CM CLUB - SEF - how many of you said you were outstanding? Is it a bit cocky to do so?!!

[nomoreamover]

I'm doing my SEF (yawn - god its boring repeating myself over and over again)

I am at the stage where I have to mark myself on those little buttons. I want outstanding this time desperately as she said I was only not given it last time becuase I hadn't been workign long enough...but is it cocky to tick the outstanding box on your SEF?

If I tick GOOD on the SEF is that the highest grade she will give me?

DO I aim high and let her smack me down on the day or do I aim lower and hope shes kind enough to put me up?

HELP - I'm dreaming about this bloody SEF!!!

A friend of mine marked herself good on most things and got an overall O/S grade.

Who knows with Ofsted though, the inspectors all seem to have their own set of rules.

Tell me about it - I just dont' know how it be considered fair...must be an equal opps issue here somehwere (wishful thinking - she's still gonna come and inspect and probably upset me isn't she??!!!)

Which bit are you best at?

I gave myself outstanding for organisation & helping the children enjoy & achieve (I think - I must re-read it)

I think I gave myself good on everything (I must read it for the first time sometime!)

On the bits where it asks about how much we have implemented on lots of different areas, I wanted a "who knows ... you tell me" box.

Well its been submitted! I gave myself outstanding on safety and welfare.....DH said I was mad cos she'll look extra carefully at risk now - but tbh it is my pet baby - I am mrs safety features herself....

Also I think I did organisation too katymac -gave myself good on the rest. Mine ended up 12 pages when printed off in total - all in that teeny tiny print - I'll need better eyesight before I can read it!

I figure that 'Outstanding' means that you 'Stand Out' from the rest.

The only person who can tell whether or not I 'stand out' from the rest is someone who visits lots of 'the rest' and knows someone who stands out when she/he sees one.

Therefore, following that logic, I put myself down as good for everything.

Self evaluation is so hard

I know I am a better childminder than I was in Feb 2006 - I was outstanding then

But who is to say that the local childminders (& I assume I am judged on my peers) haven't 'moved up' (so to speak) and I am now merely average or even below average

I have been told that because I was outstanding last time - I have to be outstandingly better than I was, rather than better than my peers - but I don't know if that is true

INteresting point gooseegg.....I took it to mean that I was ticking all the boxes in the statutory and a whole load of other stuff in the "Good practice" category as well as some bits not listed in either list.....

So a kind of I am doing everything you ask of me and more sort of scenario.

In the areas where I feel I am just doing what is asked of me but not above and beyond then I gave good (which was alot of the learning and development etc stuff - ie the new EYFS since sept stuff)

If I had any areas that I was doing almost everything asked of me but something not major was missing then I would use satifactory.

In the back of the guidance notes for the SEF it explains what the criteria is for each grade. It was interesting reading!

I graded myself outstanding in all areas...if you do this prepare to have to justify why you are outstanding in these areas to the inspector.

I am an outstanding childminder...I could justify and prove this!

My theory was....I am doing my absolute best in every area if I can't grade myself as outstanding then how could anyone else...!!

I got outstanding btw....but I did get a hell of a grilling from ofsted who were determined not to give it to me!!

I agree with littlestarschildminding. I graded myself outstanding in all the areas. It was up to the inspector to justify giving me a good then. On the day of my inspection I did feel the inspector really scrutinised everything,I don't know if they have to justify giving childminders outstanding to their bosses?