CM Club: If you were me how would you implement the steps Ofsted want me to take

[SammyK]

Some of you may remember my ridiculous Ofsted inspection, were I was told I needed to:

leave an accessible jug of water out for mindees to help themselves to (I was inspected with my two morning mindees - both aged 22m at the time)

make links to 4yr old's preschool and communicate with them on learning themes and journeys, and topics. Mindee goes to preschool in the morning (not in my area of town and I don't drive), I don't pick up or drop off frm there, and she comes to me 2-6pm m-f.

I also need to write down/record learning journeys, she said she could see I did them and complimented how well the children were developing, but that I need to record the learning journeys for each mindee.

do my first aid. This is booked (and was booked at time of inspection)

SO what does anyone suggest? Any ideas? Particularly on the learning journeys, and the school links. I have good links with local school but not this one.

I will be reinspected again soon as I got inadequate due to my first aid being out of date, so want my grading to be improved again quickly.

I don't know why really as don't plan on cm'ing much longer, andonly work 2-6 now due to health/relationship/DS problems. But I do put a lot into my cm'ing so want to do well and have it noted if that makes sense.

I am just trying to sort out the links to the preschools and nurseries that my mindees go to.

I have just got a letter for the parent to sign and I will put this into the childs learning journal at the front and also photocopy it and put it into a notebook that I am going to be putting into the childs bag for the other setting to hopefully write something in.

I sympathise - my friend had a recent nightmare similar to yours....

How I get round the water thing is I have bought each child their own beaker and they know its theres as its their fave charecter or fave colour. It is refreshed throughout the day and its left on an accessible surface for them to have whever they feel like it.

I have a diary and I phoned up mindees pre school and asked them to jot some comments in it about her morning. They agreed - I never see them either. I told them it was purely for ofsted and they were sympathetic!

I hope someone comes up with a good response for learning journeys as I am STUMPED myself on those!!

I thought if you had the first aid booked Ofsted were supposed to accept that?.....nothing to say here excpet do your first aid!!

I understand you wanting to do well - its about personal acheivement and you never know when you might want to return to it again

HTH

No jug of water here, just lidded cups or sports bottles that I will just ask each time they use them if they need more water in them. If the mindees say yes then we will go into the kitchen and mindee will help me to refill them.

With regards to learning journeys, we were given an A4 sheet from one of our Network meetings.

Box at top - in it:
Context for Learning
Name:
Age:
Date:

Another box below to insert photo

Another two boxes below (on same line):
(1) What did they do (2) Links to EYFS

Another two boxes below (on same line):

(3) How did the adult support learning/development (4) Next Steps

Hope this is clear.

Example how to use:

Photo of child playing in snow

(1) It started to snow so we got wrapped up and went out to play. XYZ caught snowflakes and made marks in the snow using hands and feet.

(2) Links to PSED, CD, KUW, PD, CLL PSRN.

(3) Chatted about the snow and how each snowflake is different. Using words like cold, delicate, melts.

(4) To make snowy pictures and collages.

Hope this helps.

I got one of those water dispensers 2nd hand. The little ones have their own covered cups, but the older ones help themselves from the dispenser. Saves a jug of water being knocked over.

Wow lots of replies already, am busy at moment, will be back at 6 to read through properly and respond, thanks for replying!.

jeeeezz . . . .ofsted

when eyfs came out i bought a display folder for each child and planned to add a photo - a drawing - a comment every week - i take it that isn't enought then

Thanks again everyone,

I am not sure how we could logistically communicate, I could ask the school to note down in her diary something now and again, but this mean relying on her mum taking her daily diary from my setting to the school setting each day.

Could ask school to send me any correspondence that they send to parents via post, mindee's mum or email, so I know what topcs they are covering, what mindee needs helping with. I think it is a big ask of mindee's mum and teacher TBH.

Water is not as much of a problem now, as no toddlers here, they all have a drink out usually anyway but will look into water dispensers and water bottles. I refuse to have a jug of water in my living room.

I am just off to look on BCMA see if they have any learnng journey templates I could download . .