Conditions Of Funding

[Guest]

I have just read my local Early Years and Childcare Autumn news and I am really annoyed at yet another monitoring procedure for my setting.

 

Our area has set up a procedure for "Monitoring of provider adherance to the conditions of free early educational funding"

 

It will entail 2 visits to a select number of settings ( I don't know if these are random selections or not)

 

1. A foundation stage team of 2 or 3 people who will look at my delivery of the foundation stage curriculum, including the degree in which it is fully inclusive.

 

2. An administration team, again 2 or 3 people who will look at my business and financial planning, admissions, the provision of information for parents and my adherence to the delegated conditions.

 

The visits will be short notice. I will recieve a call on a Monday to say I am to be monitored, The foundation stage team will then visit on the tuesday (the next day) and the Admin team on the Thursday of the same week.

 

The results from this monitoring, at worst, will be withdrawal of funding.

 

The article ends with assurance that the main purpose of this monitoring is to identify where providers may be in need of support to improve quality of their provision both administratively and in terms of the care and learning opportunities available for children.

 

This is just a pilot and their aim is to carry out 70 monitoring visits a year ( about 10% of all providers)

 

I am happy to have my financial systems monitored as the funding is "public" money and should be accounted for. but I am so angry about the Foundation Team visits to judge my delivery of the FSC

 

And the short notice....in the same newsletter we have a training plan, I shall have a member of staff out of the setting on training workshops at least twice a week, so when these 2 or 3 people come in to assess me, they will hinder my very stretched staffing levels, thus quality of service.

 

I will be asking what "Qualifies" the Foundation team members to "judge" my provision? and why can they not refer to my Ofsted inspection and EYAT feedback?....How can they justify the expense of duplication of inspection/ monitoring of practice?

 

I am not angry because I feel threatened by being monitored, but because I feel "over inspected" to the detriment of trying to carry out my daily workload and obligations to the children.

 

Thanks for listening, rant has helped but this subject is definately not closed yet until I get some answers.

 

What monitoring systems does your area have?, does it work? and how does it affect your everyday work?

 

Peggy.

[Sue R]

Hi Peggy,

 

I'm not surprised you're upset, I would be, too! In our area there are very occasional 'audits' of random settings to check that neg claims are correct, but that's about it. We had one about 6 months ago, it was very low key, the general feeling is that Inspections and available support through the various sections of local Early Years Team is more than adequate for the 'monitoring' of neg.

 

Maybe something similar will be waiting in the mailbox for us on Monday

 

Sue

[Beau]

It does seem like a case of overkill not to mention a waste of money. What is the point of an Ofsted inspection then?