself in the long run. Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to tidy the upstairs to the standards I did the downstairs lol! But she didn’t mind!
She asked me why I wanted to be a childminder and then went through various questions from the Ofsted booklet including questions about safeguarding, behaviour management, dealing with visitors and toddler groups, keeping the children healthy, signs of abuse, uncollected child policy, foods I was feed, what a typical day would be like and the 6 areas (now 7) of learning and development within the EYFS (fortunately I attended my EYFS training the night before so it was fresh in my head!) With some of the questions she gave additional answers so I got the impression that it was not a test as such (she encouraged me to look at my notes) but more of a discussion to see my level of understanding.
We went through my risks assessments that I did on paper and also highlighted a few things when we walked around the house. She also had a brief look at my Policies and Procedures.
She was at mine for around 2.5 hours and at the end said she was happy to recommend me for the maximum numbers!
Now just waiting for hubby’s CRB to come through (got mine on Monday) and then I can get my certificate! Can’t wait to get started.
Thank you to everyone on here for the help and advice given with all my pre-reg questions! Also Sarah’s ebook ‘Registration Advice’ was super helpful!
Time from application submission to receiving call: 7 weeks
p.s. One thing she did say when she rang up to make the appointment was that a lot of people have not been ready for the visits and have subsequently been refused and I should make sure that I have done my training, RA, understood EYFS etc, got first aid kit etc. So be prepared if yours is coming up.
Also I asked about having two under one and she said that I didn’t meet the criteria presently but
come September with the revised EYFS framework I would be able to decide what make up of under 8s I would want, ensuring that I stayed within my 6 maximum.
Hope this helps...Good luck to everyone who has theirs coming up soon.
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