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August 19th, 2013
July 17th, 2013
Yesterday the Department for Eduction (DfE) published its ‘More Affordable Childcare’ document, which builds on the much discussed ‘More Great Childcare’ report published earlier this year.
This new document sets out the government’s plan to:
This blog details the main points that we think are relevant to childminders across each of these three bullet points. If you want to know more, including the background to why the DfE believe that these plans are suitable, please download the ‘More Affordable Childcare’ from our DfE and Ofsted resources page.
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We hope this has given you a flavour of what the document contains. If you have any questions on the above, either have a read of the whole document, or email us info@thechildmindingcafe.co.uk for more information.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
More Affordable Childcare: Department for Education – July 2013
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
July 16th, 2013
This is the ninth blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We have also looked at both the ‘Personal, Social & Emotional development’ and ‘Communication & Language’ areas of L&D and suggested activities that promote each of the three aspects which sit within both areas.
We have now moved to look at the third prime area of L&D: Physical Development. This area of L&D consists of 2 parts, which are known as ‘Aspects’. Each aspect leads to one of the 17 EYFS early learning goals (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five). The diagram below shows how the Physical Development area is made up of two aspects and two early learning goals:
The EYFS framework document describes how “Physical Development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food”. The two aspects each support this aim.
In our last blog we discussed the ‘Moving & Handling’ aspect, this blog we focus on the second aspect within the prime area of Physical Development: Health & Self-care.
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It is worth noting that the allocation of activities to aspects and areas of L&D is often subjective and many activities cover more than one aspect and more than one area of L&D. Further the activities can cover multiple characteristics of effective learning and can be a mix of adult-led and child-initiated. So these are suggestions for you to adapt and work into your practice in a way that best suits you and your setting across all your planning. Always remember to supervise children and ensure the activity is safe and age and development-appropriate.
I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the Challenge activity could be part of a month’s theme on the bodies. In our next blog in the series we move to look at the first of the four specific areas of learning & development: Literacy.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
July 12th, 2013
This is the eight blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We have also looked at both the ‘Personal, Social & Emotional development’ and ‘Communication & Language’ areas of L&D and suggested activities that promote each of the three aspects which sit within both areas.
We now move to look at the third prime area of L&D: Physical Development. This area of L&D consists of 2 parts, which are known as ‘Aspects’. Each aspect leads to one of the 17 EYFS early learning goals (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five). The diagram below shows how the Physical Development area is made up of two aspects and two early learning goals:
The EYFS framework document describes how “Physical Development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food”. The two aspects each support this aim.
In this blog we focus on the first aspect within the prime area of Physical Development: Moving & Handling.
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It is worth noting that the allocation of activities to aspects and areas of L&D is often subjective and many activities cover more than one aspect and more than one area of L&D. Further the activities can cover multiple characteristics of effective learning and can be a mix of adult-led and child-initiated. So these are suggestions for you to adapt and work into your practice in a way that best suits you and your setting across all your planning. Always remember to supervise children and ensure the activity is safe and age and development-appropriate.
I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the Jelly play activity could be part of a month’s theme on the materials and textures. In our next blog in the series we move to look at the second aspect within the Physical Development area of L&D: Health & Self-care.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
June 22nd, 2013
This is the seventh blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We have also looked at the ‘Personal, Social & Emotional development’ area of L&D and suggested activities that promote each of the three aspects which sit within that area.
We have now moved on to look at the second prime area of L&D: Communication & Language. There are three aspects that fall within this area and our previous blogs discussed the ‘Listening & Attention’ and the ‘Understanding’ aspects. In this blog we move to the third of the three aspects within this prime area of L&D– Speaking.
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I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the ‘Shape of the day’ activity could be part of a month’s theme on colours or shapes. In our next blog in the series we move on to the third area of learning & development: Physical development.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
June 14th, 2013
This is the sixth blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We have also looked at the ‘Personal, Social & Emotional development’ area of L&D and suggested activities that promote each of the three aspects which sit within that area.
We have now moved on to look at the second prime area of L&D: Communication & Language. There are three aspects that fall within this area and our previous blog discussed the ‘Listening & Attention’ aspect. In this blog we move to the second of the three aspects within this prime area of L&D– Understanding.
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I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the Simon says play dough activity could be part of a month’s theme on colours or shapes. In our next blog in the series we move to look at the third and final aspect within the Communication & Language area of L&D: Speaking.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
June 4th, 2013
This is the fifth blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We have also looked at the ‘Personal, Social & Emotional development’ area of L&D and suggested activities that promote each of the three aspects which sit within that area.
We now move to look at the second prime area of L&D: Communication & Language. This area of L&D consists of 3 parts, which are known as ‘Aspects’. Each aspect leads to one of the 17 EYFS early learning goals (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five). The diagram below shows how the Communication & Language area is made up of three aspects and three early learning goals:
The EYFS framework document describes how “Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations”. The three aspects each support this aim.
In this blog we focus on the first aspect within the prime area of Communication & Language: Listening & Attention.
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I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the Outdoor sounds bingo activity could be part of a month’s theme on the environment. In our next blog in the series we move to look at the second aspect within the Communication & Language area of L&D: Understanding.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
May 17th, 2013
This is the forth blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We are currently looking at the first of the 7 areas of learning & development – Personal, Social & Emotional development. There are three aspects that fall within this area and our previous blogs discussed the ‘Making Relationships’ and ‘Self-confidence & self-awareness’ aspect. In this blog we focus to the third of the three aspects – ‘Managing feelings & behaviour’.
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I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. In our next blog in the series we move on to the Communication & Language area of learning & development.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
May 14th, 2013
This is the third blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We are currently looking at the first of the 7 areas of learning & development – Personal, Social & Emotional development. There are three aspects that fall within this area and our previous blog discussed the ‘Making Relationships’ aspect. In this blog we move to the second of the three aspects – Self-confidence & Self-awareness.
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I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the Show & tell activity could be part of a month’s theme on cultures. In our next blog in the series we move to look at the final aspect within the Personal, Social & Emotional development area of L&D: Managing feelings & behaviour.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
May 9th, 2013
This is the second blog in our series on the 7 areas of learning & development (L&D). So far we have looked at what the 7 areas of L&D are and have discussed why they are important. We now begin to look at each of the seven areas in turn, with the prime area ‘Personal, Social & Emotional Development’ first. This area of L&D consists of 3 parts, which are known as ‘Aspects’. Each aspect leads to one of the 17 EYFS early learning goals (the knowledge, skills and understanding children should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn five). The diagram below shows how the Personal, Social & Emotional Development area is made up of three aspects and three early learning goals:
In this blog we focus on the first aspect within the prime area of Personal, Social & Emotional development: Making relationships.
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I hope these suggested activities have given you some inspiration. You could incorporate them into your planning as ad hoc activities or as part of a wider theme. For example the Stone inspiration activity could be part of a month’s theme on the environment. In our next blog in the series we move to look at the second aspect within the Personal, Social & Emotional development area of L&D: Self-confidence & Self-awareness.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Development Matters in the Early Years FOundation Stage, DfE 2012
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
April 16th, 2013
This blog introduces our new series of blogs on the 7 areas of learning & development. Over the coming weeks we will look at each of the seven areas in turn. As each of these areas has either 2 or 3 aspects that relate to it, we will also look at each aspect (each one of these leads to an early learning goal). We will take a look at what both the Department for Education (DfE) and leading Early Years professionals say about each aspect. We will also give suggestions on how you can promote each aspect in your care, both for 0 – 3 year-olds and for older EYFS-aged children.
In this blog we look at an overview of the the 7 areas of learning & development as well as why they are important for Ofsted registered childminders.
The EYFS framework emphases the need for a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities and for activities to consider the three characteristics of effective learning. So in this series we look at ways to include these in your practice for each area of learning & development. Don’t worry if you are unsure of these – we have written two eBooks about them that all members can download.
All Ofsted registered childminders must work to the regulations set out in the DfE’s ‘Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)’. The EYFS 2012 regulations include 7 areas of learning & development. Three of these areas are considered ‘Prime’ areas and should be given greater focus for young children. The remaining four are considered ‘Specific’ areas, which the childminder should provide equal focus to, as the child develops (potentially from around two years old).
The DfE describes the prime areas as being fundamental to children’s learning of the specific areas, with the specific areas in turn helping to further develop the prime areas. In reality this means planning activities that support the three prime areas for younger children (so until around 2 years-old). For children aged two and above, planning and activities should be widened to also incorporate the four specific areas of learning & development.
The diagram below summarises how the 7 Areas of learning & development are structured with 17 aspects. It also includes the first few words of each related early learning goal.
The EYFS framework states:
“Practitioners must consider the individual needs, interest, and stage of development of each child in their care, and must use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development” (Clause 1.7).
The clause continues by confirming that the focus for the youngest children should be on the three prime areas, with the four specific areas being introduced as the child grows in ability and confidence across the three prime areas. In reality this means that you must be aware of the areas of learning and development and promote them in the activities and experiences that children in your care undertake.
Ofsted will likely want to see evidence that they are central to your observation, assessment and planning, and so are at the heart of your provision. This evidence may be through you sitting with the inspector watching a child carry out an activity, with you explaining how the activity supports an area of learning and development and how the child has developed in that area. You may also keep written evidence through observation, assessment and planning documents. We would recommend you have some written evidence and our eBook “A guide to EYFS Observation, Assessment & Planning” as well as our many EYFS planning resources (all with reference to the 7 areas) have been helping our members.
The focus for the next blog in this series is the ‘Personal, Social and Emotional Development’ prime area of learning & development. This area contains three aspects and three early learning goals. We will discuss each aspect and review each early learning goal before suggesting activities that will promote each aspect for both younger and older EYFS-aged children.
If you have any comments or suggestions on this series of blogs, please just let me know.
Thanks for reading,
Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Please remember:
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters or website.
March 13th, 2013
Maybe you are a new Childminder, or perhaps an established one, and would like to gain an insight into how you could effectively carry out EYFS assessments in your setting. This guide is for all registered childminders in England who are wondering how to practically implement the EYFS Assessment requirements into the day-to-day running of their childminding business.
This guide first summarises the EYFS regulations regarding assessment. It looks at both on-going (formative) and age-specific (summative) assessments. Next an overview of how you could complete the ‘Progress Check at age two’ required assessment is given and the ‘Assessment at the end of the EYFS (the EYFS Profile)’ is briefly discussed. The guide then moves to look at on-going assessment with a suggested framework in which to carry out observation, assessment and planning for each child in your care. This framework includes four key documents, these are each detailed before completed examples are given.
All members can download this guide from our eBook Resources page now.
Thanks,
Amanda
February 26th, 2013
Are you a childminder who provides wrap around or holiday care for EYFS children? If so you may know that the EYFS (2012) framework states:
“Wrap around (care offered before and after a school day, e.g. by an after school club or by a childminder) and holiday providers (provision exclusively in the school holidays) should be guided by, but do not necessarily need to meet, all the learning and development requirements. Practitioners should discuss with parents and/or carers (and other practitioners and providers as appropriate) the support they intend to offer, seeking to complement learning in settings in which children spend more time.” EYFS 2012 clause 1.3
Given this, if you do care for EYFS-aged children just for wrap around care or during the school holidays you should put a plan in place with the child’s other provider (probably the school) and the child’s parents/carers. This plan should describe how you will complement the child’s learning. You may be happy for this just to be verbal, however we have heard of Ofsted inspectors wanting evidence of how the childminder supports the child’s learning & development. For this reason, one of our members got in touch asking us to develop a plan template and we have created a Supportive Partnership Plan for all members to download and adapt.
The first page of our Supportive Partnership plan describes the overarching principles of the plan. The next three pages can be used to describe the topics and methods that the teacher will use to promote each area of learning & development, plus what you will do to support the child’s learning & development. There is a page for each term.
We hope you find the plan useful – if you have any other suggestions for helpful new resources please do let us know.
Thanks for reading,
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
February 21st, 2013
In this blog we discuss strategies that you could consider to promote good behaviour within your setting. We also discuss the importance of positive handling as well as the difficult subject of physical intervention. In writing this blog, we have drawn on our own experiences, the EYFS framework, government published documents on behaviour management and physical intervention, and a paper entitled ‘You’ve got that magic touch’ by Elaine Schneider and Phillip Patterson.
A central element to the role of a childminder is the promotion of good behaviour within the setting. Helping a child to understand what good behaviour is can be vital to a child’s social development and helps them to be ready for the school environment. Good behaviour is also needed to create an atmosphere that supports the well-being of every child in your care and can make everyone’s day more enjoyable.
The importance of managing behaviour is reflected in the EYFS, which requires all early years providers to have and implement a behaviour management policy and procedures and emphasises that childminders are responsible for behaviour management.
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Source used in the document:
Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, DfE 2012
Department for Education (August 2011) Use of Reasonable Force
‘You’ve Got That Magic Touch: Integrating the Sense of Touch into Early Childhood Services’; Elaine Fogel Schneider and Phillip P. Patterson; Young Exceptional Children published online 4 October 2010
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
January 30th, 2013
Just when you were getting used to the new EYFS framework (or maybe even before!) the Government announces plans to make yet more significant changes to the Childcare sector.
Yesterday the Department for Education (DfE) published its report into proposed changes to the Childcare sector. The report, ‘More Great Childcare’ sets out a plan of action, for (in their words) how the Government will achieve its vision of a dynamic childcare market, delivering high quality early education. It incorporates the Government’s response to Professor Cathy Nutbrown’s independent review ‘Foundations for quality’ published in June last year.
This much-awaited report contains a set of proposals on reforms that the Government plans to implement. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (education and childcare), Liz Truss MP has led the development of these proposals and you may have seen or heard her on various news programmes over the last few days. It appears that some reforms can come into affect later this year. However some, for example Childminding agencies, will require changes to laws and so are scheduled for implementation not before 2014.
In addition to its ‘More Great Childcare’ report, the Government will soon be publishing its report from the Childcare Commission. This report should outline how the Government plans to support parents with the costs of childcare.
In this blog we highlight what we believe are the most significant reforms that the ‘More Great Childcare’ report proposes for registered Childminders in England. We also discuss our initial thoughts on what those proposals mean for Childminders.
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The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters, resources or website.
January 22nd, 2013
We have been asked by a member for more information on adult-led and child-initiated activities. These terms are used in the EYFS framework and many childminders may be aware of the concepts. Here we aim to shine some light on them in the context of childminding. This blog starts by outlining what the EYFS regulations say about adult-led and child-initiated activities. The blog then continues by describing our interpretation of the terms using practical childminding-related examples.
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The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters or website.
January 9th, 2013
The requirement for written Childminding risk assessments has changed since the introduction of the 2012 EYFS regulations. Although the strict requirement for written setting and outing risk assessments has been relaxed for childminders, in many cases they may still be necessary. You now need to use your own judgement to decide if and when risk assessments are required. Although as a childminder these don’t necessarily need to be in writing.
Further all settings are now required to have a policy on how and when they carry out risk assessments. Although again for childminders this policy does not have to be in writing, childminders do need to be able to explain their risk assessment arrangements to Ofsted. We think the best way to do this is to have your Risk Assessment policy in writing. You can access our template Risk Assessment policy here.
In this blog we discuss the new regulations on risk assessments, and give you guidance on how you could complete your setting and outing risk assessments.
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The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
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December 19th, 2012
Hi everyone,
We have had a few members ask us about the number of children that they are allowed to care for within the 2012 EYFS framework.
This factsheet just published by Ofsted may clarify the situation for you. After reading it, if you do decide you can look after an additional child under the ‘exceptional circumstances’ statement (see clause 3.29 of the EYFS Framework), we would encourage you to keep written details of your assessment as to why the exception is appropriate, including details of:
Thanks for reading,
Please remember:
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters or website.
December 10th, 2012
Why we think you should complete self-evaluation and how we can help you to complete Ofsted’s self-evaluation form.
Ofsted’s self-evaluation form (SEF) is provided by Ofsted as part of a process of continuous self-improvement for all registered childcare providers on the early years register.
The form is not compulsory and you can use other methods to record self-evaluation, for example your local authority may have their own form and we have a simpler ‘Achieving my potential – self development plan’. However we strongly recommend that you undertake some self-evaluation. By taking a few moments to reflect on your provision, you may well identify areas where you can improve and gain renewed momentum (if you need it) to make your practice as successful as possible.
Although there is no clause in the EYFS 2012 framework which states that Childminders must undertake self-evaluation, there are various clauses which relate to it, for example:
Clause 1.12 – “… Providers should regularly consider training and development needs of all staff members to ensure they offer a quality learning experience for children that continually improves”.
Additionally Ofsted’s ‘Framework for the regulation of provision on the Early Years Register’ document refers to self-evaluation:
Clause 48 – “Providers are able to complete and regularly update an optional early years self-evaluation form. Whether or not providers complete this form, inspectors will expect providers to reflect upon their practice and have plans to improve their early years provision”.
Further Ofsted’s ‘Conducting early years inspections’ document states that inspectors will ask for your record of self-evaluation:
Clause 11, bullet 7 – “When the inspector arrives at the provision s/he must ask for the provider’s self-evaluation, if the provider has not submitted a self-evaluation form to Ofsted, or where they have done so, confirm with the provider the date of the form being used”.
Ofsted’s ‘Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision’ includes the following as evidence to support a ‘Good’ grade for the judgement of the effectiveness of leadership and management of the early years provision:
“Thorough self-evaluation takes into account the views of parents and is the result of careful monitoring, analysis and self-challenge”.
It also includes the following in the descriptor for ‘Inadequate’ for the judgement:
“Self-evaluation is weak and has too little impact. Any actions taken to tackle areas of identified weakness have been insufficient or ineffective”
Finally and importantly, there is a purpose to completing self-evaluation, other than just because Ofsted wants you to. By taking time to really consider and reflect on your own practice you should personally benefit. This would be both from the satisfaction of acknowledging how well you are already caring for children but also from understanding how you can further improve in ways you may not have otherwise thought of.
Given all this, we recommend you undertake self-evaluation and make sure you can demonstrate that you have acted on the results of that evaluation.
We have developed a comprehensive guide taking you step-by-step through each element of Ofsted’s SEF, including each point suggested in Ofsted’s SEF guidance document. Members please click here to download it now.
Thanks for reading,
Please remember:
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters or website.
November 21st, 2012
Do you know the EYFS three Characteristics of effective learning? Our guess is that even if you aren’t aware of them you are probably putting each into practice already. However as they are mentioned in both the EYFS Framework and Development Matters supporting document it is worth at least knowing what they are. So here we take a quick look at the three Characteristics and give suggestions on how you could implement each in your setting.
[Content protected for Members only, please either login or become a member to read this content]
Please remember:
The information contained in our blogs, newsletters, resources and website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by us and we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to our blogs, newsletters and website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website, blog or newsletters for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of our blogs, newsletters or website.
