IS there ever an exception to the 3 under 5 rule?

[funnypeculiar]

MY lovely CM is pregnant, and one of ds' friends mums (also a CM) has said she'll have ds (3yrs) and dd (10 mths) to cover her maternity leave. But she already has her own ds (3yrs) and a ft mindee (3yrs) on that day. I didn't think about this until she'd offered and I'd said wonderful, thnk you, of course yes. My cm is only taking 8 weeks mat leave, and we'll be on hols for two of those weeks, so it's not for long .... but stil ...
Have I missed something obvious (eg do your own kids not count towards your numbers??)

I mentioned on the phone that I hoped we weren't taking her over her nos or anything and she said, no, it was fine...
She's coming over with her ds to play on Weds ... is there a nice but firm way to bring this up??

You can get the certificate extended to 4 under 5, and you have to phone and write to Ofsted to do this, although it is not guaranteed. I have 4 on mine (have done for the last year!) as at the time I was the only person here that did overnight care. I am also having it extended again (it has recently stopped as my ds is now 5) as probab;y having all my mindees back again as the mums have asked me to.
SO, yes is the answer, but make sure that she has the go ahead as insurance would be void if she breaks the conditions.

Great, thanks Twoandabump - will check that this has/will happen - for both our sanity's!

Message withdrawn

As others have already said, Ofsted will grant a variation in particular circumstances. She really won't know that she can do this until she has written to them.

Or maybe she has an assistant?? This means that she would be OK, but it should all be written on her registration certificate.

In England it's certainly possible to have 4 under 5's and given the situation the childminder could apply to Ofsted as there is a sibling relationship issue - that is, there is space for one of your children but not the other, if currently registered for 3 under 5's.

Best to check the minders registration certificate (you may be able to do this online via Ofsted website, though often best to see it in person) and if it does not cover 4 under 5's , of which 1 can be under 1 (if you dd is still under 1 at the start of the arrangement), then strongly suggest to the minder that they should apply for a fixed-period variation, so that they operate within registered numbers.

Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland may be different - so seek ask to see registration documents and contact the regulator if required.

A way to bring this up, would be to ask her to bring her portfolio/brochure with her when she comes to play on Wed. Also ask her to bring along all certificates (registration, first aid, qualifications), plus of course the contract paperwork.

thank you for those practical suggestions Nannynick - that really helps me ask a (potentially tricky) question to a friend. And no, she doesn't have an assistant ThePrisoner.