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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To Think Ofsted and DCSF have gone Totally Mad.

10 replies

Shoshe · 23/05/2008 16:46

In September, Ofsted will roll in EYFS for Childminders.

Alot of discussion has dgone on about it, a lot of CM's are very against it.

For me in my own setting not much wil change as I already do more paperwork as I am acreditted.

One thing will affect my setting, a many more.

Most of all it will effect Parents with Children that re at the moment with CM's and starting school in September.

Up till then a child that is 4, is classe as 5 for the CM's ratio from when they start 10 sessions a week i.e mornings and afternoon Mon-Fri.

From September children that are 4 will only be classed as 5 during the school term.

During holidays, inset days, snow days, they will revert to being 4.

This means that either the parents will have to pay a retainer to hold that space (most CM's although not all require a retainer to hold a spave while a child is at preschool)whilst the Reception child is at school.

Or you will have to make other arrangements for your child on days not at school.

I have lifted Ayla99's OP from another thread in CM club. her

P.51 B: Childminders. 2nd bullet point

"where four- and
five-year-old children only attend the childminding setting before and/or after a normal school
day, they may be classed as children over the age of five for the purposes of the adult:child ratio"

Ofsted have confirmed today to me and others by email that this means that 4 AND 5 year olds can only be counted as an over five on the days they attend a normal school day. During school holidays, training days, snow days/staff strikes or any other day the child does not attend a normal school day they revert to a younger child again for the purposes of child ratios. And this will continue throughout the school year until 31 August.

Absolutely ridiculous IMO, Ofsted have said its still at consulation stage and subject to change. So please do contact Ofsted and make your views known.

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This will make it really difficult for childminders to offer care for reception class children. We can't afford to hold open both an under fives and older fives place with just one fee. And parents can't be expected to pay for 2 places for one child. So we'll all need variations to cover each holiday period!

Most of us have now been emailed about this.

OP posts:
BoysAreLikeDogs · 23/05/2008 16:47
Shoshe · 23/05/2008 17:12

bump, please parents of rising 5's read this

OP posts:
milliec · 23/05/2008 17:27

Message withdrawn

southernbelle77 · 23/05/2008 17:51

As a CM and a parent of a rising 5, this will seriously affect me. It is ludicrous.

Shoshe · 23/05/2008 17:56

London11 emailed me this, this morning taken from a Cm Forum.

TAKEN FROM A CHILDMINDING FORUM THIS MORNING!!!!!!!!!

I have just phoned Ofsted who have confirmed that as it stands now, from
September 2008, rising 5's are only classed as that during term time. In
school holidays they revert to "young children"
for the purposes of
ratios.

This will affect ALL reception class children because they will only be
classified as an over 5 on 1st September following their fifth birthday - so
a child who turns 5 on 2nd September 2008 will not be classed as an over 5
until 1st Sept 2009 when they are nearly 6.

OP posts:
Shoshe · 23/05/2008 20:55

please complain hereto Ofsted

OP posts:
looneytune · 24/05/2008 12:28

Just seen this, it's utter madness and makes no sense whatsoever - don't understand their reasons AT ALL!!

I will complain, definitely. I honestly thought they would come back and say of course they won't expect us to revert back during holidays etc.

Things are going from mad to madder!!!

HappyMummyOfOne · 24/05/2008 15:14

Wont it make it safer for the children though or are there already ratios in place re this age group? Surely there is a limit to how many children can safetly be looked after for a whole day?

looneytune · 24/05/2008 16:00

We're not asking for more children, just that the same children still count as over 5's during the holidays too. So no, it doesn't make any difference to safety whatsoever.

KatyMac · 24/05/2008 16:14

Currently when children start F/T school they class as over 5 even if the are only 4

There seems to be a confusion about whether this will change with EYFS - but 'Who Minds' the NCMA magazine has stated this has been sorted & they will still count as over 5's in the holidays

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