Panicking Now - Have I Done Everything

[mrsbat]

Ok, so the new term starts on Monday, I've been doing paperwork all christmas holidays, can I just check with you all please, do you think I've got everything.

 

I've compiled an operational plan which includes:

 

Aims and objectives (a copy of our brochure which I have rejigged)

Policies and procedures and an "agreement to comply with policies" form for all staff to sign. I've put the policies under the headings:

 

safe child

safeguarding

illness and injury

collection of children

uncollected child

evacuation

health and safety

lost child

 

Healthy child

administration of medicine

preparation and serving of snacks

toilet/nappy changing

 

enjoy and achieve

admissions

settling in

transition

learning and development

visits

outdoor play

 

positive contribution

equal opportunities

special needs code of practice

working in partnership with parents

working with other settings

behaviour management (inc bullying)

animals in pre-school

 

organisation

confidentiality

adults working with children

recruitment of staff

new staff induction

staff ratios and deployment

staff disciplinary

students, volunteers and visitors to the group

payment of fees

cleaning

adverse weather

 

Do you think i've missed any or need to swap sections for any?

 

also in the op plan is:

use of space - pics of what we normally have where in each room and outside in the winter/summer

 

activities - the last 3 months of plans

 

staff structure - a flow chart starting with the supervisor going down

 

Staff deployment - who is in which room on which days

 

management - copies of blank contracts, training done and needed, guidelines for work experience, job descriptions, business plan 2009/2010, blank self appraisal forms

 

section for parent feedback - this will include responses to questionnaires etc

 

parent communication - last 12 months of all correspondance to the parents

 

communications - all notes from link teachers etc

 

so do I need anything else in the op plan?

 

Also done for the parents table is a seperate book of policies, a communication with parents folder, comments and suggestions book, visitors book, collection of children by other people book

 

I've redone the staff photos to include their job title, qualification and also if they are senco/equal op etc

 

I've done extra photos to put on each door under the heading "Looking after you today are...."

 

I've done a newsletter for january

 

A questionnaire for january

 

I've re-done the registration forms as the last ones were all over the place and didn't really have all the info needed. I've also done an add on page for the current reg forms for the parents to fill in with info needed as I don't think they'd be happy to refill them all in lol

 

I've done a key worker list

 

fire drill in pics so it's easy for the children to understand

 

aagghh i've done loads more but can't remember what

 

oh have also filled in the ey2 form for ofsted and dropped my health declaration form at the dr's and sent off for a new crb with ofsted.

 

Also reg'd with tmgcrb as all the staff crb's are out of date

[dublinbay]

Ok, so the new term starts on Monday, I've been doing paperwork all christmas holidays, can I just check with you all please, do you think I've got everything.

 

That must have kept you busy for the whole holidays!!

 

The only thing you forgot is to put your feet up with some wine and/or chocolate and have someone give you a huge pat on the back. (I'm not responsible for op plans so I'll let someone who is comment on your list.......looks good to me anyway!)

 

Well done.

[mrsbat]

That must have kept you busy for the whole holidays!!

 

The only thing you forgot is to put your feet up with some wine and/or chocolate and have someone give you a huge pat on the back. (I'm not responsible for op plans so I'll let someone who is comment on your list.......looks good to me anyway!)

 

Well done.

aaww thank you do you know what, i've not had one single glass of wine these holidays I don't think and yes it has taken me the whole of the time to do all this, hopefully it will be worth it though

[Shiny]

My goodness you have been very busy!!! It all sounds wonderful. The only thing I did notice was you called it 'key worker' not 'key person'. Well done for all your hard work!!! Now spend the next couple of days doing nothing but drinking wine and eating chocolates!!!

[mrsbat]

My goodness you have been very busy!!! It all sounds wonderful. The only thing I did notice was you called it 'key worker' not 'key person'. Well done for all your hard work!!! Now spend the next couple of days doing nothing but drinking wine and eating chocolates!!!

omg is it wrong to call it key worker? it would mean editing loads of sheets if I have to change it

[HappyMaz]

omg is it wrong to call it key worker? it would mean editing loads of sheets if I have to change it

The EYFS does refer to key persons rather than key workers but I'm not sure it would warrant editing lots of pages especially if you've printed them out. Doing 'search and replace' in a word document is easy enough to do - so you can do it for the next revision if it is already printed and ready to go.

 

That said, I'm not an Ofsted inspector so I can't say whether they would think it worth reprinting for. But in my very humble opinion the important thing is that you have a key person system up and running is more important than the terminology that you use! However I am prepared to be corrected by my more knowledgeable chums on here!

 

Maz

 

PS You've been very busy indeed which makes me feel very guilty indeed! Well done you!

[Guest]

I think it looks great....I have been doing your share of drinking the wine and eating the chocs !!! I am going to use your list to check that I am up to date with all my paperwork as we have a QA inspection this month, hope thats okay, well done

 

Julie

[Cait]

As HappyMaz says, just do the search and replace thing on the computer so that when you revise and print out these sheets next time - planning and stuff, it's already done. You could just print out an explanation of key person roles etc I suppose to show that you are aware of the terminology. Could work in your favour as it looks like you had all this documentation already in place pre EYFS, 'oh yeah, we've been doing it this way for ages' lol;

[Guest Wolfie]

That looks absolutely fantastic and extremely comprehensive to me!

[mrsbat]

That looks absolutely fantastic and extremely comprehensive to me!

Thank you you guys have certainly put my mind at rest now lol

 

Cait, all of it was inplace pre eyfs, we've been doing the keyworker thing for a few years which is why i guess it is key worker rather than key person maybe?

 

I'll have a rejig of things to see how much would need changing to replace the key worker with the key person

[Cait]

 

Cait, all of it was inplace pre eyfs, we've been doing the keyworker thing for a few years which is why i guess it is key worker rather than key person maybe?

 

 

 

I don't doubt it for a minute, I just meant all together in one place. I know mine are all there - just not all together! (note to self - must organise, leave the SEF!)

[lynned55]

My goodness, you have been busy- put me to shame- I decided that this would be one holiday I did no paperwork at all!

Althougth ridiculous that I should now start to feel guilty over doing none as our start date looms!

Only thing I would say is: I also have copie of insurance docs etc in ours, we also have had a keyworker in place for some years so it is taking a while to change the wording on everything to person and lastly why would your staff crb's be out of date? At the risk of opening up a can of worms here, unless you take up a differnt job then your crb does not need renewing. Sometime ago some OFSTED inspectors were going around telling people that CRB's had to be renewed every 3 years. this is not the case. Once they are done, they are done.

[mrsbat]

My goodness, you have been busy- put me to shame- I decided that this would be one holiday I did no paperwork at all!

Althougth ridiculous that I should now start to feel guilty over doing none as our start date looms!

Only thing I would say is: I also have copie of insurance docs etc in ours, we also have had a keyworker in place for some years so it is taking a while to change the wording on everything to person and lastly why would your staff crb's be out of date? At the risk of opening up a can of worms here, unless you take up a differnt job then your crb does not need renewing. Sometime ago some OFSTED inspectors were going around telling people that CRB's had to be renewed every 3 years. this is not the case. Once they are done, they are done.

now I thought that about crb's too but when I rang ofsted to say i was taking over as supervisor they asked me to re-do my crb, I told them they had one on file from 5 years ago when I started child minding , they said it was out of date as it needs renewing every 3 years, I asked if that meant all staff needed them renewing every 3 years and she said if they are not renewed then you will need to explain to ofsted why not and how you ensure that they are still "safe" without having an updated crb - if that makes sense?

[Cait]

UGH another example about how it obviously makes a difference who you speak to!

[lynned55]

For goodness sake! They do annoy me. We (all settings that I know of ) had a letter couple of years ago from OFSTED stating the complete opposite. If you go to work for someone else OR take over as manager then you need another (NOT to re do) CRB, as Cait says another example of speaking to the right person. When I go back t work next week I will dig out the letter and quote it for you and let you know dates ect. It was a generic letter addressed to all settings, I had assummed that the whole country would have got the same- unless it's another one of their 'rules' that they have decided to change and not tell any onyone they have made the changes.

 

I have worked at my setting for 14 years -10 of which I have been manager. Week before we broke up ofsted rang and said they had no record of any fit persons interview or CRB forms on me- That's becuase it was all done before you took over nad when pre-schools were under social services but I told you all this a year ago and six months ago when you rang and queried it with me both times you came back to me and said all was ok. But we dont hae an EY2 form for you either, they say yes you do, it was sent a year ago. Anyway to cut a long strory short the lady on the phone said OFSTTED had no record of me working there prior to Nov 07, when they had recieved a letter from me stating I was Manager. (it also contained my EY2 form) So I lost it- told them to go away and find the records and not to ring me again as I now refuse to talk to them. If they want any info from me or on me then they can write to me. So they did, on the last day of term I got a EY2 form- promptly threw it in the filing cabinet. It would be laughable if it wasn;t so serious & the implications- I have been through four OFSTED inspections 2 as manager and yet they say I dont exist before 2007- Blithering idiots, the lot of them!!

Sorry- it's the thought of going back to it all next week

[Cait]

Well i wonder when they'll target me then? I also have asked repeatedly for CRB as I was social Services checked. They told me at first that I could do a form as they had a backlog of new claimants and they would come back to me. Then I was told checks would be cyclical by alpahabet, and they'd contact me when it was my turn. Then I could do one but would have to pay for it myself. Then that I actually had one - really? Not done any paperwork or shown you utility bills, or anything!

So finally I queried it with Mr O when he came, and he said that as the manager i automatically was checked annually with the fit person check.

So what's the real answer then?

[HappyMaz]

So what's the real answer then?

Its easy Cait: the same as the answer to "how long is a piece of string?"

[Cait]

Haha

[lynned55]

Its easy Cait: the same as the answer to "how long is a piece of string?"

 

My sentiments exactly!!

I think tey just make things up as they go along

[Guest]

We received a letter from Children's Links saying it was good practice to renew three yearly but didnt think it was compulsory..

[Cait]

Congratulations on your first post, and welcome to the wonderful forum!

 

PS what's Children's Links?

[Guest]

Hi

I have had similar problems with Ofsted not having information. I had heard that it was because they had two systems and the information was not always updated on both so depending on which database they refered to depended on what information they had.

Still frustrating I know.

[lynned55]

Hi

I have had similar problems with Ofsted not having information. I had heard that it was because they had two systems and the information was not always updated on both so depending on which database they refered to depended on what information they had.

Still frustrating I know.

 

I think that must be correct as I duly sent back my form (copy of last one I had done) had another two phone calls from Ofsterd, refused to speak to them both times (quite liberating that) then got a letter saying as legislation had changed in Sept 08, so had the form and I was now reqwuired to reregister and they had sent the 'new' bits of the form. Five days later and before I got chance to fill out first form and send it back, I got yet another letter with yet another form saying the last one was no good as it was unsigned and out of date. One came to me at home and to wrok address! neither signed or name on them.

Edited January 26, 2009 by lynned55

[Cait]

Now that's just plain rude