Childminder - HELP NEEDED ASAP!!!!

[Helen]

Hi

I have been offered a job and found a lovely childminder who would take Daniel and collect C and T from school and care for all of them for 2 and a quarter hours until I can collect them. She would only have all 3 for this teeny weeny period once a week.

She already has one under 5 on that day and applied for an exception with Ofsted to allow her to take 4 under 5s.

Unbelievably Ofsted have refused!!!!!!! Despite verbally telling her originally it would be ok.

Can anyone provide me with examples of their childminders who have been allowed to make this kind of exception i.e. to take more than 3 under 5s?

The more examples I have the more ammo I'll have when I lodge my complaint!!!!

 

[emmaandamyleigh]

im not to sure about childminding thingy lol sorry icant be of much help but didnt want to read and run x

 

[AislingC]

Hi I am a register childminder myself and i know that ofsted will not allow any childminder to take any more then 3 under 5's at any time no matter what the circumstances are.
It is down to several reasons like

1. the space that that they deam each child needs to play and develop
2. about health and saftey if there was a fire 1 person could prob manage to scoop up all 3 children in their arms at once, but it would be difficult to do the same with 4 or more

I know many childminders who have requested to have more then 3 under 5 and have been refused.

there are only a few rules that ofsted will change in certain circumstances for example a childminder is by law only allowed to have 1 child under 1 but if a parent has twins then the childminder can requset a dispensation to have both babies under 1 ofsted will allow this if their is enough room and the childminder has 2 vacancies so the childminder will end up with 2 children under 1 and 1 child over 1 for the entire length the twins are in their care.

I hope this helps

 

[clairebear22]

Aisling's spot on hun!

I'm a registered childminder too and they will only make an exception for 4 children under 5 if its twins.

xxx

 

[Helen]

Charlotte and Tom are twins!

 

[clairebear22]

Oh I see!

But if they're both at full time school they count as an over 5 (even if they're still 4 - a bit confusing I know).

Does having Daniel mean she will have 3 under 5's?

I'm a bit confused because you said in your first post she only has 1 other under 5 child? Does she have children of her own who are under 5?

If you can (without names obviously) tell me the ages of all the kids in her care on the day she'll have all 3 of yours at the same time?

Hope that makes sense?

xxx

 

[AislingC]

How old is Daniel? If he is under 5 aswell that would mean that the childminder would have 4 under 5 at the same time daniel, tom, charlotte and the little 1 she already looks after

The only time they make an exception for twins is if the childminder would still only have 3 under 5 at any one time for example if she only had the little one she already looks after and tom and charlotte

I have just read what i wrote before and think i should make clear that the dispensation i was taking about would be for twins if they are under 1 as childminders are only normally allowed to have 1 baby under 1 the dispensation would not apply if the twins were over 1 as the childminder is allowed to look after 3 under 5

the combinations of children are as follows

1 under 1 and 2 over 3 but under 5
3 over 1 but under 5
or
2 under 1 if they are twins and 1 over 1 but under 5

 

[Helen]

Charlotte and Tom are both 3 and starting pre-school. Daniel is one and she has one other child aged 3 too.

Thankfully after an afternoon on the phone and a really helpful (and human!) manager we've been able to resolve it and they've agreed to it. Phew!

 

[clairebear22]

Thank goodness it's resolved! They should never have said no in the first place really because Tom & Charlotte are twins.

Glad you got it sorted in the end!

xxx