Helen

I don't run my nursery anymore but when I did, we would encourage children to put their hoods up or wear hats, but we wouldn't enforce it. Could you maybe let him choose one when you next go shopping? The crazier the better! He might be more inclined to wear one then, if he's had the choice. 🙂

The bike chain I thought would be good to just stroke and wiggle and generally investigate each link. Padlock- if you get one where you spin the dials to get the correct number for unlocking, that could be a satisfying fiddle, too. 🙂

I'd also email them with a photo of where your qualification is on the document- highlighting the dates. Is there anyone in your LA who could confirm it for you?

Would a bike chain and padlock be any good?

Good luck, Poppy! You're doing everything right- and I wouldn't want the meeting recorded either. 🙂

Inspectors are generally really used to working in these situations, and can often ask questions during quieter moments when you're still with the children but they're more self-occupied. If, during a conversation with the inspector, you feel you are needed by any child, or for any situation, don't hesitate to say 'I'm sorry, I just need to pop over there and....I'll be back as soon as I can'. This shows them that you are alert to what's going on and that your priority is the children, not the inspector!

How did your meeting go? I hope you have found a way to move forward positively. 🙂

Hi mac20, Have you thought about cork flooring? We put some down at home and are really pleased with it- it's like engineered wood flooring but instead of wood, it's cork. Very hard wearing. Feels lovely underfoot, and is a great insulator. We used this white one, but there are loads to choose from. https://www.colourflooring.co.uk/collections/cork-flooring/products/camada-white-corka

Thanks for the references, Georgina- that's a helpful structure for reflective practice and is often the one that students are introduced to when starting out on their reflective journey. I've also found how useful it can be to discuss reflections with colleagues- inviting their thoughts and suggestions within a supportive environment. You can get such insight from others. I used to be a reflective practice tutor at Uni and these group sessions were some of the most enjoyable and thought-provoking. 🙂

It's a tricky one, isn't it? But if your professional opinion is that the child has now settled happily into the setting, then there is no need for his mum to stay longer than the usual drop off that other parents do. I'd start saying things like...'like the parents of all the other children'....'so it's not confusing for the children (including yours!) that you stay, but none of the other parents do' etc etc. I really like your idea of asking her if she trusts you sufficiently- that forces her hand and it will come to a conclusion one way or the other. The fact that the little boy has been with you since April strongly suggests that she is happy with your provision. It might help if you agreed to video her son 20 minutes after she's left, (do you use an online journal?) to reassure her that he is happy and busy learning and playing. Maybe say that you'd like to gradually reduce her time now- half an hour for this week, 15 minutes next. Good luck and let us know how you get on. Remember, you're the expert and you're the one in charge. 🙂

Oh no, I am so sad to hear this news. Panders was a much respected member of our forum community and we valued her greatly. The whole team at the FSF and Tapestry send their condolences- if Panders had a certain charity that she felt a connection with, we'd like to make a donation in her name, if you felt that was appropriate.

I agree- and we've very much valued your contributions here. 🙂 Being a leader/manager can be exhausting and lonely when you feel you're on your own- the exact reason we set up the FSF. I'm not sure whether facebook, twitter, instagram is useful in supporting current leaders; I've never felt they have the same ethos, or collective view of the importance of positive, kind support, as a professional discussion forum. It all gets a bit shouty and opinionated for me! 😬

When I ran my nursery, I was lucky enough to be in a network of other EYPs/managers/leaders and we decided to buddy up and swap members of staff occasionally. So, for example, one day, my deputy swapped with another deputy for the day. It was a really good way to pick up some ideas and refresh each other's practice. You might not want to do this with a setting that is your immediate competitor, though!

Hello Vandna, Welcome to the FSF! 😀 I think reflective practice can be something you build into your everyday work- I'm not working with children anymore, but when I was working in a nursery, I was consciously observing and reflecting on my interactions with the children, on the activities available and how the children were using them, on the environment and whether certain areas were getting a bit tired and needed tweaking (or a compete overhaul!). Those times for reflection were pretty quick, but often led to discussions with my colleagues later, and a decision to change things- bring in new materials/resources, change the order of events in the nursery session, etc. One thing I do remember clearly was when we had snack time followed by a Big Book story time as a whole group (18 children). It never worked! The children were raring to be active after their snack and it was difficult to get them to sit and listen to a story. After reflecting about this, and realising that we were not meeting their needs, we changed story time to before snack time, and added a lively music and movement session, with ribbons, hoops, scarves, etc for after snack. It worked a treat. 😃

I could write a thesis! To summarise, a sector that is seen for the real value it gives to children - during their early childhood and way beyond. We all know that if children have the best start, their future is happier, healthier and more economically stable (I'm preaching to the converted here, I know). We need early years to be separate from politics, I think. We can't have successive governments changing everything every few years-I don't mean curriculums, assessment etc- they will always be changing- I mean the structure and funding of the sector. It needs to have long term aims and policies that are cross party, where settings get sufficient money to pay qualified and experienced staff a good salary so that they stay, continually develop their professionals skills, and get real career satisfaction. School teachers have a defined pay scale and I think early years teachers and practitioners should have the same.

Leadership has to start in building relationships with each and every member of staff you're working with- you need to know what interests your colleagues in their early years work, what their strengths are, and what they might need help with. As a leader, you need to encourage colleagues to have their own ideas, to engage in reflection, and to suggest solutions to problems. This then leads to each staff member feeling that their contribution is valued- by you, and by the children and their families. So giving staff opportunities to introduce new things (even if you think they might not work), so they can follow it through, reflect and adapt. That's how you discover their skills and knowledge you might not have known about before, but which positively impact their colleagues, children and families. When I ran my own setting, I used staff strengths to provide a better service for the children- a lively staff member who was great with puppets to take circle time, a staff member really keen on expressive art (I gave her a budget to spend on art supplies for a term), and a colleague who really enjoyed small world play who came up with all sorts of wonderful scenarios in our tuff spot.

I really smiled when I read this! Satisfaction and fulfillment is so much more profound when it comes from your children, families and staff thriving, rather than an inspection judgement. I love your conclusion- that an excellent setting doesn't need much paperwork- it's all about the staff and learning environment. 🙂 But I'm delighted you also got outstanding!

It really seems clear to me that the current consultation which includes the proposal to move to 1:5 ratio, is really to address the staff shortage and high costs of provision. My view is that if this goes ahead, provision will be poorer and parents won't benefit from a reduction in fees. So nobody wins.

It's really hard, isn't it? 😧 I think really quick games can work well- where it's over and done with and there is less time to mope. Then a new game starts- like skittles or bean bag games. Board games aren't as good as there is often too much invested in winning. Also, games which involve the children 'against' you! For example, all the children have to throw the bean bags into a big box whilst you try to throw them all out again. You can keep it going as long as you like and then you slow down so eventually they all win- then you can model 'Oh you won- well done. But I really enjoyed playing that with you'.

Time will tell if this is all just pre-election promises with little substance! No parties seem to have grasped the education vs childcare debate and whether they are mutually exclusive.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education Baroness Barran gave a statement on the childcare reform package: Baroness Barran announced that from today, the Department for Work and Pensions has raised the amount working parents can claim for their childcare to £951 a month for one child and £1630 for two or more children, an increase of roughly 50% from previous limits (£646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children). When they enter work or increase their working hours, the government will now provide up to 85% of the first month’s childcare costs to parents before the next months’ bills are due, so that they have the money to pay for childcare one month in advance. Families on universal credit will now have £522 extra each month to cover childcare costs. Describing the earliest years as “the most critical stage of a young child’s development”, and acknowledging that childcare costs are a barrier to work for those on universal credit, Baroness Barran described visiting childcare providers as “one of the best parts of my job” but I SO wish she'd mentioned early education rather than childcare being a lifeline for parents. She said that by 2028, the government expects to be spending more than £8bn per year on the early years, double what is currently spent, and saving £6500 per year on average for parents. From September, the government will provide £204m of extra funding for local authorities to increase the hourly rates that they pay providers, and will ensure that the rates increase each year. From 2024-25, the average rate for under-twos will be around £11 per hour. The government will ask the childcare sector for its views on how the government should distribute the funding for the new entitlements from April 2024, including the rules that local authorities will have to follow when distributing the funding to providers. They are going “full steam ahead” with a new national campaign early next year to promote the sector and support the recruitment and retention of staff, as well as considering how to introduce accelerated apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship routes.

We started our anti-racism journey about 18 months/2 years ago- where we, as a group of colleagues, decided to read relevant materials, listen to podcasts, watch videos etc, that would provoke discussions between us, at our monthly online Diversity & Representation meetings. Identified in the early stages as a safe space, where we can each voice our opinions without fear of criticism, in order to learn from each other, and 'practice', if you like, using accepted terminology. To say we have each learned a great deal would be an understatement; and we all feel that this is a journey we'll be on for life. We have come to understand and appreciate the phrase: Not being racist is not enough. We have to be antiracist. https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/440300/how-to-be-an-antiracist-by-kendi-ibram-x/9781529111828

Flexibility is key, I think. being able to offer staff the hours that they need means they will be more likely to stay in the setting rather than moving elsewhere. Of course, this can be a logistical nightmare, but one participant in the breakout room I attended at the FSF conference said they were able to employ a much loved staff member just to cover lunchtimes, so staff could get their breaks. That suited both the setting's organisational needs and the staff member herself.

Interestingly, two or three participants of the breakout room I attended at the FSF conference were really delighted that they had had successful Ofsted inspections. Whilst this is obviously a great achievement and a huge relief, it was suggested that success isn't always reflected in an inspection outcome. Perhaps we're out of the habit of being able to reflect on our practice and provision and celebrate what we do well. We're part of a sector that historically hasn't felt comfortable 'blowing our own trumpets' but maybe we should do just that, and learn to identify and express what's working well for our children, families and staff.

Thanks for the link, Mundia. Just completed it. I had a problem with a couple of the questions: Do you agree with the proposal to reduce the requirement for ‘at least half of all other staff’ to be level 2 staff per ratios'? Dumbing down the sector helps nobody. At a time when we are encouraging respect for a sector that is crucial in helping children to learn and develop, we are simultaneously saying that the staff who do this, don't need to be highly qualified, nor well paid. We need to raise the status of working with our youngest children by demanding staff are well-qualified and well-paid as a result. The two must go together. I know there is a recruitment crisis but trying to solve it by reducing the requirements for certain qualifications isn't the answer. The other one was: The EYFS currently states that ‘When assessing whether an individual child is at the expected level of development, practitioners should draw on their knowledge of the child and their own expert professional judgement and should not be required to prove this through collection of physical evidence’ (2.2).DfE intends to change language from “should not be required to prove this through collection of physical evidence […]” "to are not required […]” in both versions of the framework.The aim of this change is to strengthen the Department’s position that we do not require the collection of physical evidence for assessment purposes or for partnership working with parents and carers, and to emphasise this time would be better spent focussing on quality interactions with children. Do you agree with the proposed language change around the collection of physical evidence? I really don't! Telling staff that they should not make any written records at all, nor share anything written with parents, is contradictory to the best early years practice in the world; that in New Zealand and in Italy's Reggio Emilia. No member of staff can keep everything in their heads about all their children. The best practitioners make a low number of observations, sometimes with photos or videos, to share with parents and colleagues- to discuss their progress and make plans to take their learning further. I see no reason to say explicitly that this isn't required. The worst settings will drop observations as a result of being told this, thereby leading to poorer practice and relationships with parents. Keeping records of children's learning should be a decision for each setting. I know things got really out of hand in previous years, with unmanageable demands for evidence-collecting, but the best settings didn't do this; they collected the appropriate amount of information they needed to plan for each child's learning and to share his/her development with parents and carers. Many strong early years leaders were able to see the benefits without taking staff away from interacting with the children. That is still the case, I believe. Children with SEND, or who are suspected of having SEND, need detailed records for LA purposes and to seek further help and support from multi-agency professionals. Video evidence is crucial to demonstrate the abilities and difficulties of a child with significant learning needs. Telling settings they are not required to do this, helps nobody. Finally, the best settings use observations of children in supporting staff with their professional development- to determine whether the child is developing well, or in need of challenge or support (as in Te Whaariki, Reggio, etc). Telling settings that they should not keep records anymore will make this task impossible. Given we are trying to upskill the workforce, standards will inevitable fall.