Conference feedback

[sarah707]

Communication Friendly Spaces

2 ladies from Elizabeth Jarman Ltd - http://www.elizabethjarmanltd.co.uk/cfs.php crawled around the floor, reminding us to view the world we create for children from their viewpoint!

Check for drafts, make sure the carpet or flooring is clean and smells nice, keep things calm and relaxed, do not over-clutter your resources, keep down the noise, use natural lighting where possible...

Most importantly remember that when you want to relax, you usually go for a curl up somewhere soft and cosy. Is there anywhere like that in your home that the children can use? What about outside - can the children relax and curl up with cushions and blankets on a bench?


Safeguarding

Catherine Rushforth from Catherine Rushforth and Associates Training (new website due to be launched soon) talked about safeguarding children.

She advised all of us to write a code of conduct related to safeguarding and referenced a booklet ‘Guidance for Safer working practice for adults who work with children and young people’, Nov 2007 as a useful publication when writing the code.

Here are some of the ideas she talked about for including in your code of conduct – how we protect children through observation... how working with parents and other agencies protects children... our own high expectations of how we work with children ... our understanding that early intervention can make a huge difference in children’s lives... a commitment to protecting children from abuse... Whistleblowing policies... confidentiality policies... robust safeguarding procedures... ‘What to do if you think a child is being abused’ paperwork...


Ofsted

They mostly gave details that we already know from this thread here –
http://childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/...are+registe r

... about how the Childcare Register has been updated to bring complaints and some of the assistants issues in line with the EYFS.

They confirmed that if we offer wrap around care, we should not be looking to meet all 6 areas of learning and development with every child each day. Instead we need to offer a complementary care, that recognises the child has been busy at school all day. So long as we focus on PSED and the children are happy to play and rest in our care, then we are meeting their needs.

They also said that simple observations that say something are better than reams of paper that means nothing to the reader... and doesn’t do anything to support the child’s future learning and development. We should be making simple notes, keeping samples of work with notes attached to explain the process the child took to make the work (picture, model photo etc), using photos to show what the child does, sharing information with parents, linking things to the EYFS and explaining to parents how next steps work, so they can support children at home... these are the things that will get us good inspection results.

About the SEF – the updated version might not be online until the end of October BUT it will (or should) contain all information from any SEF you have uploaded already... this is what is causing the delay apparently. I still say back up your original... you never know!

Advice for completing the SEF - keep your SEF to the point, involve parents and children when writing it, evaluate what you do and whether it works... and make sure you cover the statutory bits of the EYFS.


Observation

There was a fascinating talk about observation by the head of a Dorset school. She was so enthusiastic about how observation can really make a difference if it’s done right!

She said that it’s not just about watching and listening to children and making notes... we should also observe the environment and ourselves!

Children – what are they telling us? How can we improve things for them? What might they enjoy next? How do we know?

Environment – how do we use the space? Is it set out for the children? Can they move around? Do the resources meet their needs?

Ourselves – what did we do really well today? What could we improve? Who can help us to get better?

Most important of all is to include the child’s voice in our observations... write down what the child has said and ask for his comments... it is his learning journey after all!



I had THE BEST day!

I was welcomed and included and it was just great to hear lots of positive things said about childminders.

I hope I’ve managed to share some of it with you and maybe inspire you to make a new cosy space, update your safeguarding policy or observe yourself just a little more closely next time you have some free time.