not to give a witch's tit that my childminder is completely ignoring EYFS?

[Greensleeves]

I work in a nursery school and I LIKE the EYFS in the main, I think it's great

BUT my children are being educated at school/nursery and I deliberately went for a childminder for the few hours I'm working in the afternoon because I want ds2 in particular to be able to chill out, play and enjoy a home environment.

I am getting increasingly fed up about the childminders/EYFS thing. It's robbing parents of choice. And it pisses me off.

I totally agree. It's ridiculous.

Hear Hear!!!

I am in Scotland but i suspect that we will have to soon do EYFS thingy too

Hopefully the government will see sense and do an about-turn with regards to childminders.

No. I'd actually prefer my childminder to ignore EYFS; after all, youngest goes to nursery 5 afternoons a week so he's not missing out.

BUT childminder's got to show Ofsted she's complying with EYFS. So caught between a rock & hard place. Don't want her penalised for not complying but don't want youngest to be miss out on free play and doing his own thing. [hmmm]

I agree but isn't the current EYFES is that it has to be child led, so they can put out the play dough and hope the children play with it but they can't actually say it's time to do some play dough IYSWIMM

Can anyone tell me what EYFS is please.

It is very cargirl, in yes it says that play should be child led, based on thier interestes, etc - yet I have just been marked down by Ofsted at inspection for not formally recording the next steps I plan for them, to get ensure their development is on track. Even though inspector said it is clear I do this, just don't record it.

Also we have more paperwork to do.

I went to pick DS up from preschool yest and the nursery teachers were stood in the playground with clipboards!!

My issue with it is that it's such a setting-based, admin-heavy curriculum - teachers are expected to be trained in delivering it - that it's driving childminders out of business, so we as parents have less choice. I tried a good day nursery with ds2 (I thought it might be better just because it's in the same building as the LA nursery school I work in and he attends in the mornings) but he HATED it, he wants to lie on the floor with no shoes on and veg in the afternoons. I agree some childminders are probably skilful enough to take it in their stride without it affecting what the children actually do TOO much - but tbh, kids of 3 and 4 who have been at an educational-type preschool all morning don't necessarily want even to play with playdough and have their play extended and facilitated and bloody targets reached etc - they want to arse about and pick their noses and look out of the window or whatever.

that should say it is very contradicting cargirl.

EYFS is dubbed the nappy curriculum moog, it is a framework for children in childcare, from birth to five and includes numeracy and literacy targets.

Tut tut, naughty childminder. How will your child develop properly unless he follows the set framework?

I think the EYFS is great though - for nurseries/preschools/reception. I just think childminders are a totally different sort of care that some parents consciously choose.

Quite agree with the idea of EYFS but want it kept in nursery school; I chose childminder because I wanted them in home environment. Youngest has only just turned 4 and is a moocher and completely different to oldest who, at 4, would have been quite happy with extra thru EYFS.

SammyK I completely agree my dd attends a CM one day per week and does 3 sessions at pre-school because they offer different things. It's a nightmare & a waste of time for the adults, at pre-school we end up with an extra adult employed above ratios because of the time involved in keyworking!!!

I have to use EFYS as part of my afterschool club and I hate it - just like your little boy in the afternoons it's the kids FREE TIME. I have no desire to be writing little books about their progress. I know their progress because I know and look after them, if anybody was concerned they could talk to me. I could tell them a lot more than a load of ticky box forms and paperwork about how they played with lego today.

IMO it also massively clashes with the concept of free play and them being allowed to do (within reason) what they like, if you're having to prove (for OFSTEAD) that you are structuring activities for them which involve maths and literacy practice! They've already been at school. Thank god it's only for the reception kids.

Theoretically a child could spend 1 year in a day nursery, then 3 years with a chldminder, some time at a pre-school, then school nursery, then Reception. And all settings ticking the same boxes over and over again. Is this how it works?

Yes. They will have three different sets of observational notes, three different play plans, three different blah blah blah. However, as the child gets older the goals of play change. so if they went from one place to the next it wouldn't be quite as silly as if they were in several different forms of childcare throughout the week.

It is stupid. I get it in some contexts, especially nursery, and I think for full time mindees at CM too. I don't see the point if the kids are going to range of different places through the week.

sorry four.

Well said Greeny, can you now say that to Ofsted, if more Parents would, maybe we could get rid of it. We really could do without EYFS, we are not teachers we are carers!

I am yet another CM who is giving up after 30 years because of EYFS.

I sincerely hope that my CM is ignoring EYFS too - DS is 2 yrs old, I have no concerns about his development. They go out to toddler groups in the morning, free play at home (current favourites, cars and trains) and go to the shops, do school run etc.

My CM has 15+ yrs of experience and 3 grown-up children of her own. I chose a CM because I wanted DS to have a homelike environment.

In future will OFSTED start checking up on SAHPs to ensure that they are providing a properly planned programme of stimulating experiences?

But what does anyone do with the information?? Does it go on a 'record'? What happens if a child doesn't meet all of his or her targets by the end of Reception? What happens if a CM doesn't do enough observations/assessments etc? Who actually gives a shit?

A child who has stayed at home for 4 years is no worse off for not being observed, assessed and planned for.

The nanny state gone mad!

Well said Greensleeves!!!

I'm just about registered and already considering giving up. Will give it 6 months and if it is unmanageable will return to teaching to continue my career in endless form filling. As far as I can see this form filling will have to be done in the evening,hmmm for £3.50 an hour don't really think I should be working in the evenings too.

I want my charges to enjoy the same freedom my 3 year old dd enjoys after pre-school ie the freedom to do sweet FA if she so desires.

As an ex-primary teacher I'm also concerned about the totally inadequate training that is being given to childminders regarding EYFS.

Not all childminders have previous experience of working with young children,in the wrong hands EYFS could be quite detrimental. My OFSTED inspector had similar concerns when she came out. None of my questions got adequate answers, I learnt absolutely nothing on the 3 day course.

And how exactly are we supposed to be liasing with pre-schools so we don't end up repeating what a child has just done all morning at pre-school??? As a member of my dd's pre-school committee we also have concerns about liasing with childminders ie when and we don't want to be giving out info willy nilly.

Can parents opt out? My course leader said it was far too complicated to even consider it. How is the campaign against it going?

My childminder has asked for copies of youngest's weekly plan from nursery school and a copy of his report so she can tailor her EYFS plan. I've tried telling her I'm happy for her NOT to do anything more with him, 5 nursery school sessions a week must be enough.

If there is a campaign or petition, I'd like to sign it. Feel quite strongly that pre-schoolers should be allowed to mooch and play, once they start school proper, they'll soon be loaded up with homework.

openeyecampaign.wordpress.com/

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Don't know why you think EYFS is great for nurseries though Greeny - would much rather ours didn't have to use it!