Guest Keen Posted January 9, 2009 Posted January 9, 2009 New to this forum and I was just wondered if a Nursery School ( not a nursery class on a school) has to complete the same SEF as you are discussing here or if they complete the same SEF as primary schools complete. Hoping you very knowlegable people will be able to help me here!
bubblejack Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 I am unable to log on to my account to amend something. Is anyone else having a problem. I am giving up trying to do it on-line. Over the pst 3 months I have had 3 problems and have had to speak to the ict department. What a pain!!!!!!!
Motherclanger Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 Still can't download sef form from chicken for some reason, i've got adobe version 9 so can't see thats the problem. Shame really i think it would be of great help !
Cait Posted January 11, 2009 Author Posted January 11, 2009 Try it from me then - it's a big file, mind you. You need to be patient completing_sef_from_fsf.pdf
Motherclanger Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 At last I have managed to download the sef ! many thanks to chicken and cait ! Not sure what the problem was but I can down load both now, might be something to do with my internet connection its only got a speed of 1.1 !
Gezabel Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 Just wondering if anyone has /intends to mention CAF in their SEF form??
HappyMaz Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 Just wondering if anyone has /intends to mention CAF in their SEF form?? Ooh yes - if you have experience of using the CAF then I guess it should go in. But where? Still plugging on with mine.... slowly, slowly.. Maz
Gezabel Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 Not experience as such but done the training and know the basics. In general I feel CAF needs a mention in the SEF even if only to show practitioners awareness which in turn illustrates how all children's individial needs can be met. But the 64,000 dollar question is where/which box in the SEF ???? Though ours is done and has been briefly checked at a training session we had our Children's Centre teacher in last week and she read it word for word and was very happy with it. The only suggestions she made were to take out the actual numbers of children with SEN/EAL and just put 'some children' or 'several children' as the actual numbers could vary and to include CAF. My confusion is that she suggested putting it in Section 4 box b 'helping children to stay safe' I just scrawled a note on our hard copy at the time. Now that I have come to look at it I don't think it is the right place for CAF!! This section has all about risk assessments, LCSB, security etc etc. The one area a CAF form is not used is in safeguarding issues so I think it needs to go somewhere else. I am wondering about box d 'helping children enjoy and achieve' as CAF could cover a range of issues/needs etc ANy thoughts welcome
HappyMaz Posted February 7, 2009 Posted February 7, 2009 I am wondering about box d 'helping children enjoy and achieve' as CAF could cover a range of issues/needs etc Would it depend on why the CAF is needed - each child's CAF will be different won't it? However I'd tend to agree that since the CAF is about including all children whatever their needs then 'enjoy and achieve' is a good place for it. When I actually get that far I'll let you know if it seems right! Maz
mundia Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 Dont forget that you can cross reference things so if something seems to fit in more than one place you can put *see also section...'whatever'. What about putting CAF in leadership and managment (working in partnership)?
Cait Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 UGH!!! this b****y SEF is getting more complicated by the minute!
Mouseketeer Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 you're not wrong there........have been trying to do ours on and off for a couple of weeks now, staffing issues not making this easy, would really like to have involved staff with this as a lot of it reflects their practice too, but difficult enough planning staff meetings that all can attend as it, especially with opening longer hours to meet neg entitlements, i look at guidance and think ' how the hell am i going to fit all they want in that box', then look at next and think 'thats a huge box, how am i going to fill that up'.................am just glad to read that not everyone has already finished theirs, makes me feel loads better about it.....thanks
HappyMaz Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 What about putting CAF in leadership and managment (working in partnership)? mundia thank you so much - this little bit of inspiration struck me at about 1.30 this morning and I wondred this morning whether I'd dreamt it! Good to know I'm on the right track - even if only in this one little aspect. Here's your first offering for "mundia's marvellous mentoring" - SEF completion support! You'd made a killing! Mx
Cait Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 I'm with you there, it's a nightmare! My husband says we are doing Ofsted's job - they are getting the spondooliks and laughing at us all - and he may be right!
Mouseketeer Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 tell hubby he's right.........i was wondering earlier if all these inspectors would be taking a pay cut as we've done the hard work for them........saw your comment on committees too........maybe we should give the SEF's to them to complete..what a joke !!
HappyMaz Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 i was wondering earlier if all these inspectors would be taking a pay cut as we've done the hard work for them OK so here's something positive to say about the SEF (don't chuck things at me: hear me out). I worked all day yesterday (on and off - took a break every hour or so) and initially found it really hard going. I'm not sure I've got it right yet (bit descriptive rather than analytical, I fear). BUT doing it has made me realise the things we do really well, and as I've gone along I've identified quick and easy fixes to tackle some of the things that initially worried me because I was thinking "we don't do that - HELP". Writing your SEF is a big undertaking the first time because it is something new that we haven't had to do before. We've all become much more reflective, but writing it down somehow makes it much more real and come the day Mrs Ofsted pays a visit having your SEF in place will make it much easier for you to prove what you do well, and what you need to improve on. I don't see it as doing Ofsted's work for them - I see it as a tool to help me identify what my priorities for improving my group need to be, in a more formal way. Once completed, my SEF will become my action plan wihch I will use to target investment of both time and money, in order to improve outcomes for the children in my care. In the various training events I've been to the thing that has stuck in my mind was the comment that a well-written and justifiable SEF makes the whole inspection process quicker and easier and less intimidating. That can't be a bad thing, can it? I still have a long way to go - but I do feel much better about the whole thing now I've started. Although that's not to say I won't have a few sticky moments before I get to the end! Maz
Cait Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 I think it's the trying to pull together of so many documents which makes it hard, the policies, the EYFS, our Kitemark etc etc and still find room to be analytical which makes it so daunting
Mouseketeer Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 i agree it is a useful tool and does take a critical look at what needs improving and the positives of what you do well .which i why i think all staff should be involved and even committees (though by the time its finished it'll be another committee !) and just put on one persons shoulders to get 'right'.
sam2368 Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 Just about to embark on ours and I'm planning to use the text from our QAF which is up for review too. It's been really useful to read all of your posts and I plan to print off a blank SEF and the guidance notes before attempting to present anything online. All of our team, including our chair particiapted in the QAf and I aim to use some obs a uni colleague did whilst on 2 visits to my setting so it should be comprehensive enough. Very daunting document though! Sam
HappyMaz Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 I started off by doing mine online, Sam but forgot to save it and lost about an hour's work. So I am now using a word version which I am going to print off for the staff to look at next week. What I did was log onto my SEF and then open the help files which contain the guidance. Then I copied the guidance for each question and pasted it into the beginning of the relevant section of the word document so that I had it all in the one place and could cross reference back without needing to have lots of bits of paper around me. Thus when I print it out for review I will have the guidance in the same place as my answers and hopefully that will make it easier to see whether I've included everything I need to. Does any of that make sense? Maz
Cait Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 Yes it does! Didn't you post it on here somewhere? I'm sure I downloaded one of those - now where did my computer put that?.....
HappyMaz Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 now where did my computer put that?..... Does it sometimes seem that the technology is out to get you?
sam2368 Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 I started off by doing mine online, Sam but forgot to save it and lost about an hour's work. So I am now using a word version which I am going to print off for the staff to look at next week. What I did was log onto my SEF and then open the help files which contain the guidance. Then I copied the guidance for each question and pasted it into the beginning of the relevant section of the word document so that I had it all in the one place and could cross reference back without needing to have lots of bits of paper around me. Thus when I print it out for review I will have the guidance in the same place as my answers and hopefully that will make it easier to see whether I've included everything I need to. Does any of that make sense? Maz Great tip Maz, thanks for that! My eyes are hurting from so much time spent on the pc what with assignments etc but your method sounds a lot less time consuming than my idea of writing it out by hand then having to type it all up.
Cait Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 Does it sometimes seem that the technology is out to get you? Hmm, just every day or so. Did you post it though - or someone else - or is my memory finally going....
HappyMaz Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 Hmm, just every day or so. Did you post it though - or someone else - or is my memory finally going.... No I don't think so - but here's the link to the website where you can download it. Maz
HappyMaz Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 Then I copied the guidance for each question and pasted it into the beginning of the relevant section of the word document so that I had it all in the one place and could cross reference back without needing to have lots of bits of paper around me. I've just noticed that the online help doesn't contain all the questions from the Guidance document - so I'm cutting and pasting some of that into it too! It does mean my word version of the SEF is fiendishly long even without many of the answers filled in. I think it is also important to take the advice in the guidance and refer to other documents and websites too - I'm not suggesting you should just use the electronic help/guidance alone because that might be dangerous and I would hate to have that on my conscience! Maz
mundia Posted February 8, 2009 Posted February 8, 2009 Im sure Chicken will pop along and correct or otherwise but her version was one that included some notes she had made at some training she attended.
Cait Posted February 8, 2009 Author Posted February 8, 2009 I'll have to open them both together and have a look (Chicken's and Ofsted's)
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