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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

dreadful ofsted inspection

40 replies

africanprincess · 05/03/2007 13:50

Hi all,
New on this discussion board, so please bear with me!. I have been childminding now for 5 years. At my first inspection, i received a good (which was then the highest grade). I have since gained great experience by being part of the local network, running a weekly drop in, training and looking after different children/families.Last week monday (after my dd had spent 4 hours in hospital after falling), I received a phonecall from inspector at 5pm to say she will be visiting over the next 3 days (either tues, weds or thurs). I finished the drop in on tues to find her waiting for me (less than 24hrs notice). To cut a long story short at the end of her stay she gave me a satisfactory for nit picky stuff such as "putting 2 babies in a travel cot together, as one of the baby sleeps there (in a sleeping bag), they can cross infect! another was that i should have plasters in first aid box (on our course we were told no plasters). I am looking to contest her decision, can i do so, any one had any experience?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
dmo · 05/03/2007 14:46

my inspector sat on her big fat behind at my dinning table and told me how it was done
she didnt go upstairs, in the kichen or outside.
makes me so

anyway star on a lighter note you will be fine just be yourself

SHOSHAlee · 05/03/2007 14:42

Star I live in a Army Quarter, CM lives 2 doors down in EXACTLY the same type of house with same garden. I wasn't even asked about the garden gate (how it locked) other CM got downgraded cos it wasn't locked in the winter when she didn't use the garden!

I was told it was OK not to have front door locked, as long as the gate was on the door into the hall, she was downgraded, we both operated open door policy to parents, (we live behind the wire, you can only get on to camp through a manned gate by showing ID card)

We had different Inspectors, who seem to have their own criteria!

star1976 · 05/03/2007 14:34

Your scaring me! Have my first inspection next week!

SHOSHAlee · 05/03/2007 14:29

Maybe we should put out a call for nannynick see if he can find out what the legal is.

dmo · 05/03/2007 14:27

thats what i use NCMA ones (knew what u meant )

SHOSHAlee · 05/03/2007 14:25

NCMA lol

saltire · 05/03/2007 14:24

Sorry dmo, was having a thick moment!

The OFSTED lot certainly seem to be a lot stricter than the Care Commission, and have dafter rules as well.
I sometimes theink that the rules they try to enforce are great for bigger childcare places, but not for childminders

SHOSHAlee · 05/03/2007 14:24

dmo do you use MCNA register I was told YOU HAD TO HAVE A SIGNATURE, so that there was no dispute when the child was with you!

dmo · 05/03/2007 14:21

bottle as in a babys bottle
boy has fits caused by heat and he wont drink out of a cup he is 15 mths

register thing is bollocks but if i did change the next inspector would ask for the parents signitures so i cant win

saltire · 05/03/2007 14:13

In a bottle like a bottle of oasis type juice, or in a drinking bottle?

Also the register thing, that's just weird.
When i lived in England the last time i fell out big time with the OFSTED inspector, she had just started, as it used to be Social Services that did it.

dmo · 05/03/2007 14:13

she said registar was too hard to read as each child had their own page for the month and it was easy for the inspector to look at a proper registar
she said parents dont even need to sign the registar so i would change what you do

dmo · 05/03/2007 14:11

cause juice was in a bottle

lunavix · 05/03/2007 14:10

why shouldn't parents sign register?

saltire · 05/03/2007 14:08

Why would they downgrade you for a boy having juice?

I'm used to having my inspections done by the Care Commission, so not sure I'm looking forward to moving down south

dmo · 05/03/2007 14:06

same here phone call monday 6pm to say they were coming turned up 9am tues morning
my inspector nic picked me

  1. boy had a bottle of juice which mother insisted on him having but i was down graded
  2. over 8's play out on front with parents signitures i was down graded
  3. she said my menu was to sugery
  4. she said parents should not sign my regsiger

when report came it read horrid so i phoned ofsted and was told to put it in writting which i did
got a letter to say they would look into it

my horrid report is on the net now nothing has changed i have phoned but they said it is policy to put the report on the net even if i am queistoning it
anyway my inspection was 9th Jan