Observation notes

What is the role of OFSTED and can you give an example of how you’ve supported their inspection framework?

the key role of OFSTED is to inspect and regulate early years education settings to ensure they meet the required standards of education and improve the wellbeing of children and young people. They evaluate the quality of teaching, leadership, safeguarding, and the overall effectiveness of the settings they insect, as well as ensuring settings are meeting the safety and learning standards. OFSTED also inspects children’s social care such as fostering agencies, children homes and local authority services and then reports back to parliament as they are a non ministerial department which means they operate independently and reports back to parliament and parents. After this is all complete they publish their reports online so the settings performance is transparent for parents, carers and the public.

Example - model good attitudes towards fellow staff members, allowing the children to independently play, following the curriculum, encouraging healthy lifestyles, giving specific positive praise to each child, following safeguarding procedures

What is OFSTED’s whistleblowing policy? Give examples of when you might need to whistleblow?

OFSTED’s whistleblowing policy is a formal process that allows staff to report directly to OFSTED if any internal safeguarding or complaints issues have failed, if the leaders aren’t addressing any serious issues, if the staff fear consequences for speaking up, or if their concerns involve systematic failing instead of just minor disagreements. The process is designed to protect children and ensure that any serious concerns are raised safely.

Examples - if a child discloses abuse and you report this to the leaders do nothing

A serious accident occurs and the leaders tell staff to not record it and keep it hidden.

Children are left unsupervised for long periods.

How do you follow policy and procedure for:

confidentiality - making sure all personal information is secure in a locked cupboard or behind a password protected system and only discussing children with relevant staff who need the information to support the child. It’s important to never talk about children in public areas such as corridors, staff rook with visitors or outside the setting, snd not sharing information with other parents unless it’s their own child. You also need to follow the settings confidentiality policy and GDPR requirements.

information sharing - Practitioners need to share information safely and in accordance with the law which can be done by only sharing information with consent unless the child is at risk of harm. If information is shared then you should record what was shared with who and why using secure methods (such as encrypted emails), and following the need to know principle.

use of technology - only using setting devices that are provided and making sure personal phones are put away and are never around children. Any photos that are taken on these setting devices should be stored securely and deleted after use. If children are using technology it’s important to monitor them at all times to make sure they are using it safely and appropriately, as well as never posting any images of children on personal social media pages.

referring development concerns - If any concerns are observed it’s importsnt you record these using the setting’s assessment system and disscussing these concerns with the setting’s SENDCO. It’s also essential to speak sensitively with the parents and offer them support and strategies and make any referrals to external agencies if needed. Monitor the child’s progress over time through observations so that you can update their records.

protecting practitioners - Practitioners can protect thenselves by keeping their social media private and professional and never accepting parents of any personal accounts. It is very important to never post anything about the setting or children online to keep confidentiality and report any online harassment or inappropriate conduct that may take place.

staff healthy and safety - Practitioners can follow health and safety procedures by completing frequent risk assessments and using correct manual handling techniques when carrying out heavy lifting. If any hazards are spotted it’s important to report these immediately. Mental health and wellbeing can be supported by practitioners taking breaks and following the setting’s wellbeing policies. Staff can access mental health support offered by the setting and attending training on stress management or resilience.

accidents - Practitioners can follow the setting’s accident procedures by completing accidents forms as soon as they happen and ensuring they are as accurate as possible. When an accident occurs it’s important to inform parents in the same day while also logging accidents in the accident book and following any first aid procedures that may need to her carried out. If multiple accidents occur the same way a pattern may be observed which can be removed (where possible) to improve safety.

daily registers - Practitioners can follow daily register procedures by recording arrival and departure times accurately and in real time. These should be kept accessible in the case of a fire drill or any emergencies that may occur throughout the day. It is also important to check that ratios are et throughout the day.

special dietary needs - Practitioners can follow dietary procedures by keeping an up to date list of allergies and dietary requirements and having these displayed in food preparation areas. To avoid cross contamination coloured plates or allergy tags could be used while making sure communication is carried out clearly with the kitchen staff. If any concerns or reactions arise you make sure these are recorded.

Why is it important to prevent and control infection?

It’s important to prevent and control infection so that germs don’t spread around the setting. We actually did this in a lesson where we used glitter to represent the germs so that the children can visibly see how they can spread through contact with surfaces or with each other and highlighted the importance of washing your hands before eating and after using the toilet. (We wash hands before snack and lunch snd remind children after the toilet.)

Promote health and wellbeing : consume healthy and balanced meals (which we also covered in a lesson recently where the children made faces out of fruit and got to eat it and try new fruits), be physically active through planned and spontaneous activity throughout the day (indoors and outdoors - dance, playground), develop hygiene practices (oral hygiene).

Can you tell me what the signs and symptoms are when a child is unwell, choking and injured?

When a child is unwell there can be physical signs such as flushed cheeks and sweating can be a sign of a temperature, paleness, vomiting, rashes or persistent coughing, but there can also be behavioural signs such as being easily irritated or unusual crying, being extra clingy, not engaging in play or work and a sudden change in their mood.

If a child is mildly choking (so a partial blockage) they can be coughing, wheezing, gagging or difficulty to breathe and speak. However severe choking means a child is unable to cough, breath or speak, they may have a silent or panicked expression, grabbing at their throat, and their skin may turn blue or become unconscious if untreated.

Minor injuries are usually easy to spot such as bruising, small cuts, grazes or swelling. The child may be in mild pain or crying but they are easily comforted. If any of these occur an accident form should be filled out as soon as possible and their parents should be informed.

When might a child need urgent medical care and urgent dental treatment?

A severe injury may need immediate action (999, alerting the manager) such as breathing difficulties, unresponsiveness, a severe allergic reaction taking place, severe bleeding or a head injury either concerning symptoms.

A child may require urgent dental treatment if they have a severe toothache, a broken or cracked tooth, if they’ve had an i jury to their mouth or gums or if they’ve knocked out a tooth.

How have you taken action for the above points?

A baby or child needing urgent medical or dental care - I haven’t had to experience this luckily, but if an urgent medical or dental emergency occurred the manager if the setting and parents would be informed immediately. 999 would also be called if needed and first aid would be carried out as soon as possible if necessary.

a non medical incident or emergency - If s non medical emergency such as an injury occurred, first aid would be carried out immediately while being reassuring and comforting to the child. In the case of a fire evacuation or intruder alert you would follow the setting’s fire and lockdown procedures in order to keep all the children and staff safe. In the case of a missing child, the setting and playground areas would be thoroughly checked and the manager would be informed, if the children is not found then the parents and police will be contacted immediately.

receiving, storing, recording snd the safe disposal of medicine - Practitioners need to follow their settings medication policy to ensure all medicines are safe, authorised and clearly labelled. This is done by having the child’s parents write a consent form with the dosage, timing and the reason for the medication. This medicine should be in its original packaging with the child’s name, pharmacy label and instructions. The expiry date must be checked and the medicine should be checked that it is appropriate for the child’s age, as well as confirming whenever the child has had a dose. Only trained and authorised staff should accept medicine.

The medicine should then be stored securely to ensure safety and that misuse does not occur, This should be kept in a locked cupboard or fridge and kept out of children’s reach at all times. Emergency medication such as an epipen or inhaler should still be kept easily accessible but still stored safely.

After a dose has been given a medication administration record sheet should be filled out which includes the child’s name, the medicine name, the dose given, the time it was given, who administered it and any reactions that occurred. It’s important to keep this accurate as it’s required by the EYFS and it can protect children and staff. Parents must then sign thus record at collection and these will then be kept securely for safeguarding.

Medicines must be disposed of safely to avoid harm or contamination and never in the general waste. Sharps such as epipen needles must go in a medical sharps bin and all equipment used must be cleaned and disinfected. Any expired or unused medicines must be returned back to the parents.

Eating - children have a snack time where they have a choice of either fruit or veg, or whether they want to have milk or their own water bottles. They also get choice of their own lunch when they come in in the morning or they can bring their own packed lunch.

Nappy changing procedure - Practitoners need to be trained on the settings nappy changing procedures and need to havea serting wuakification that can vary between settings.

Potty and toilet training - Parents lead when their children come out of nappies and start potty training which the practitioners can carry into the setting. Staff members can also talk to parents about the potty training signs with their child to help support them.

Care of skin, teeth and hair - when we did a lesson in healthy eating we also covered oral hygiene so they are aware of how to take care of their teeth (such as how often they should be brushing them). The children are aware of the importance of sun cream when it is hot snd know how frequently to apply it. We also have a home corner area where the children can practise brushing the dolls hair.

Rest and sleep provision - children slept on a sleep mat or babies in a cot with a sleep timer that went off every 10 minutes, whenever a sleep check happened there was a form on the door for the staff members to check off what time it was completed and who carried it out.

What does an allergic reaction look like? How would you manage an anaphylactic reaction?

A mild to moderate allergic reaction may appear gradually and are uncomfortable but not life threatening. These may appear as a skin reaction (hives, redness, itchy or blotchy skin), swelling in the lips eyes or face, a runny or blocked nose, watery or itchy eyes, mild stomach discomfort or coughing and slight wheezing.

Anaphylaxis is life threatening snd requires urgent action. These symptoms usually appear suddenly such as difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, a hoarse voice or difficulty speaking, widespread hives or a rash, blue lips or face, fainting, vomiting or diarrhoea, designs or confusion.