No provision for continuation of care under new eyfs

[PAPERFREEK]

Has anyone asked Ofsted about the fact that there is no provision for continuation of care under the new eyfs. You will only be allowed 4 under 5 variation for siblings

I thought (perhaps mistakenly) that Ofsted were going to stop issuing variations and allow individual CMs to offer EYFS care over numbers provided they could prove they met the EYFS still, effectively allowing CMs to grant their own variation?

The Statutory Framework is the legal document we are registered against and in the old framework if showed provision for continuation of care. In the new one it doesn't.

I'm a CM myself but on maternity leave so haven't got round to reading the new EYFS yet, was just passing on what I had 'heard'

Most CoC requests are for EY siblings anyway (or you'd think) so if the new Stat Framework covers 4 under 5 there then wouldn't the bulk of requests would still be considered as normal?

I have had a variation for 4 under 5 for continuation of care where I have taken a child to fill spare days not used by my other 3 under 5s and the parent has then changed her requirement due to work commitments. I agree usually it is for siblings but in today's culture of flexible working by parents more and more childminders are offering flexible childminding and this means you may end up with 3 children who only come for odd days or hours each week and taking on a 4th on the days not used by the others is the only way to make up your hours.

you are right. It only mentions siblings. My current variation is not for siblings.

The siblings bit is in section 3.40 as I mentioned on the other EYFS thread. This is a concern for me.

This could affect all of us. You never know when a parent may start on one arrangement and then want to change to another. If we all ring Ofsted to get clarification then they may look at changing it. Changes were made to the last EYFS before it was set in stone. The other thing that is a shame is that on the Development matters there is no longer the link to Early Support. By pressing this link you could draw down the little steps which proved invaluable to me as I had a prem baby who progressed in smaller steps than the other babies.

I have emailed Ofsted and NCMA

Let us know what they say please! I spotted this too & will email them. The more replies we get the more ammo if we need it...

Ofsted gave me a complete non answer about new standards, training, bedding in, etc which didn't answer my question at all. I had a missed call from NCMA yesterday, so I don't know if that was about variations.

Ofsted are sooo frustrating - they tend to just quote back to you the bit of the EYFS you are querying in the first place. That's what I got too-maybe they have a standard response in place at the moment. Going to follow up with NCMA now.

I have just started a thread on the NCMA and the revised EYFS.

Just to be clear, you are also allowed to 'self-vary' for additional 4 and 5 year olds (as long as the total under-8s including your own children remains no more than 6), but you are right that the revised guidance only allows more than 1 under-1 and 3 under-4s by exception for siblings.

I think this is because otherwise you could just get around the regulations by taking on one baby Mon-Tue and another Wed-Fri and then extending them both to full time for 'continuity of care'.

I agree with your thinking that some minders may bend the rules to obtain continuity of care, however I know how flexible firms are now over hours and days, the old days of 9 to 5 Monday to Friday are a thing of the past, and more and more parents are either in the great position that they can choose themselves when they work or they are in a position where their employers expect them to change days and hours to suit the requirements of the job.

Where we could expect to mind 3 full timers when I first started out, these full timers just are not there any more, and if you have 3 part timers, sometimes only wanting a few days or hours or total flexibility, filling the empty space is the only way to keep your business running. And when parents then want to change days or hours having the flexibility of 4 under 5 is a must.

Even nurseries are offering flexible arrangements now, this was unheard of a few years ago, you either paid for a full time place, or a set part time place or you couldn't use a nursery. The nursery near to me now offer odd days, and odd hours.