Choosing An Accreditation Scheme

[titchy]

I run a setting based in wiltshire: Salisbury to be precise. I've recently been told that in order to recieve our funidng for our 3 and 4 yr olds we either have to be actively doing the Wiltshire SEF that our local authority has provided us with or have enrolled if not already on to an accreditation scheme. Does anyone no if their are any local ones? I have heard of the Bristal standard and am a member of The PLA so am considering doing one of these. Is it me or are they really pilling on the paper work. I understand that local authorities want qulaity settings/education for children and I am very passionate about my field. However at the rate that everthing is going I can see more and more people leaving the field which would be a real shame .

[Inge]

If they are insisting on this remember you don't have to do the Ofsted SEF as well... so long as you are evaluating practice in some way that is fine...

 

In our area I know they are actively encouraged to do the local evaluation scheme and not even look at the Ofsted one... it is not mandatory... there is no point what so ever in doing 2 evaluations on your practice..

 

and for those thinking how no Ofsted sef effects inspection.. it shouldn't.. you can still get outstanding without it!

 

Now , back to the question, looked at both pLA and Bristol Standard , and decided for us the Bristol one was less prescriptive and more reflective.. but that was a while ago now and I know Bristol one has been updated since I did it... so the PLA one probably has too..

 

I liked the Bristol one because it put the child at the heart of it all, and did not say you had to have x y z in place to receive accreditation, but to show how you can build on what you already do to improve it...

 

It is all part of what works for you and your setting...

 

Once set up I found it was not overly time consuming.. just you have to incorporate it into your practice as it is ongoing which is after all what it should be..

 

Inge