a bit worried about all this EYFS malarky

[FruitynNutty]

I've been a CM for a yr and a half. I was a nanny for 10 years before. I have to admit now, because I'm getting a bit scared, that I have never done an observation. I never ever had to do this as a nanny and I just assumed that becoming a CM was just the same as nannying but from your own home. Now, everytime I try to get advise from Ofsted or the CIS about the EYFS they just tell me to carry on what I'm doing - ie, observations. But what if i'm not and havnt ever done these before? I have no idea where to start. Luckily my next inspection isnt due for a year and a half but I need to do something. How do you find the time to write up observations?
The children are so happy and content (most of the time) and I know I'm doing a really good job but all this paperwork is extremely daunting as the whole point of becoming a CM was so I could stay at home with DS and earn some money doing what I love best. I'm no good at writing things down. The children each have a diary I write in just saying how much they've slept/eaten/poo'd etc... I just tell the parents what we've done at pick up time.

Please someone tell me where to start and how to record obs and how to find the time!

From a very worried Fruity

XX really enjoyed playing in the sand with the toy cars

YY hated putting his hands in the shaving foam

ZZ was very caring and cuddled AA when she cried

These are observations or snapshots of children's behaviour

You write them on a post it note or on a sheet of paper

thank you Katy I need to get some post its. But what when we're out and about? I'll never remember to write it down when i get home and i cant be carrying around with me a pen and paper, i'll look like a loon! lol, plus are we supposed to be taking loads of pics as proof of obs? I dont htink i have the resources for that

One a day?
One a week?

OFSTED haven't decided (or at least they haven't told me)

How many children d you look after each week?

only three so it should be easy really. But what about my DS, he doesnt go to a CM or nursery so he wont have any observations. I'm not doing obs for him too! I begrudge doing it anyway!

but I share one of my mindees with a CM friend so who does the obs on him?
I just feel like, as ofsted obviously cant get their act together then there's no point doing anything yet. I'm just procrastinating though

Your choice but you might find as he grows up that he wants them too!!

Then if you want to get complicate you can 'plan next steps'

so for XX - put the toy trains in the sand, for YY try him with gloop & for ZZ praise her and encourage empathy

So you have done your 3 obs & some planning

Take one photo each a week and then observe your next step (prehaps the next week?)

& link each obs to EYFS

Both of you

when I heard observations were needed to be done I was worried too as on my NNEB course a few yrs back we had to do observations on children over the 2yrs, these new ones are nothing like the ones we had to do, ours were long and had to be refered to our books to check on the childrens development, we had to write down every move the chilc made and how they made it " child picked up small to with right hand pincer grip" etc the EYFS ones sound so much easier thank god..

Photos dont have to take much resourses, I take hundredsa month on a digital, snapping awat through each activity.

I am thinking of putting text on each photo I want to use then for obs, and putting them onto a disc for each child.

Then Ofsted can look at each disc for each child,(if they want to be that thorough)

I do something similiar (but print them out)for my acreditted children.

I'm not sure I would know how to do that Shoshe I'm cr*p with the laptop I cant afford to print up pics on the printer and I certainly cant afford to get them processed. Maybe Ofsted should provide us with free ink and paper for our printers!
Thank you KatyMac So the shared mindee gets two of these observation folders then? that doesnt seem fair and a lot of extra work for nothing? Mind you, my CM friend has him two days per week and I only have him for one day so maybe she should do it That means I'll only have three mindees to do.

I used to print out pictures for parents every day, but it got to be too time consuming with 6 to care for, and also prohibitively expensive.

I have started taking 15mins at the end of each day to email the photos to each parent with a few lines about something I have observed about their child during the day.

That way the obs are being done daily and are getting directly to the people who should see them (the parents).

One white board for incidental obs for each child and one white board for planning ideas for each child.

If Ofsted want feedback and evidence of this system they can ask all the parents.

It's a working system, but I suspect Ofsted might prefer a folder.

I don't have time to be cutting and pasting into folders.

I used to do that but it ended up with me having a backlog of photos, and trying to remember obs that weren't fresh in my mind.

I don't do a folder for each child - I just do their daily diary (this could be wrong)

I do a setting picture album & a setting plan/observation record (again this cold be wrong)

If it works for you KM and fulfills the criteria then I don't think the method to be used is prescriptive.

As long as we have faith in our own tried and tested systems and are open to fully explaining or adapting them, I can't see that any reasonable inspector could criticize.

Well, they probably could, but as I am not going to do anything that isn't for the benefit of the children/families, I would argue/discuss my reasons.

Message withdrawn

Hey Milliec would you like to come on my OFSTED inspection? I could do with you telling them what you just put!!!

Cms are that - minding children! We are not teachers and not trained or paid as such. Parents choose us to care for the little ones in a family atmosphere.

Its getting very expensive too- am having to buy lots more paper, printer inks and I seems to be too tired for my own family as I'm having to plan for the week ahead. This is why I did cminding - so I didn't have to book time off to spend with my youngest ds(6)and had weekends free to take the 2 older teens and ds swimming or to the park. We are expected to do more and more courses for no extra money and next year I don't think I can afford to even run my car which I use to pick the children fom 2 different schools as we are going to be taxed £400 per yr for our 7 seater.
Ofsted seem to think we are nurseries, we work on our own so when we do the obs who is playing with the children? (My mindee is asleep but will be waking up in a mo). I'll let you know when my inspection is lol!

Milliec we need parents like you to tell Ofsted how you feel!

The EYFS pack is just a big load of words to me. There's nothing in there that tells you what exactly we need to be doing! FGS, Ofsted dont even know! I'm just not gonna bother with obs until Ofsted get their act together and tell us exactly what they want. I'm just going to carry on playing games with the kids and making sure they are safe and having fun. I'll spend what free time I have sorting out about 4 months worth of accounts and spending time with my DS and DP.

I really dont care if Ofsted give me another "satisfactory" for not doing all the paperwork. Parents dont seem to be bothered with Ofsted grades anyway, as long as we pass and we're kind and maternal and keep the children safe and happy, it really doesnt matter.

Message withdrawn

This subject is also being discussed here - I think I will send all these threads to the NCMA, Ofsted and all the people who cooked up the EYFS without thinking through how it could possibly work for childminders.

good one millie!