A law passing through Parliament will give schools the ability to register two year olds as pupils rather than as part of separate early years provision. At the moment, only 6% of schools take two year olds. See different sides of the debate here. Don’t forget, we offer a range of child protection courses including…

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The DfE has now published its evaluation of the childminder agency pilot. The full evaluation can be found here. Our Child Protection for Childminders course has been specifically developed and written for childminders and covers: legislation and guidance, the different types of child abuse, the range of indicators of abuse and neglect, child protection policies…

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Childcare businesses will benefit from clearer and simpler guidance following a government review of how regulations governing the sector are enforced. Less confusing and bureaucratic advice on how to meet regulatory requirements will enable providers to focus more clearly on maintaining standards and safety. Gov.uk As the result of a review of the regulations within…

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Ofsted have recently updated (September 2013) a poster which shows Ofsted’s childcare responsibilities. It explains that Ofsted registers and inspects childcare for children aged from birth to 17 years and how parents can contact Ofsted. Ofsted’s website states that childcare providers and registered childminders should display this poster for parents and carers to see. The poster…

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Childminders must, due to the nature of their work, take responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in their care.  Often working alone Childminders need to understand the issues around child abuse and neglect, where they can go for advice, support and to report concerns. The Child Protection Training for Childminders online course has been…

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The Ofsted consultation Good early years provision for all opened on the 19th April and runs until 24th May. The consultation focuses on how Early Years providers will be inspected and proposes that from September 2013 :  a single judgement of ‘requires improvement’ will replace the current ‘satisfactory’ judgement for all early years providers  early years non-domestic settings judged as…

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Following the government announcement to introduce childminding agencies, an independent focus group has been set up. The Independent Childminders’ Focus Group (ICFG), founded by childminder Simona McKenzie, aims to provide support to childminders and seek clarification about what will happen to childminders who choose to remain independent and not join an agency. The press release from ICFG raises concerns about safeguarding…

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Ofsted has released updated documents in January 2013 for Childminders and Yearly Years providers. One document: Records, policies and notification requirements of the Early Years Register is a fact sheet setting out which written records and policies childminders must keep.  This fact sheet is designed to assists childminders to ensure they meet the legal requirements of the Childcare Act 2006  and…

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