Cait Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Okay, I'm fighting with our form, like many will be this Christmas, and I've made a start.... Has anyone got a SEF they have completed which has been seen by Ofsted and 'approved' which they are willing to share on here? I know they'll all be vastly different as we are all very discrete settings, but some idea of what looks good would be a big help! Anyone? Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 I guess not then. Oh well, was worth a try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runnymede Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I've been patiently waiting for someone to post a completed SEF too. Let's start begging !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aan Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 sorry not completed mine yet, still battling our way through it. Spending all our time doing ieps, learning journals, observations, key worker meetings weekly planning oh and interact with the children if theres time. How do they think we have the time !! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I think perhaps there have been no replies as each one will be very individual. We have made a good start on ours but only on paper and it is very rough. Again that could be another reason for no replies as we are all a bit in the dark as it is all so new and not many people have really got going on them yet. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I am attending a SEF and Ofsted course on thursday. I will let you know if I learn anything useful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 Woo - thankyou! I went to a SEF training months ago - but it was dreadful. They just read it to us - ooh - big help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 i have lots on paper from staff meetings and notes from chats with parents, committee, children, brought it all home with the intention of getting it done over the hols, i sat for 2.5 hours early on and got about 3 bits done and then daughter got home from uni and family took over. i have been on a sef course but that was months ago and the notes i took made sense then but could be in mandarin for all the sense i can make of them now taking daughter back to uni on sat which gives me Sunday and Monday to get sef done learning stories up to date and planning folders sorted, i think the trouble is that unless its been through an osfted we're flying blind, and to be honest what has been approved by one inspector in one area might not be seen in the same light by another in another area as seen by the very many contradictions from the inspections themselves, one of the few things i do remember from the training was don't just describe what you do but why you do it what evidence there is it works and how you will / would change it (to show reflective practice) the example they gave was our staff model positive behaviour within the setting, showing good examples of behaviour and consistently encouraging the children to negotiate, turn take and share the resourses we do this because .........................(i have put in my notes that we are focusing on the personal and social aspects of being in a group?) we observe examples of this being continued in the children's play when the adults are not present in the home corner, with the train tracks and in their outside play. we will continue through staff training to ensure the consistency of staff's approach to modelling and reinforcing good behaviour thats just one teeny bit of one part so the key is to be brief!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb124 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Chicken- if that is a Kent SEF course i think you will find it has been cancelled? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 sorry havnt started mine yet - shhhhhhhhhhhhh dont tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 sorry havnt started mine yet - shhhhhhhhhhhhh dont tell Nor me. I make it my policy never to do anything before hali does - maintains the organised/disorganised balance in life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathrich Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I haven't done mine either - phew - I'm glad I'm not alone!!! The list of jobs is just never ending isn't it??!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 you could be waiting a while then M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I would agree with Linda, that it is something very personal and Im not sure that sharing them publically is a good idea. Im sure that as people get used to it, we can share ideas for each section eg things yu might include in this bit or that bit Its a good idea to make a start on it, it will always be a work in progress, but having some notes or a staff meeting to talk about a particular section is a plan. Once you get going, it will get easier, and if you are involved in any kind of quality improvement programme, then use that as your starting point. Go on, make a start... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMaz Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I would agree with Linda, that it is something very personal and Im not sure that sharing them publically is a good idea. I agree mundia: especially if you are as reflective and self-critical as I am! T'woud make your hair stand on end! I'm going to do mine. Soon. Well I'm going to add it to my 'to do' list. Probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestar Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Well I have done mine and it took us ages - myself and my partner worked on it for hours!! I dont think posting it would be a good idea as it is totally reflective of how our setting runs - however I would say make a start and look at the guidence notes on line as you do each section as it really tells you what they are looking for. Our EYA went through ours with us to make sure it was ok and she said we had made an excellent job of it but we will see what the big O think Good luck to anyone starting theirs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoebe123 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi there, Yes,it does take ages. I did ours together with the manager and it took us hours! It is a good idea to look at the guidance. Also, do a page preview to check that what you write fits into the box, as the one on the screen looks bigger and when you print it off some words get omitted. It is all very small, so you have to be really selective with words. Other thing is that it is quite difficult to go back to previous pages. Oh, and don't forget to press the save button every time, or all your hard work will disappear into the ether! I agree with other posts, it is very personal to each setting. Good luck with it all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiles Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I went on a course just before christmas -stlll havent started mine. Dont have my notes too hand but remeber being told Ofsted took a dim view if you havent completed it - even worth doing just notes. They advised looking at and using the guidance not just stated what you do but why you do . They also said it might e a good idea to get smoene from another setting to visit and look at your and see you are doing what you say in your SEF - Ive arranged for someone to come to see ours and I am going to do the same for them. smiles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gezabel Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Thankfully ours is done but it did seem to take forever and a day! We eventually went on the training which was presented by an ex OFSTED inspector. At the end of the session we asked her to look at our completed SEF to see if we were on the right lines. She liked what she saw - phew! The emphasis seems to be on not just describing what you do but evaluating it and illustrating how practice impacts on children. As others have said they are so personal to each setting it wouldn't be terribly helpful to post a completed one. I have had a quick look through to see if I can give an example and here is a part of our 'being healthy section': Children wash their hands before snack/lunch and after going to the toilet or being involved in messy activities. They understand that we can’t see germs but they can be spread and are encouraged in using and disposing of tissues and covering their mouth when coughing. The ex-inspector was really positive about this bit saying it clearly illustrated how practice impacts on children's learning For 'helping children to stay safe' we awarded ourselves outstanding and in the box for improvements wrote: Children's safety is a top priority and under constant review. Whilst there are currently no areas for improvement staff remain vigilant and are proactive in: •Keeping abreast of new and emerging legislation relevant to all child protection and safety issues. •Ensuring that the sound policies and procedures are put into practice at all times. For this the inspector said it was 'succinct and very well written' Don't know if this helps at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Oh it certainly does, thankyou. I'm going to look through our accreditation file for some good phrases! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gezabel Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Ooops! I forgot to say that when completing the SEF we had the guidance alongside and constantly checked to see we had included all the bullet points for each section mentioned in the guidance. Another thing is that we did not do it 'online' straight away. I downloaded the SEF and saved as a word document. Printed a blank and we scrawled all over it in pencil (soon discovered this was preferable to pen!!) when we were happy with the scrawls we typed it up. We then read/re-read and amended wording so that it 'read better' . I couldn't imagine doing it straight online but of course we are all different. Good luck to everyone tackling the 'delightful'!!!! thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breedon Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have made a file ... downloaded the blank form, the guidance and the notes from insepctions posted on this site. I have also got a paper copy of our last inspection report and a report from a local setting who gained excellents all round. I am pretty fed up spending ALL my waking hours doing pre school stuff so have scheduled 2 Thursdays with a parent helper in to cover me where I'll make a start. I then have a SEF training course on 28th Jan which I hope will bring it all together! As it is "optional" it seems we are all being very much forced to get it done and now! On a positive note it will help focus the mind on aspects for improvement .... always useful! Jane @ Breedon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Ours is most definitely 'work in progress' and not fast progress at that. We will do it in chunks and look at specific bits at each staff meeting. If we have it on our agenda a brief minute afterwards I'm hoping that will cover us!! It is just such a mammoth task that it has to take a back seat cos I still believe its more important to focus on the children, no matter what! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 thas what im planning to do LJW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherclanger Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I'm getting very stressed about the dreaded SEF, we have never filled in a se form before and to tell you the truth don't know where to start ! We are now starting back this term with the second supervisor in five weeks and its just chaos ! The new lady is very keen but has no experience and was the only person that applied for the job, and I who was the supervisor until last summer and only for eighteen month (as it was pure hell !) have no experience either didn't know there was a form until I read it on here ! We have not been offered any training on the sef and now have had an invitation to a pre-inspection workshop so they must think we will be inspected soon. All in all i'm in a blind panic as nothing has been really achieved in the group for two years, the last committee was a complete waste of time and did nothing at all. It left the group in a complete mess with no CRB form being completed, no First Aid training only one staff member and many, many problem that I won't bore you with. If someone sat us down and showed us what sort of thing we were suppose to put on the SEF and how detailed, it would be a great help but at the moment we are rushing around like headless chickens getting nothing done ! We have tried to concentrate on the children and keep the preschool consist but with so many staff changes i've had to go back to help three times already and I am going back for good in Feb as deputy just to try and keep this on an even keel for a while and help sort the preschool out ! Not sure if this will happen but I'm determined to get everything right this time, you could say its a bit of an obsession or that I'm just passionate about the group being successful!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I do hope things get better soon. I have been on the SEF course today, luckily it wasn't cancelled as I did actually find it quite useful! Which makes a change We were told that the Sef needs to be completed by ALL staff, EYAT suggested completing just one section at a time, paper copy, then photo copy, give to all staff who then add anything that they can think of. You then enter all this information into the online form, save it, then move onto the next section. You then keep the paper copy as evidence that all staff have had an input. Look at your old ofsted reports, make sure that you have completed any recommendations from last visit, also look for sentences beginning with 'however' and 'but' as these should indicate what points you could use for your improvment points. You can also cross reference so as not to keep repeating yourself, you just write in the box CR then the letter of the box you are cr to. Boxes are labelled 'a to n'. Make sure that you have SEN and multicultural points in your evaluation. Have a look at some new inspections on line to see what's in them. I have uploaded, I hope, the handout we were given, its the SEF form but with the points from the guidance inserted to make it easier, it also shows you which eyfs cards to use and which sections you can CR with. I have written notes on what you can use as evidence in you evaluation boxes, example section 2 views of those who use the setting. Views of parents you could say that you use parental questionaires, parents evenings, suggestion boxes, volenteers, then show how you use this information to change your provision. Sorry I am starting to waffle on! I hope that helps, even just a little bit! SEF.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks, this is helpful, the cards bit will be useful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherclanger Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Many thanks Chicken at last something that makes sense ! This is a great help perhaps we can get started soon ! Having trouble down loading the written notes for some reason but will try again later, my internet connection and speed are rubbish where I live so maybe a problem with that ! Not sure things will get better but I can hope ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherclanger Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hi Chicken ! Sorry to be a pain but I can't seem to download your sef notes, would it be possible to attach the file again ? to see if this makes any difference. Not sure why it won't load I can download most others, but i'm not a real whizz on the computer ! thanks MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hi Chicken !Sorry to be a pain but I can't seem to download your sef notes, would it be possible to attach the file again ? to see if this makes any difference. Not sure why it won't load I can download most others, but i'm not a real whizz on the computer ! thanks MC It's a PDF file so you need some like Adobe. If you have this then perhaps you need to update it to a newer version. See here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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