hali Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Cannot believe my eyes, got a letter today from ofsted saying that one of my members of staff is suitable to work with children... Exact wording........... 'I am pleased to inform you that ********* is suitable to work with children under 8 in your setting' Sounds ok you all say except shes been working with us for 4 years now!!!!!!!!!! Mind boggles dosnt it that it takes that long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Sounds like that black hole has been at it again!! Inge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 OH Hali! Good job they think shes suitable then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueFinanceManager Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Hali Curious to know what the situation would be if they had said she wasn't suitable to work with the children. Would you have to sack her? Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I phoned Ofsted today to update my phone number list for child protection issues. the Ofsted man didnt know the Ofsted number and told me to ask the early years team. How reassuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueFinanceManager Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Rea If the ofsted man didn't know the number of the ofsted people then are you sure he was an ofsted man and not the cleaner, cleaning the proper ofsted man's office, so that when he came back to his office he could have told you the proper number for the proper ofsted people. Sorry, it's late Sue x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Well I sure do think that must be a clean office then cos when I phoned last week to ask what they consider 'regular' as in regular helpers, he didnt know that either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Everyone has an Ofsted story! When I took up my new position as Supervisor almost two years ago I had to have a Suitable Persons interview (on my first day in the job, which I thought was most unfair!). I was very nervous because although I was given the verbal ok on the day, we never heard anything from Ofsted to say that I was indeed 'suitable'. Fast forward about a year and I receive a letter from Ofsted telling me that I was indeed a suitable person to work with children ..... but at my previous pre-school. So I rang Ofsted and was told that there was a hitch in the system. "Oh, you mean the sort of hitch where you sit on the paperwork for a year?", and I asked what would have happened if I had been unsuitable to work with children. He said they would have informed me long before now. I did ask him how he could guarantee that only paperwork relating to 'suitable' people got lost, but he didn't seem to have an answer... Maz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I always get a peculiar pleasure from the thought that they are struggling to keep up with the paperwork. Perhaps they'll start to understand how we feel....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Our chair discovered yesterday that according to Ofsted, I and her are committee members but they have no record of any staff. Dont ya just love 'em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Ditto ALL your experiences at my preschool. Yet when I had an Inspector do a spot check visit and she discovered one registration form out of 62 wasn't signed by the parent I was issued with a non compliance of standard 14 order, which carries a possible fine of £5,000 Must be for the cleaners wages Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Peggy, I re-read some of the posts about Ofsted going back to last year, if any of us had so many complaints against us there would be no need of this forum. So I suppose we should thank them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueFinanceManager Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Serious question now, what qualifications do you need to have to work for ofsted?? :wacko: I am pretty sure what you need for a cleaner, perhaps they are one and the same Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 My ex deputy (very competent person, great at organising me) applied for and got a job with ofsted (didnt work out though) Anyway, she said through all the interviews they were much more concerned with her computer skills than with any knowledge she had in childcare, she even had a test to see if she knew stuff on it. So, if you can work a computer or a mop, you'll be qualified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueFinanceManager Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Rea That's good to know, I can sort of work a computer, but mop, now that's really tricky Sue, potential ofsted inspector, I think not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Sue, I actually passed the application process to do Inspector training when they first took over from Social Services. I went on the two day training, at the end we had to "assess" a compilation of three different settings ( video's) and write a report. Unfortunately I failed this part , One of the video's showed a creative activity which in my opinion was too adult led, at feedback they told me that it was on this area that I failed It knocked me back a bit but hey, at least I got through the 1st stage, application, of which many of my colleagues at higher levels in PLA ( who I worked for at the time)did not, and now on hindsight i'm not sure that I would have enjoyed being an inspector. There are good inspectors out there who have to deal with our complaints of mismanagement and administration which is totaly out of their hands. Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 I think the real asset at an Ofsted interview would be to be in possession of a computerised mop.... Maz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 excellent Maz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Like it Mazlittle a "Lapmop" Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Very good Peggy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Love the 'lapmop' idea Peggy! Could it have a heated handle, like the new generation of crossing patrol Lollipops? And perhaps if it could be impregnated with a magic cleaning solution that would miraculously remove all of Ofsted's paperwork glitches. Oh, and how about a button that could be pressed in the event of 'Ofsted' speak - instantly translating into English? You know the sort of thing: for "my computer screen has frozen and I can't access that information" would turn into "sorry, I cannot find your file and so I do not know the answer". Think how many we could sell! Maz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 well guess wot, they are at it down here too,....... the chairman has just recieved a letter addressed to her as chairman, stating.... dear mrs xxxxxx we are writing to inform you that mrs xxxxx is not a suitable person .........etc. Note it was addressed to heras chair, with her name as not suitable, she has been on the commitee 3 years, has sent CRB forms off and 2 DC2s and they agreed she could step in mid year when our last chair left suddenly..... To cap it all when she rang to sort it out they gave her a list of names of people who were supposed to be registerdwith us most of which we had never heard of, and claimed all the paperwork we sent for the new committee in december had not arrived. But they had already sent her a letter in january saying that one of the new mebers had been checked and then another to say they were all suitable. In the mean time I have seen CRB forms of 2 of the commitee to verify and return... these being forms they claim not to have had.. all were sent in the same envelope and so if they got 2 where are the rest?? In addition all the staff were incorrect again and this despite 2 ofsted inspections in the last year where they check all these details and write them on their paperwork, and 2 letters to confirm the staff as they have requested. Their answer was to ask each committee member to ring CRB individually and arrange a check. Her reply was unrepeatable!!!! I am now in the midst of compliing all the paperwork sent to ofsted in the last 3 years, all of which is on file and photcopies of forms sent (yes I kept one for every form I sent) and will be writng an official letter of complaint about this, I am totally xxxup with having to redo paperwork every year to sort out their bad managemnt and organisational skills. They insist all ours is correct so about time they did too... (Poor children wondered why I screamed today ....did make a very quiet 5 mins!!!) Sorry for the length but I needed a bit of a rant!!! feeling a lot better now. Inge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 I know just where your coming from Inge, I store all my Ofsted correspondence and photocopies of everything I have sent in a "BLACK BOX", all my other admin for preschool is filed in boxes of bright primary colours. nuff said Peggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 Well Inge, that just takes the biscuit! Just when I thought Ofsted couldn't surprise me any more. I'm amazed I couldn't hear you screaming from here - just as well its Friday! Maz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 Our chair has just had to send off the copies which we fortunatly kept of all our DC2 and CRB's because we dont exist it appears. Who's writing this then?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 My manager was told it is illegal to keep copies of people's CRB forms, as they belong to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 We take copies for file with permission form person involved, but if you need one for ofsted they insist on the original being sent . And then they lose it and you have to start again!!! They even denied getting it when sent recorded delivery!!! I am currently redoing the paperwork and will send it again. They must be awash with bits of paper that we all send 2 or 3 times!!! Inge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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