Sef

[Shiny]

It is a nightmare!! I don't have internet access at work, I too will have to do it at home in my own time. Another 8 hours they owe me!!

[Guest]

I'm a childminder and have looked at my 30 page SEF and the 30 pages of guidance on several occasions and still not completed it!

 

There "may" be a training course run locally about SEF "sometime" but in the meantime the Network are saying do nothing as I was inspected last November and don't need to panic. (I hope they're right )

 

I can't help wondering who (if anyone!) knows exactly what is supposed to be included and how quickly Ofsted want them submitted.

 

A headteacher friend completed theirs during the 6 week holiday and Ofsted arrived last week (thought they'd arrive next month)

 

The SEF was "frozen" from the time Ofsted rang to say they were coming. (It does say in the guidance notes that this will happen)

 

Ofsted also phoned the day before the Inspection started to discuss some of the areas of the SEF - an hour long conversation!

 

Not sure if this is because it's a primary school and things are done differently!?

 

Is it possible that submitting your SEF triggers a visit from Ofsted sooner rather than later if you have an Inspection due?

 

Do they choose to visit a setting with a completed SEF as a priority over one without?

 

Could this be because the've just been trained to inspect with a SEF?

 

How lovely it would be to find out!

 

Nona

[Guest]

Well we just got ours sef printed off...nightmare!! Just given out questionnaire to parents this week ( I came up with format) to try and get back for half term to possibly look at then! Hubby is teacher and had to do one for his Department so depending on him to view ours! But like most of you do not know where to start! As if we havent got enough to do! Committee alo want to get involved...goood idea? Its finding the time to do it. I have had a go at it myelf and managed to do the first section only! Not experienced enough at this. Im also doing alot unpaid at the moment...reading up on things, sorting learning journeys out, filing etc etc. If we claimed for all we did their would be no more money in the pot. Also doing 2 lots of courses per week at night plus as well as working at pre-school i have night time job at sainsburys...nightmare!

[korkycat]

Derbyshire have promised us £200 to help fund training and time to do our SEF so at least we can get paid for some of the hours it is taking! korkycat

[Guest]

Isn't this situation ridiculous! I have staff questioning the whole process, are we doing the Inspectors job for them?

We want to complete the SEF as a team, but as mentioned earlier, no internet access at work, the committee have had to pay 6 of us 8 hours extra wages already which has just covered 'looking through and jotting notes!' Where is the money to pay us for this extra burden? I really had to smile (although I find it quite sad really) that some areas are putting on training regarding how to complete a form??????? Something definately not right with the whole process if this is the case.

[Inge]

ours has done just that..

but it was more informative and really only touched on the form itself,

it was more about reflective practice, how to achieve this well,

how the SEF is not compulsory and if we choose not to so long as we can show effective reflective practice in some form this is fine...

how it cannot be done quickly and needs time to reflect to make it a working document, etc etc..

was a good session, and actually as a setting as we already do reflective practice which is working and have done for years, documented and actually completed a bit every month, that the SEF will wait.... And if we find we can complete it we will but the children and working with them and implementing what we have already done it is much more important.

 

Think we have a bit of a militant streak in our setting! But we have very effective documents in place doing just this for 4 years now.. why duplicate it..

 

Inge

[lynned55]

Really Inge, can we chose not to do so? I am just in processs of finishing off stage 3 of PSLA re-accreditation and that is a huge document on refective practise on the old 14 national standards, so I must admit although I've been moaning about it I do have a good idea of what to put in it. I wonder if I would get away with producing a copy of this in place of SeF, not due an inspection for another 2+ years so will be out of date by then.

Is anyone who was inspected within the last year doing theirs? I would be so cross to do all that now and find that come our inspection things have changed yet again. Our last inspection was 18 months later then it should have been because of changes to everything. Got a 2-4 years & they turned up nearly five years after the last one!!

[Inge]

that is what we were told, and I have read it somewhere but cannot find out where.. it was I think in a letter from Ofsted which they sent sometime in the summer.. but passed it on to the new manager so do not have it here

 

as we already do self evaluation in our accreditation scheme which covers all that is asked and is updated regularly, every year we have to resubmit, showing progress which is what is looked for, we will continue with this and may transfer it to the SEF as we go along, but will not be rushing to do it!

 

we would rather be doing the things than writing them all down again.. Don't know how this will affect our inspection but as parents are happy, lea are happy with what we do, the children are doing well, happy and enjoy coming, local schools recommend us as they are pleased with the children they receive from us we are not overly worried ....

 

Inge

[Guest]

Hi - completing and submitting the Ofsted SEF is not mandatory, but - some sort of SEF would be beneficial. If you look at the Ofsted website, especially recent reports, there is a part which the Inspector makes a judgement called

How effective is the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement?

[Guest]

Talking of SEF, have just started reading guidance and it fills me with dread, have only 2 members left on committee, staff busy training, its going to be down to me to look through, make notes, take back to staff discuss, re-do and then discuss with committee! I haven't enough hours in my day as it is (look at the time I'm on this web site). Any way enough drivel can anybody please help me in devising a questionairre to parents in order that I may complete a part of this form.

 

Any help at all would be greatly accepted. I love this site it has been my saving grace in my darkest moments thinking that I am the only person struggling to keep my head above water.

 

Thank you

Debbie

[Guest]

Sorry am now a little more awake. I have done a search and found some that Peggy had posted (thank you Peggy).

 

Would still be interested in any others out there

 

thanks Debbie

[Lyanne]

We've been doing our county's own SEF for a few years so hadn't realised we needed to do Ofsted's own one (well, I hadn't realised it was county SEF not Ofsted's in the first place). Manager has downloaded the guidance and form and we'll tackle it slowly. If they come before we're done, they can have the old one (we reviewed that in June so it's pretty up-to-date) and whatever we've done of the new one.

[Guest]

just started mine today I have been putting it off as I know I will have no help from staff. I feel a bit better now Ive started it will be a slow journey but hopefully a rewarding one. Has anyone had any training ? our authority doesnt seem to do any

sue

[Guest]

You've got to the see the funny side of this SEF form though, What about the end of the welfare section- I've just written a paragraph for each of the 5 outcomes and then the section at the end which is just 'welfare' Hmmm you might be wondering, what to put in that. Check the help section and it says 'refer to your previous five answers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why cant the inspectors refer to the previous five answers????????????? Okay that's all for now, back to the dudgery of the form, I cant submit my staff to such mindless repetition of the same thing.....)

[Guest]

still repeating the same thing... 3 hours later

[hali]

oh dear - would a glass of wine help??????

[Guest]

I haven't used this before so here we go. I am having trouble understanding the SEF, am I supposed to submit each box when completed on line to ofsted? How do i print out a copy to keep in the setting if when you type in the box all the writting just scroles up so it doesnt print out everything you have typed. I am having to do this at home as we do not have internet access at pre school so quite difficult to do it in a 'team'

Has anyone got these answers!!

[Guest]

I also have no internet access at work so I have printed off a blank form from the website( about 35 pages !!!!) to take to our staff meeting so the whole staff team can contribute to the form. When it is finished I will post it to Ofsted and keep a photocopy for us.