FSFRebecca

Hi Poppy33,

Settling is one of my bugbears and when we started (15 years ago) I had to remind parents that it's not about them, it's about the child. Now we have a reputation for extended settling and it does work out in the long run. So, about a month before they are due to start we ask the parents to bring their child for 2 or 3 'stay and play' 1/2 hours at the times and days that they are planning to attend when they start (so they get to know the routines, staff and other children who also attend on that day). We tell the parent that the point at which the child leaves their side and goes to play in a different place in the room is the time when the parent can leave the room. We then ask for the parent to attend with the child but to leave them with their key person and not to go in the room (that gives us time to practise the hellos and goodbyes). Once the child can manage this well we have a one hour session and we allow the parent to leave the site. Assuming this all goes well, the child can start. We don't charge for any of our settling sessions. We allow a month and some parents end up coming almost every day. Other children settle almost instantly and we then ask them just to pop in a couple of times before they start for an hour 'stay and play' just to keep them familiar with the nursery.

My view would be that even though you know something is going to change you still have to be the best you can be for the current requirements. 

Is there anything in our resource area that's useful?

I would also say that they children's contributions are represented in the activities taking place in the setting. Maybe if it's something that you are worried about for moderation or insepction you could use the Tapestry 'tagging' facility to 'mark' activities that have come from children's ideas and interests. You could make a #child'scontribution tag.Then, when Ofsted come or when you are moderated you could search for that particular tag and talk about how it works (In terms of inspections, don't forget that evidence doesn't have to be something that you 'give' to an inspector, it can be something you tell an inspector about. For an inspector, evidence is sorted into DOCS (documents e.g. safeguarding policy), OBS (e.g. watching a member of staff counting children into and out of the garden to ensure that no one is left behind) and DISC (discussion e.g. staff explaining how they would report any concerns they might have))

Hope that helps, here is the tutorial explaining how to use tagging in case you are not sure.

19 hours ago, finleysmaid said:

thank you...it's a safeguarding issue but one of those do I don't I scenarios not sure I have enough detail atm!!!

Have you spoken to your LADO - I was on a course this week and they were expressing their availability for a chat to talk through anything pertaining to safeguarding. Maybe if you gave them a call you could clarify your thoughts?

3 hours ago, finleysmaid said:

I need to send ofsted a message....where can I send a secure message to them? (being a bit dim maybe but just can't find the right info atm!!!)

At the bottom of this page is the different emails and the telephone numbers, plus the online notification forms: Contact Ofsted

1 hour ago, sunnyday said:

When I got to 'baby Jesus in his manger' 'J' aged 4 was really excited and said...…... "Oh I know, it's a barbecue"!

Excellent deduction skills there!

We have just posted an interview we carried out recently with our colleague Tim. Tim works part time as a childminder and part time at FSF HQ as part of our IT team, he is also able to help with Tapestry and childminder related issues.

Being a childminder - FSF Tim shares his experience

Figures released by the DfE at the end of last week (29/11) highlighted the fall in  new entrants to an early years teacher training course in the 2018/2019 academic year. Figures this year, at 365, are down from 550 last year. You can read the figures here (p13 pertains to early years). In their report 'It all starts here' Save the Children describe the fall as indicative of the EYT workforce crisis and they urge the Government to act before it is too late.

This ongoing decrease in Early Years staff holding higher level qualifications was raised at the first session of the APPG inquiry, you can read what was said here.

17 minutes ago, hali said:

I need to come to work with you with my mabel 

The more the merrier - what could possibly go wrong?! 

Why the world is becoming more allergic to food (link to BBC piece online)

Around the world, children are far more likely than ever before to develop food allergies.

Recent inquiries into the deaths of two British teenagers after eating sesame and peanut highlighted the sometimes tragic consequences. In August, a six-year-old girl in Western Australia died as the result of a dairy allergy.

The rise in allergies in recent decades has been particularly noticeable in the West. Food allergy now affects about 7% of children in the UK and 9% of those in Australia, for example. Across Europe, 2% of adults have food allergies.

Life-threatening reactions can be prompted even by traces of the trigger foods, meaning patients and families live with fear and anxiety. The dietary restrictions which follow can become a burden to social and family lives.

While we can't say for sure why allergy rates are increasing, researchers around the world are working hard to find ways to combat this phenomenon.

What causes an allergy?
An allergy is caused by the immune system fighting substances in the environment that it should see as harmless, known as allergens.

These innocent substances become targets, leading to allergic reactions.

Symptoms range from skin redness, hives and swelling to - in the most severe cases - vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing and anaphylactic shock.

Some of the most common foods for children to be allergic to are:

• milk
• eggs
• peanuts
• tree nuts (eg walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, brazil nuts, pecans)
• sesame
• fish
• shellfish (eg crustaceans and molluscs)

Where are food allergies most likely to occur?
The frequency of food allergy has increased over the past 30 years, particularly in industrialised societies. Exactly how great the increase is depends on the food and where the patient lives.

For example, there was a five-fold increase in peanut allergies in the UK between 1995 and 2016.

A study of 1,300 three-year-olds for the EAT Study at King's College London, suggested that 2.5% now have peanut allergies.

Australia has the highest rate of confirmed food allergy. One study found 9% of Australian one-year-olds had an egg allergy, while 3% were allergic to peanuts.

Some possible explanations
There is no single explanation for why the world is becoming more allergic to food, but science has some theories.

One is that improved hygiene is to blame, as children are not getting as many infections.

Parasitic infections, in particular, are normally fought by the same mechanisms involved in tackling allergies. With fewer parasites to fight, the immune system turns against things that should be harmless.

Another idea is that vitamin D can help our immune system develop a healthy response, making us less susceptible to allergies. Most populations around the world do not get enough vitamin D for several reasons, including spending less time in the sun. In the US, the rate of vitamin D deficiency is thought to have almost doubled in just over a decade.

A newer, "dual allergen exposure" theory, suggests food allergy development is down to the balance between the timing, dose and form of exposure.

For example, the development of the allergy antibodies can take place through the skin, particularly through inflamed skin in babies with eczema.

But it is thought that eating trigger foods during weaning can lead to a healthy response and prevent the allergy developing, because the gut's immune system is prepared to tolerate bacteria and foreign substances, such as food.

This was the basis for King's College London's LEAP Study, which showed about an 80% reduction in peanut allergy in five-year-old children who regularly ate peanut from the year they were born.

This study led to changes in US guidelines about peanut consumption in infancy. UK parents have been advised to consult their GP first.

The recent deaths of UK teenagers suffering from food allergies highlight the human impact of this condition, and the importance of clear and accurate labelling.

There is currently no cure for food allergy, and managing the condition relies on avoiding the offending foods and on an emergency treatment plan in case of exposure.

But even making an initial diagnosis is challenging. The main way to identify food allergies is for a patient to gradually eat increased amounts of that food under medical supervision.

However, this is distressing for children, and has the risk of causing an allergic reaction. The accompanying tests of their immune systems' reaction can also give a false positive in non-allergic children.

At King's College London we have developed an alternative; a blood test which has proved accurate in diagnosing peanut allergy compared with existing methods.

These tests now cover the foods responsible for 90% of children's allergies, and will hopefully be available to patients in the next couple of years.

Even following a successful diagnosis, avoiding trigger foods is difficult and accidental reactions are common.

Allergen immunotherapy - administering small amounts of the substance - has been shown to reduce the sensitivity of allergic patients and can protect against accidental exposure.

A recent immunotherapy drug trial found 67% of peanut-allergic subjects could consume the equivalent of two peanut kernels after a year, compared to 4% of the control group. Nevertheless, they are still allergic.

Other treatments are being investigated for food allergy, and are much needed.

In the meantime, allergies will remain a source of worry and part of daily life for the children and their parents.

About this piece

This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from an expert working for an outside organisation.

Dr Alexandra Santos is a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Department of Paediatric Allergy, King's College London.

We thought you might like to see the stressful working environment that prevails here at FSF HQ. This is our office today (Sue and I). Boxer dog is mine, little dog belongs to Tim.

Hello and welcome to our wonderful Forum 

As you can already see our lovely members are keen to help and offer advice, support or virtual hugs as required! 

Can you post a copy of the audit that you have been asked to do and then we can help? It might be something that we all do, but call by a different name.

21 hours ago, sunnyday said:

Goodness - poor Mr S had to remove two doors to allow access for the delivery men trying to get the new fridge/freezer in  good news is it is now 'in' and I can switch it on in another 30 minutes - please all keep everything crossed that it works! 

Phone call this afternoon from one of my lovely daughters-in-law asking if 'middle granddaughter' could stay over tonight - of course, no problem - just a big, big, sort out as her room was full of Christmas presents! 

I see your smileys are back? I was about to launch a search party (or ask one of our Developers to find them for you) 

On 11/19/2018 at 16:28, zigzag said:

But don’t you need to put the disclosure number on the EY2?

I've had a response from Dee:

Dear Rebecca

Apologies for the delay. I can confirm that an EY2 can be submitted to the Ofsted online application system without a DBS number on it.

Best wishes

Dee Coleman

Principal Officer, Early Years

Education Policy Team

Ofsted

Hopefully that clarifies everything 

16 hours ago, finleysmaid said:

how do you find out what your parents do? we used to ask but since GDPR i've taken it out. None of my parents seem to want to take time off work to come and do anything like this!

Idle chit chat! ... and I also collar people at parents evening. Some companies give time off for voluntary work - it's worth asking 

2 hours ago, finleysmaid said:

What allergies have you got in the group? might be able to pass on some simple bits if I know what to avoid!

Nuts, eggs, dairy (not all the same child) ... and we're trying to be lower sugar!

I saw comments on the site about trying to cater for allergies and also remaining mindful of healthy eating .... if you've got a suitable recipe can you post it here, we have lots of allergies at our setting and we are also trying to be 'low(er) sugar'?

7 minutes ago, finleysmaid said:

Hahummm ….should I be the first to point out that you have broken your own rule 7 times in that previous post Sue

Are you sure you want to go there FM? I'll hold your coat

2 hours ago, Stargrower said:

Wow, Rebecca your community theme sounds wonderful!  It's inspired me to think about doing something similar in the new year.

It is great - we love it. Once you start asking people you find more come along - we'll talk to anyone () we had the tree surgeon one year! We also go to our local care home and do activities with them twice a month. It's very informal but we feel it's much more effective than a 'mad month' of visits and visitors 

The meeting held in London on Wednesday 14^th November reconfirmed the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Child Care and Early Education for another year. Chair, Tulip Siddiq, was joined by MPs committed to representing the early years sector. With the MPs in place the inquiry into the financial sustainability of the sector was launched. The parliamentarians in attendance quizzed witnesses regarding the financial sustainability of the sector.

As you will have read in the sector press* and in the MPs' own press releases there was wide representation from the sector including parents, nursery owners and managers, membership and training organisations. It was unsurprising that the views held were unanimous – reducing childcare and education costs for parents is a positive move by Government. However, due to insufficient funding providers cannot implement the policy and remain financially viable in the long term.

The calculations upon which the funding is based are outdated and inaccurate. Providers face rising costs due to large increases in National Minimum Wage, pensions, business rates and training contributions. Additionally, many nurseries have had to employ administrators purely to manage the 30 hours scheme. The administration is further complicated by varying requirements from different local authorities.

The experience for parents has been patchy. Although relatively easy to sign up online, the ongoing code renewals has been problematic. Both parents and providers report that the 30 hours scheme has tested their relationship. Providers have had to make charges to cover their shortfall and parents have resented that the scheme is not free. Parents feel that the description ’30 hours free’ is misleading – the Government do not explain to parents that the funding is only for 38 weeks a year. There was irritation that if you work all year round, the funding covers only 22 hours a week.

Given that there was shared understanding and agreement between the witnesses the questions from MPs moved to ask what could be done to improve the situation.

Thoughts such as ‘remove the word ‘free’ from the offer and call it ‘funded’’, ‘remove the business rates liability’ or ‘remove the VAT liability’ were offered as possible ways of alleviating the financial stresses for the sector.

Lord Russell of Liverpool suggested that the sector needed more evidence to convince MPs that there was an issue with the funding as at the moment the Government were adamant that the scheme was working – because parents are happy.

The second panel of witnesses: National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), Pre-school Learning Alliance (PLA), CEEDA and CACHE shared a frustration that a great deal of evidence has already been submitted and yet more was considered necessary. It was clear from the MPs that there potentially was a ‘certain’ piece of evidence required; a piece that would be easily understandable and which would provide the catalyst for change. Research evidence from PLA and NDNA (England Annual survey report (1).pdf)  was felt to be too subjective and therefore too easily rejected with ‘Well, you would say that wouldn’t you?’ CEEDA research on the other hand was recognised as being independent and objective. It was more research of this nature that the sector needed to provide.

Julie Hyde, Director of Cache, shared some shocking figures with the MPs. Ofqual had reported a significant reduction in candidates achieving a full and relevant qualification at Level 3 and a similarly falling number of candidates achieving at Level 2. This downward trajectory for qualifications will impact significantly on settings.

This made me think that those of us that are qualified to a high level will be looking to retire in the next 10 – 15 years, if there are not the numbers of staff achieving qualifications coming up behind them – what will happen to settings? Who will be sufficiently qualified and experienced to run them? We know that the Government tell us that 93% of providers are Good or Outstanding yet these excellent results are the outcome of previous investment in early years, such as the Graduate Leader fund. Now that investment has ceased, these strong inspection outcomes will decrease (Rebecca FSF)

Jo Verrill, Managing Director, Ceeda, put it succinctly “the 30 hours has taken away the capacity for the sector to support and invest in itself”.

The concern ‘that the Minister only counts ‘that parents are paying less’ as a measure of success’ was voiced frequently during the discussions.

There was considerable debate about the possible ways forward with a strong feeling that although the ideas mooted such as ‘remove the word ‘free’ from the offer and call it ‘funded’’, ‘remove the business rates liability’ or ‘remove the VAT liability’ would help in the short term, they were not long-term solutions. The long-term solution is to fund the ‘free’ offer properly.

It is not fair that providers are ‘managing and muddling’ (Ruth George MP). It is well evidenced that early interventions and high-quality early years provision improves outcomes for children. If nurseries are struggling it becomes a downward spiral which will impact on the 0-5s and will affect them later in life. There needs to be respect for the sector and what they are doing for the benefit of future generations.

Witnesses were asked to identify their ‘wish’ for the sector. Among the responses were the following:

• Appoint an independent panel to review sector costs annually, and adjust funding rates accordingly
• Treat providers with respect and trust them.
• Allow the funding money to be used to suit the parents – if they want to go to a more expensive setting, let them pay a ‘top up’
• Provide clarity regarding the policy goals: are we trying to improve outcome for children (a DfE goal) by getting more children access to high quality early years provisions. Or, are we trying to get two parents back to work (a DWP goal)?

It was clear at the end of the discussion that the sector representatives had articulated their issues with clarity and that the MPs understood their very real concerns for the future sustainability of the PVI sector. The second session of the inquiry (12^th December) will hear further from sector experts and treasury select committee members.

 *Press reports about the inquiry

Tulip Siddiq MP

Daynurseries.co.uk

NDNA

We don't really 'do' themes .... but we have a running 'community' theme. We have so far had visits from an Ambulance crew, the Police, the Fire service, a visually impaired man and his guide dog, the local Postman, an air steward, a dentist. Each time we have a visitor we take lots of photos and when I get them developed (I use Truprint) I get a poster made. The poster is a kind of collage of all the photos. I do one for each room and they have it on the wall so that they children can see and talk about it. For our two year olds we might 'tweak' our role play to include some suitable outfits and props. Other than that, we wouldn't go thematic - unless the children made it clear they were 'playing' with the 'people who help us' idea.

18 hours ago, sunnyday said:

Hmmm - will need to check with Sue - do we have permission to use the c word yet?

14th  - that's a nice date to finish - we have Monday to make up - er can't remember why now - so we sort of finish on 18th but have our party 19th December - it's all going to fly by now!

I think you're alright - she's had her invitation to the FSF Christmas party this week and she hasn't exploded 

5 minutes ago, zigzag said:

But don’t you need to put the disclosure number on the EY2?

I'm not sure - I'll get back to you (scuttles off to send another email) 

Welcome to FSF! Well done on making your first post! I will give some of our SEN specialists a little nudge for you to see if we can find some examples of what you are after! 

On 18/10/2018 at 08:46, zigzag said:

Just to confirm, I cannot send the EY3 until all the DBS and EY2 are complete? Is this correct?

This is the response back from Ofsted:

"I can confirm that providers must notify new committee members through the EY3 and EY2 forms. Under the terms of paragraph 3.78 of the ‘Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage’ such changes should be notified as soon as possible but in any event, no later than 14 days after the change has occurred. The EY2 and EY3 forms can be submitted before the DBS application has been made." Dee Coleman. Principal Officer, Early Years Education Policy Team. Ofsted (14.11.18)

So, waiting for the DBS doesn't need to hold up the EY2 and EY3 forms

Hope that helps