Category Archives: Sector changes

New Inspection Judgements from September 2015

New Inspection Judgements for Childminders   New eBook available to download for members at www.thechildmindingcafe.co.uk  – Completing your Self-Evaluation Form (2015) our guide to completing Ofsted’s Self Evaluation.   From September 2015 all providers including childminders must comply with the new inspection framework.  There will be four graded judgements – as there are now – […]

The Integrated Review

Introducing the new Integrated Review Introduction For the past few years you may have been carrying out the Progress Check at Age 2 for the toddlers that you care for. From this September local authorities, health visitors and early years practitioners are expected to come together to replace this with an integrated health and early education review. It […]

Promoting British Values

Promoting British Values There is now a steer for early years providers to promote British values. In this blog we look at this steer and what promoting British values means. The requirement The promotion of British values is stated in a number of Ofsted and Government documents, for example: In the new Common inspection framework: education, skills […]

Ofsted inspection notifications

Notification of Ofsted Inspections for childminders Previously childminders have had up to 5 days notification of an inspection, the new guidance in the common inspection framework suggests that this has now been changed to “The setting will normally receive a telephone call at or just after midday on the working day before the start of […]

Ofsted inspection changes – the new Early Years Inspection Handbook

 Changes to Ofsted Early Years Inspections The Early Years Handbook From September 2015, there is a new Early Years Handbook that describes the main activities Ofsted inspectors should undertake when they conduct early years inspections. It replaces previous documents ‘Conducting early years inspections’ and ‘Evaluation schedule for inspections of early years provision’. The Handbook fits […]

Prevent Duty Guidance for England & Wales

Prevent Duty Guidance: For England & Wales You may have heard about the new Prevent Duty Guidance that has been published recently. This document provides guidance on the requirement in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 for ‘specified authorities’, including registered Childminders, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. […]

Childcare regulations are changing…..again

Government proposes changes to the regulation of childcare Introduction Last week the Department for Education published its document ‘Regulation of Childcare – Consultation report and government response’. In this document the DfE draws conclusions from the results of its recent consultation ‘The regulation of Childcare’ and proposes changes to the regulation of childcare based on […]

Requirement for ‘Teaching’ in Childminding settings

Did you realise you are a teacher? There has been a subtle change to terminology in the most recent versions of Ofsted’s ‘Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision’ and ‘Conducting Early Years Inspections’ documents. The documents have introduced the term ‘teaching’ into a number of their paragraphs. For example the bullet point, […]

Early Years Outcomes

Early Years Outcomes – The New Development Matters? The November ’13 Ofsted newsletter confirmed what many have been wondering, that the DfE ‘Early Years Outcomes’ has, from 4th November, replaced the existing ‘Development Matters for the Early Years Foundation Stage’ non-statutory guidance. Before any panic sets in I need to say that there doesn’t seem […]

Revisions to the Framework for Inspection of Early Years Providers

Changes to Ofsted Inspection Framework Introduction On the 4th November ’13 changes to the Framework for the inspection for early years providers came into effect. From now on: The ‘requires improvement’ judgement has replaced the satisfactory judgement for all providers Non-domestic group provision judged as ‘requires improvement’ will be monitored within six months and re-inspected […]

More Affordable Childcare – a summary

More Affordable Childcare – a summary Introduction 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: help families to meet the costs of childcare; increase the amount of affordable […]

The ‘More Great Childcare’ DfE report – what it means for Childminders

Our initial thoughts on what the ‘More Great Childcare’ DfE report means for Childminders Introduction 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 […]

The Nutbrown review – initial thoughts for childminders

The Nutbrown Review – Initial thoughts for Childminders Hello You may have heard in the media today about the release of the results from the Nutbrown Review. The review, lead by Professor Cathy Nutbrown was requested by the government. The aim of the review was to look at how the childcare workforce could be strengthened. […]

Petition to reject proposals to deregulate childminders

Hi everyone You may have heard in the media recently about a report from the think tank Centre Forum (written by Elizabeth Truss) called “Affordable quality: new approaches to childcare”. Here is a link to the report. The report (as I read it) recommends ways that the author thinks would lead to more affordable childcare. […]

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