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Paid childcare

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

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Original poster

Childminders club - Ofsted have amazed me!!!!

24 replies

FeelingOld · 15/02/2006 19:25

I had to write a letter to ofsted asking for a variation on my under 5's cos one of my mums has got to change one of the days she works and this would mean that for 2 1/2 hours on that day I would have 4 under 5's instead of 3.
Anyway posted the letter on monday, they rang me yesterday (tuesday) to say they have received my letter and it had been passed on to an inspector, then they rang today (wednesday) to say they have approved my request and my paperwork will be in the post tomorrow!!!

Is this some kind of record? I can't believe that
a. they approved my request and
b. they were so quick.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

oldandfat · 15/02/2006 19:56

yeah.....they told me really quickly and said the paperwork would be with me asap......3 weeks later, still waiting

ThePrisoner · 15/02/2006 22:21

Congratulations, FeelingOld! When I put my request in for something vaguely similar, over a year ago, they wrote back and agreed with my request within two weeks.

I would still love to know why they allow some of us to do it, and yet others are refused. I know several minders who have asked for a similar variation, like yours, and have been told no, even though it is continuity of care.

HellyBelly · 15/02/2006 22:31

Well done, that's amazingly quick!

Original poster

FeelingOld · 15/02/2006 22:51

It does only work out at 2.5 hours on 1 day per week and it's the one day per week that we don't go out to toddler groups or anything.
Also the mum in question doesn't drive and lives about 15 minute walk away from me and works over the road from me and I am the only childminder over this side of town. I put all of this in my letter so they obviously took it all into account.
I'm not desperate for the paperwork to come through cos mindee's mum doesn't start new hours for another 3 weeks. Rang her this evening cos she had already picked mindee up when ofsted rang, and she is over the moon, she didn't know what she was going to do if they refused.

OP posts:

bigisbeatifulwasoldandfat · 16/02/2006 13:19

after all that i knew they couldnt get it right. the ofsted woman confirmed over the phone.....twice in 3 weeks that all was fine and the paper work was on its way. my future client is at the contract filling in point. STUPID ofsted woman call today to say i may now need planning permission coz for one hour per week i will have 7 under 8s and i should expect to hear from my team leader (whoever that is) soon. I am so angry, and very stressed out. when i said i need a degree to understand the way they do things she said, she knew the feeling and they didn't know what was going on most of the time.....and we are supposed to follow their rules.

HellyBelly · 16/02/2006 13:23

How bloody annoying!!!

Isyhan · 16/02/2006 13:38

I got told by me early years lady that you needed planning if you have more than 10. I may be wrong?

bigisbeatifulwasoldandfat · 16/02/2006 13:43

well i hope your right. think it depends on the borough but knowing croydon they will want £100's for just looking. i just cant believe how useless ofsted are.

ThePrisoner · 16/02/2006 20:22

I don't know anything about planning if you have more than 10 children, but you certainly need to check your public liability insurance, as it probably states that you can only have max of 10 children.

bigisbeatifulwasoldandfat · 17/02/2006 14:47

happy again. team leader called to say all ok and paper work is in the post!! she suggested i call planning just to have a chat but that it was up to me (all for 1 hour a week) still im pleased and just waiting for child now....should be sometime in march. better come now after all this.

Original poster

FeelingOld · 19/02/2006 16:48

Well paperwork arrived yesterday (the bit about right to appeal etc) and I posted it back today so hopefully my certificate should be here very soon.
Must be a record that this has all happened in less than a week.

OP posts:

lunavix · 20/02/2006 13:28

I asked for my conditions to vary to have a child under one as ds was over one. I phoned them a week before his first birthday, and posted the letter. Four months later (!) they sent me a reply to a DIFFERENT conditions request (two overnight) and had changed the bit concerning ds's age anyways.

Now every 6 weeks I get a letter from them (registered post so I get all excited wondering what it is!) saying 'we're considering your request to change the age cos of your ds'.... even though I've had the certificate for 7 months (ds is nearly two!)

bigisbeatifulwasoldandfat · 20/02/2006 13:31

think i will go and work for OFSTED....they all just make it up as they go along. lol

lunavix · 20/02/2006 13:33

I love to know how they decide these things. I asked to overlap for TWO HOURS in total. TWO HOURS! For a rising five a week before she started full time school (so the same age she was when I could have her!) and I was turned down.

ThePrisoner · 20/02/2006 18:03

I am meeting an ex-OFSTED inspector tomorrow evening ... oooooooo!

Katymac · 20/02/2006 18:05

exciting...what do you think she will be like?

ThePrisoner · 20/02/2006 18:38

If she's an ex-inspector, she'll probably be on some sort of care-in-the-community programme ...

Katymac · 20/02/2006 21:11

Hmmmm....

ThePrisoner · 20/02/2006 21:52

She is actually doing a workshop for networking childminders on preparation for your inspection, so it should be really useful!!

Katymac · 20/02/2006 21:53

That sounds good...I wonder if it would have helped me?

ThePrisoner · 20/02/2006 22:01

Or might have made you panic more!

Katymac · 20/02/2006 22:02

Well I was thinking it might have made my decision (about the self assessment form)easier

But it wouldn't have given me a higher grade...would it?

ThePrisoner · 20/02/2006 22:07

However, we would be back to the one problem we always have with OFSTED - they are not consistent with stuff ... so something the ex-inspector says tomorrow might be different to what another inspector might say!!

Katymac · 20/02/2006 22:09

That's my problem with the whole thing

I think it's an almost insurmountable dilemma

(off to bed - see you tomorrow)

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