Ofsted want to ditch childminders

[stomp]

so, what do we think of Sir Michael Wilshaw comments then?
I'm fuming.

As an Early Year teacher and mother of 5. I would sing the praises of my childminder to the heavens. She provides a safe, caring and fun enviroment that my children love. Ofsted have no way of measuring that nor the peace of mind that she give to me. Keep up the great work all of you.

round here most parents use unregistered child care and pay in cash. it will just drive more people to go this route.

This is a disaster for the early years workforce and for children.
To devalue childminders and suggest that they are secondary to nurseries and children's centres is inaccurate and insulting. Childminders are a lifeline for parents especially those who work shift patterns and are very often the only option for parents in that situation. SMW has shown how very little he knows about the 'institution' of childminding.

I'm so incensed that I can't put my thoughts into words. We really need to change our title to 'home educators' or 'homeschoolers' .... can anyone help with a new name to change our image

I've long said we need a new name

I work in a childminding setting; I have a reception teacher, 7 level 3s, 1 level 2, one studying for her level 3 and I just started my EYP; so glad we are "not using the Early Years Foundation Stage properly" despite all that training

I think I could cry

I attended a most interesting course yesterday (Saturday, unpaid - please note, Sir Michael!) put on by our LA.

Now, previously, the LA have spent a fortune producing extra paperwork trackers for us to complete and training us on all the paperwork and observations they claimed was required by the EYFS.

Now they are telling us that we must have misunderstood! The EYFS has never wanted us to complete learning journeys, trackers, reports, assessments, observations and the like. It's just not necessary and where on earth did we get that idea from?

Honestly, it felt quite surreal! Perhaps that's what Sir Michael means? That we're doing over and beyond what is required? No, seriously - don't laugh!

Really Tanith? what are we supposed to be doing then?

After slogging my guts out and getting a very recent outstanding by Ofsted - this thread is just making me weep! Childminders are misunderstood and vastly underated! And as for not needing to do the observations, assessments and so on - well, it is beyond comprehension.

As a parent who sends my DD to a fab child minder this makes me mad.

My Daughter is 1.5years. I do not worry about her 'education' at this stage, or whether she is meeting any EYFS targets. What is important to me is that she is with a carer who ensures that she is safe, that gives her the opportunity to play in a free way that she ENJOYS, that she is provided with comfort and cuddles when needed and is cared for in a homely environment.

I made the decision that a nursery was NOT the best environment for my DD. This is nothing to do with my feelings about nursery but because I know what is best for my DD's individual needs. This makes me angry that he does not recognise that parents/carers are able and are qualified in making such decisions about their children. He really has no idea what might be best for some children.

Also, what makes me mad is this government is supposedly supporting business. Yet they rubbish CMs, do they not class child minding as a 'business'? Could that be because it is most ran by women by any chance and not seen as a 'real' business?

OK calm down hellonbear

Just found this stuff from the select committee. really shocked. When childminders are compared with other settings is there some measure in place that I don't know about other than osfted inspections? Is there another meaning to Good or Outstanding when applied to home-based childcare? Did all those courses and qualifications mean nothing with regard to the same?
Are they also thinking or removing the right of parents to use their free entitlement with accredited childminders?

SMW shows he does not give a dam about Childminders, we have had change after change, they keep changing how we should deliver the EYFS when all parents wnat is us to feed, play with, change nappies and cuddle their little ones. If they wanted a nursery setting they would surely use one.

I am personally fed up with all the planning and paperwork we have to do and training in our own time without extra pay. I have a parent trying to con me out of money so am having to chase her for lost earnings. She gets Tax Credits and I have warned them she has not paid me so am having to instruct a solicitor to act for me.

Goodbye OFSTED and good riddance!!!!

I couldn't give two hoots if the childminder I place my DD with follows EYFS. I want my child to be in a 'second home'...that's why I would choose it over a nursery. She will be going to the childminder because I will be at work. If I were at home caring for her, I wouldn't be following the bloody EYFS, so why should she have to?

I expect, from a Childminder, due care and attention given to my child in a safe (not necessarily risk free) environment where she is comfortable and feels loved. It would be ideal for me if the childminder didn't use a TV, didn't smoke, and didn't have a dog, as these are three things I wouldn't use if I were at home with my DD, but I accept they are not 'demands'.

I would want my DD to go about the CMs daily life, as if she were a part of their family, so if the CM needed to go to the shops or the bank, DD would go with, and it would be totally normal. I do NOT think CMs should be inspected in the same way as a nursery would be, because the two provide very different styles of care, and I have made the decision to use a CM for that reason.

Think they need to go back under the domain of Social Services, not OFSTED. Sorry SS, to add to your workload!

Every week at swimming a lovely CM sat down by us and tried to catch up on her paper work. Not once did she just get to watch her own child swim.
I'm a SAHM so I've never used a CM, but I know a couple with DCs at school. They are lovely dedicated and hard working.
I cannot think that producing a paper trail for OFSTED improves the care they give at all.

It is not necessary to do reams of paperwork to be a good CM, or to get an Outstanding. I know from experience (Outstanding x2). Unfortunately due to poor support & training from many LEAs a lot of CM's are doing far too much paperwork & get bogged down in the detail of EYFS.
I for one am proud to offer a home from home, caring, loving and yes, educational service - where the children learn through play and enjoy learning. The EYFS was made for childminders' style of provision but has been poorly introduced and misunderstood, leading to stress and confusion.
I will be devastated if we lose our hard fought status and stop being inspected by Ofsted - this would be such a backwards step. I am a childcare professional & hold my head up high!

Wilshaw is a twat. I love my childminder.

I'm currently RE-registering as a CM, following an 18 month break. I was reasearching current 'tips' on Ofsted inspections (mine is next week), as I knw they are constanty moving goalposts...

I thought it might be worth bumping this thred, to see what the current state of play is re:Ofsted. Yes I'm being lazy and could Google mysef, but V busy doing prep for next week.

Could anyone please summarise what's going on?

I know many lovely childminders.

I have experience little more than pain and suffering from ofsted... in fact nothing at more than

I think being rid of ofsted (at least in its current form) would be great for childminders. It would also be great for me and my toddler.

Fantastic news. I hope it come true.

It's moved on a long way since March - then again it hasn't actually got anywhere.

Firstly a pre-registration visit is not an inspection and you won't be graded. The worst that can happen is that they tell you to do certain things before you start minding. They will expect to see evidence of safeguarding and EYFS training and first aid, but you don't need to have insurance until you have something to insure - i.e. your first child to mind.

They will have to give you a graded inspection within three years of registration.

You are presumably aware of the new EYFS that commenced in September.

There has been a lot of hot air over the past 6 months from various people, notably Liz Truss who was appointed as the goverment minister responsible for childcare, taking over from the seemingly innocent but rather quiet Sarah Teather. She was supposed to produce a report setting out the government's proposals in "the Autumn", then "before Christmas", then "this week"; it will probably turn out that the dog ate it, or she left it on the bus. Either that or she doesn't actually have any proposals that make any sense or her bosses can agree on. There has been a huge amount of speculation about this, fed by the ambitious and publicity-hungry Ms Truss and ranging from "the end of childminding as we know it" through some relaxation of ratios to allow more than 3 under fives to huge tax breaks for everyone: there is little point planning for any of these possible changes until they actually become proposals (and even then there will have to be formal consultation). Oh and Ofsted's annual report as presented by Wilshaw was even more critical of childminders, pointing out that lots of them are not graded good or outstanding by his own inspectors measuring them against the EYFS.

Is that enough to get you up to speed?

Thank you Mr Anchovy... In my entire time as a CM from 2008 - 2011 the goalposts were constantly being moved by Ofsted. My previous pre-reg was fine (so I do know what to expect) and my first full inspection was AWFUL. I had an Inspector known locally for being really tough, throughly miserable and unfair. But that's a whole other story.

I cannot believe recent developments since November though - how CMs are being dissed by Ofsted themselves and MPs. Just awful and really makes me fear for the future. I am a parent and have used pre-schools for my own children and I can honestly say a good CM can be a much better option for some children. And, as a parent, I think the EYFS is over the top - most parents I meet cannot understand it and do not want it for their children (aside from health & safety aspects).

So: no point in worrying until there is something concrete to actually worry about then?

Ofsted are months behind with their childminder inspections. We've been told up to 6 years since the last inspection for outstanding grades!!

I feel this is relevant, considering their eagerness to rubbish childminders and deregulate them. A shame the media didn't dig a little deeper than the headlines.

well all I can add is that I love my job as a cm, adore the kids I mind, to the extend I look after then for free to take then somewhere I know they would like to go. have a fab relationship with the parents. work harder then I have ever worked before, I did once have a big important office job! and frankly have never felt more valued or appreciated. I work for the kids and their parents. as long as ofsted don't close me down I am starting to feel I don't care anymore.

Oh one more thing I forgot, in the middle of all of this the NCMA has decided that the interests of nannies and nursery workers are just as important to it as childminders, so it is accepting the latter as members soon (it has accepted nannies for a few years) and changing its name to PACEY. You don't need to know what this stands for other than the "C" which, like IMHO the organisation itself, no longer stands for childminding.

Tanith they are not behind on inspections any more - they were behind, so much so that they had to abandon the whole idea of a cycle. If you are inspected any time before September 2016, then even if you were last inspected in 2008 it won't be late according to the new rules.

Our DD was childminded from 7m to 2 years, and we couldn't have been happier. CMing was our first choice so as to have the family feel to childcare.

All this was before the OFSTED shite, and I am a teacher, so know what I'm slagging off. Was gobsmacked at the EYFS stuff. Bollocks. What I see here is the rubbishing of childminders because BigGov has bitten off more than they can chew in terms of inspection.

DC will be 18 this year, and our CM will be on the list for a photie of the cherub. We're eternally grateful for such care.