ofsted called today

[banana]

Evening everyone.

I had a call this morning from ofsted to try and book in for a visit for my 6 month after registration thingy and i realised that i think im really unprepared, its not for another couple of months but im in a flap as dont know what to do first. The whole birth to three thing is a bit overwhelming to me, im worried about my paperwork, also what they are looking for in me. im going to read through all my standards again and there are things that i want to do before they come but i just feel panicked as i really want to acheive a 'good' on my first inspection so that i feel like i am doing well. I think most of my practice runs well, but im not comparing it to anyone else's. I need to get a bit more friendly with some other childminders i think so that I can see other settings in comparison to mine. I do have a meeting with my support childminder next week so I am going to arrange a day to go and see how she does everything which she has already suggested anyway.

just feeling a bit overwhelmed i guess and being its my 3rd month childminding and have only had a child for 3 weeks of that, maybe i havnt realised some things im missing.

any pointers for the second visit would be so much appreciated!

lana x

[angeldelight]

Hello,

First of all go and pop some of that bubble wrap in the lounge and calm down
You are stressing and there is no need

I think there is a lot of paperwork and it can seem like you have not got everything ready but instead of explaining everything to you shall we go through one thing at a time then when you have prepared for that go onto the next thing
How does that sound ?

First do you have your policies and procedures in order , shall we concentrate on those first ?

If you have any questions or need any help or documents then email me .. [e-mail]
I will help in any way that I can

In the meantime do you have your policies in a folder what do you have ?
Do you have records about yourself and family with all your first aid documents and any other documents that you may have ?



Angel x

[debratina]

hi
i too had a phone call about two weeks ago from ofsted asking me if i have started childminding.
i told them yes
an inspector will be ring you shortly they said
i know all my paperwork is upto date
the thing i am worrying about is that the baby i have sleep in the pushchair and i have to take him for a walk to get him off to sleep. usually every two hours. i don't want the inspector to stay in the house while i am out. would it be ok to ask them to wait in their car?

[carolesmadhouse]

Hi Lana,
A couple of things that the ofsted inspectors have been pretty keen on in my area lately have been child protection and record keeping. Have you been on a child protection course? If not try to book yourself onto one and then you can tell the inspector that you are going on one. Also your local early years department should be able to provide you with a booklet on child protection guidelines for your area. Hope this helps.

Carole.

[banana]

lol Angel, yes, one thing at a time would be super!! bubble wrap popped and here's what I have.

I have a portfolio and in it i have these things...

About me, admissions/departures/absences/, working in partnership with parents, equal opps, child protection, confidentiality, special needs, illness, administering medication, accident/emergency procedure for me, emergency procedure for lost/missing children, emergency evacuation, behaviour management, complaints procedure, fees/payment, no smoking, supplies needed.
followed by my activity schedule, lunch menu and teatime menu then my references.

all my essesntial thingys like crb checks, first aid cert, public liabilty insurance dhc certificate and my smoke detector logs.

thats everything in my portfolio.

What do you mean by first aid documents?? like permission forms?

thanks for helping me!!!

[carolesmadhouse]

Hi Debra,
Ofsted inspectors are not allowed to stay in the house if you go out, they should happily sit it the car, or maybe take her/ him with you. If there are any areas nearby (like the park) that you take the children you could strategically go past them and point them out to the inspector! Don't know whether it would earn brownie points with ofsted, but hey, it's worth a try!

[banana]

just checking to see if i can find when the child protection courses are. so i'l definately do that!
also going on a food hygeine course the end of the month, apparently ofsted are thinking of bringing this in as a requirement so might as well do it, true or not i suppose its a good thing to have!

[angeldelight]

I think that some Ofsted inspectors do tend to concentrate on some things more than others

If you go to the Bromley website there are some great things on there that you can change to suit your own settings


That is a good idea to book yourself on the child protection but do not panic if you have not done it or booked it, it is not the end of the world.
Just read up about it read the Bromley child protection and as long as they know that you know about these things and are aware then you will be ok

Also another good thing is fire drill
Do you do these with the children my ofted inspector actually asked the children what they did, lucky for me I had done it and drummed it into the children

Best thing is to go to the Bromley website , look at all the ideas for policies .... then go through each one and see what you need to know / or do / or learn



For Debra

Do you have this baby all day ? What do you do if it is raining ?
What do the parents do when he is crying do they also take him for a walk??
I have a baby that cries all day and I just know that he would go off if I went for a walk but I have not got time to do it with the other children.
Not sure if it is a good or bad thing to be honest, sometimes I wish I could go for a walk with him but then he would expect it all the time.

Does he sleep for you in the morning or afternoon ? Could you not ask ofsted to come when he is awake ?

Or ask them to go for a walk with you haha you will have to tell them its part of your daily routine. Do you have other children at the time you go for these walks?
Could you not do a lesson plan at the same time that you are out walking , teaching the children about where they live, what is a house, what is a flat, what is a bungalow ? How many houses in your street , how many have a brown door....... get the picture?
Explain to ofsted it is babies routine walk and that you are doing a lesson with the other children
She will just have to go with you ....who says they cant ??!!!

Maybe Pauline would have some ideas but that is what I would do

Angel x

[debratina]

hi
because i can time it right with the baby, when i take him out its usually around the block. 9 times out of ten hes asleep before we are half way round. gives the dog a walk ;D and me some exercise.

[carolesmadhouse]

Just remembered something that they pulled my friend up on recently. You need to show that you do fire drills with the children if they are old enough. I made a chart up on excel and fill it in each time we have a drill.

[carolesmadhouse]

You beat me to it Angel!

[debratina]

hi angel
i dont have any other children (thank god) (see paulines feelings chart post)
i have the baby 8.00am until 3.30pm
he sleep 8.30 till 9.00 on the school run
11.00 - 11.30
and 1.30 - 2.00
and yes we still go when its raining
as from next monday i am taking on a 9 year old who will need picking up from school
can you refuse an ofsted visit if it doesnt suit
thats anything that is worrying me too
i am taking on 2 children when my friend goes on away
so hopefully my ofsted visit will be before then.

[angeldelight]

Did you do a first aid course , have you got evidence to suppor this , or are you going on one, if not this is one thing you do need to book at least then you can tell ofsted that you are booked for one

Your policies sound fine to me

Do you have a pet , most ofsted inspectors are now looking at pet policy

What about permission forms for days out with the kids, out in the car, permission to observe and take pics
permission to use sun tan lotion

Think that is it but I am sure Pauline or Debra may add to it

So what do you need to know about Birth to Three

Hope your still popping haha

Angel x

[angeldelight]

Debra I would not worry
When Ofsted call you explain to her that you have to take baby for a walk would she go with you
Talk on your journey about things that you do how you plan your day etc etc

Or you could go for your walk and give her your folders etc to look at in her car , it took my ofsted inspector ages to go through mine , so hopefully when you get back she will have finished
Then invite her in for a coffee so you can chat whilst baby is still hopefully sleeping

To many of us worry about our inspections but honestly it is not that bad

Just explain it on the phone Debra I am sure she will understand

Angel x

[banana]

oh right yeah. have done my first aid course, completed that on the 10th feb so my certificate is in my folder. need to get my first aid box this weekend though.

birth to three just overwhelms me, from what i have looked at and all the things it covers i just cant see how you are supposed to do anything but sit and fill in observation forms all day. just seems like there is more paperwok involved in this job than when i was working in a heavy administration job for an insurance company. and now with talk of changing the birth to three framework its all a bit much. im just a bit of a flappy sort of person, get all worked up easily and end up in a tizz over nothing!

[angeldelight]

I do know what you mean with all the observations etc

Do any of you do observations for foundation stage I do just wondered if anyone else did ?

Do you use observation sheets for BTT or do you use trackers ?

Is it the actual activity and knowing what to write for the observation that frazzles you ?

I will have a look to see if I have anything but need an idea on what you are stuck on really

Do you need activity ideas
Or observation ideas - ie what to write ?

Angel x

[banana]

its more just that what things do you document...... my daughter for example - i can watch her all day and the activities we do and the different things she is learning but for example should i be documenting everything a child is doing and how this is fitting into the birth to three framework or should I pick a couple of things and just document those?

but also knowing how to write it up is concerning me so that im doing it all properly. although the bromley site you recommended i noticed has got downloadable forms as guidelines so they will help i expect!

my brain is fried tonight, im going off to bed and will take a fresh look at everything tomorrow. my eyes cant cope anymore lol

night all!!

lana x

[angeldelight]

Yeah I see what you mean Lana

Speak some more tommorow about this

Im off to bed now I have an early start with a baby that cries all day , lucky me !!!

Night everyone

Angel xx

[Bella]

Birth to three matters does not have to be complicated - you just have to be able to show Ofsted that you are thinking about what you do to move each child on to the next stage by giving them stimulating activities. An easy way to show evidence of this is by using photos, either in a file for each child under each B23 heading or my favorite is to produce a large poster with the 4 headings - A healthy child etc and put your photos under each heading . write/print "Birth to three "in the middle/top. Put your poster on the wall so Ofsted can see it when they walk in (you can always take it down when they have been if you wanted to - but the parents love seeing these photos aswell.
Are you aware that all childminders now have to register with their local enviomental health authority if any food is given to children on your premises.This is fairly new so Ofsted may well be asking if you have done this.

[Pauline]

Hi Lana,

Everyone has covered things really well and the main thing is DON'T WORRY!!

We've had quite a few questions about Ofsted and rather than the posts get lost I put a lot of the information onto the website - (it's about half way down - how do I prepare for Ofsted) childmindinghelp.co.uk/childminderspage.html there might be something there that helps.

When you get your first aid box make sure it contains nothing that it shouldn't (i.e. tweezers, creams, tablets etc.) keep it only for your childminding to make sure you don't accidentally add anything you shouldn't. (Someone I know took hers on holiday and forgot to take out the headache pills - Ofsted were not impressed!)

Keep permission slips in your first aid box, signed by the parents to say that you can treat wounds.

Also, have you got an emergency pack for when you go out? - Another thing being picked up on. Many minders have the phone number of a parent in their mobile, but it's a good idea to have details written down, then in a serious emergency you could hand them over to the police etc. so they can contact parents. You must also carry your emergency consent forms with you at all times, so that if an accident happened you could show it the hospital doctor.

I keep this information in a small notebook and keep it in my bag at all times the children are with me. There is that problem of confidentiality of data, if your bag was stolen, but Ofsted say that the need to have the information with you outweighs the risk.

I also have the same info in a special folder kept near my main emergency exit - if the house caught fire I could (hopefully) grab it as I left and know that I had all details with me, i.e. parent contact details, child allergies - useful if they were overcome by smoke and needed treatment etc. etc.

Having a fire exit plan is another idea - not compulsory but it looks good. A simple diagram of your home with emergency escape routes marked. If possible hang it where parents come and go from the house.

Have you contacted Environment Health regarding registering as a food business - there is more here:

childminding.proboards102.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=childminders&thread=1159276445&page=1

Ah well, that should keep you busy for today ;D

Debra ........... Carole is right, Ofsted cannot stay in your house alone and have to wait in the car even if you are just popping to school for collection.

If Ofsted make any comment about taking the child out to get it off to sleep (they might say you should get it in a routine where it goes down on it's own) I would say that you are trying to meet the child's needs as the parents use the same routine.

[angeldelight]

Morning Everyone

I am in a rush but Pauline just noticed what you said about a permission form for treating wounds - what a good idea
I have accident book etc etc
But could certainly do with a separate form to put in my first aid box

Do you or anyone else have one they could share ?

Thanks

Have a good day everyone the sun is shinning looks lovely here

Got to dash

Angel xx

[Pauline]

I'll whip one up and pop it on the downloads later today

[Pauline]

banana said:

its more just that what things do you document...... my daughter for example - i can watch her all day and the activities we do and the different things she is learning but for example should i be documenting everything a child is doing and how this is fitting into the birth to three framework or should I pick a couple of things and just document those?

but also knowing how to write it up is concerning me so that im doing it all properly. although the bromley site you recommended i noticed has got downloadable forms as guidelines so they will help i expect!



lana x

Hi Lana,

Observations don't have to be complicated or time consuming.

You can buy all sorts of tracker books and development records but sometimes there is nothing better than something you have sat down and done yourself!

For instance a simple "About Me" book:

You can buy cheap A4 clear front files (not exactly sure what they are called) they come in packs of about 5 for a few pounds from Partners etc.

Use one per child.

If the children are old enough get them involved, it provides activities for them and does the work for you!

Decorate the front and add their name. Inside have sheets with a list of different things such as

"today I"............

Tied my own shoelace
Walked for the first time
Put on my own coat
Coloured a picture

I'm sure you get the idea, there should be a mixture of easy and more difficult things to do. As they are achieved write the date next to them. You could do them as a list or a chart, with a comments section where you could add any specific observations you have.

I do some as building blocks with the things written on the 'blocks' and the child colours the block as they achieve it - (they are ones I drew and now photo copy as I need them, I haven't got any on the computer or I could share them. But they are really simple to do).

They are great to share with parents and the child feels a great sense of achievement.

Also in the "About Me' folder you could have photos, drawings etc.

It's really all about showing that you gather and use information to provide activities suitable for the child's stage of development.

I wouldn't get too worried about this at this stage. Concentrate on getting your house ready for Ofsted, if you haven't had time to sort out any observation booklets (or other things) just tell the inspector what you plan to do in the future.

It's quite hard but you really have to SELL yourself, tell them what you are doing and are going to do, they won't guess so it's down to you to make them understand that you know what should be done and how you are going to do it.

Hope that makes sense!!

[Pauline]

angeldelight said:

Morning Everyone

I am in a rush but Pauline just noticed what you said about a permission form for treating wounds - what a good idea
I have accident book etc etc
But could certainly do with a separate form to put in my first aid box

Do you or anyone else have one they could share ?

I've added a sheet of forms to the download section