Gill_Oliver Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 Has anyone else heard about this yet? Apparantly Kent are being forced to scrap the kitemark as the british standards have threatened to take them to court for using the kitemark branding. Not sure yet if this will follow on throughout the country but one other local authority has been threatened so far with court action. Kent are introducing Kent quality from Sept 07,
Guest Posted August 8, 2006 Posted August 8, 2006 oh dear that sounds like a big mess up. We are doing a kitemark award in suffolk. Lets hope it stops at just a name change not a total change. Please keep us posted!!!!
Guest Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 kitemark is a quality award. You have different modules to complete, 8 in total which need to be backed up by evidence. I think of it like an NVQ but for the setting. You are given a mentor whom supports the group and checks your answers and stuff. It is very time consuming with questions being very long but it does make you reflect on your practice which is always a good thing.
Guest Posted August 9, 2006 Posted August 9, 2006 Thanks for asking Lola, I didn't know either, but didn't want to appear thick, don't mind now you have owned up!!
Guest Posted August 10, 2006 Posted August 10, 2006 In Stockport, and a lot of other areas, it is called a Quality Assurance award. We completed and passed ours recently, and although it was hard work it was really worth doing. I should imagine it will only be a change of name and not the content-the word kitemark will be specific to the British Standards agency. Linda
Guest alisonjayne Posted August 11, 2006 Posted August 11, 2006 We are in the middle of doing the Norfolk Kitemark and have been told that changes are happening and that all groups will have to do something similar to the Kitemark anyway. I was a bit annoyed as we had only just completed module one when they told us this, and as we had signed a contract we had to continue. Our mentor has told us that they hope the modules we have already completed will go along with the new set up, but nobody has told us exactly what is happening yet. Ali
Guest Posted August 16, 2006 Posted August 16, 2006 After reading this thread I asked my employer about the Kent Kitemark, he seened to think that they were stopping due to funding being stopped. When I mentioned the court issue he seemed to think it was rubbish! Has anyone else heard anything about it?
Guest Posted October 5, 2006 Posted October 5, 2006 After reading this thread I asked my employer about the Kent Kitemark, he seened to think that they were stopping due to funding being stopped. When I mentioned the court issue he seemed to think it was rubbish! Has anyone else heard anything about it? Its actually only the logo that has to change. We have just started the Qa in Surrey and have just been informed of this. But we do not have to stop or change our modules.
Running Bunny Posted October 5, 2006 Posted October 5, 2006 I've heard whispers about Sheffield going the same way - and they were one of the first to get Investors in Children. I support lots of settings with QA schemes and they are all demoralised at the moment as the government and Ofsted are not recognising those that have achieved and the additional work that is required doesn't seem worth it. I have just sent out a questionnaire to all our providers to do an audit for future use of schemes and so far the results are interesting in that 80% of responses so far have said that doing a scheme has benefitted them, 27% have changed practice and 59% have only made minimal changes, BUT 86% will continue to update their portfolio, so there must be some good in them somewhere?
Guest Posted October 5, 2006 Posted October 5, 2006 In the Early Years Foundation Stage consultation document, page 132 section 5.5 is all about Quality Improvement. It mentions quality improvemnet rather than quality assurance schemes. Obviously if this section stays in the final document, and there is no reason why it shouldn't, then OFSTED and others will have to acknowledge these schemes. Sectio 5.4, on the same page, states, "The emphasis should be on programmes that achieve demonstrable improvements in outcomes, rather then on quality assurance scheme that focus on administrative processes". This is why some authorities may be withdrawing and rewriting their schemes. Here is a link to the document. Linda
Running Bunny Posted October 5, 2006 Posted October 5, 2006 Good point Linda - we can but hope that there will still be schemes for providers to aim over and above Ofsted standards. I think that Local Authorities are withdrawing their schemes due to a lack of funding - our budget has certainly been cut so that we have no money to fund settings this year. I don't think that the LAs would be forward thinking enough to start to rewrite schemes in preparation for the roll out of EYFS, although I could be wrong! From experience, there needs to be better promotion and incentive for providers to undertake schemes - parents aren't aware of kitemarks and are only now starting to look for Ofsted reports and Ofsted won't do 'lighter' touch inspections on those that are accredited. Even IiC didn't turn out as it was intended (the best schemes getting the award) as most of the national schemes ended up with the status. Perhaps the government/Dfes will sub-contract one national scheme with LA mentor/assessor support which has benefits to the provider i.e. Ofsted recognitiion? As with everything in early years, we'll have to wait and see...
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