Ofsted want to see ‘all logs that record accidents’ and ‘incidents of poor behaviour’ when they arrive to inspect us. Childminders are asking what their inspector will do with accident records…
It’s important to note that, generally, Ofsted are not risk averse - but they have to be risk aware.
An inspector told a colleague that she had ‘too many accidents and hadn’t done enough to stop it happening again’ because she had 3 accident reports in her file relating to the same roundabout at the park. As far as Ofsted are concerned, repeated accidents at the same place might indicate a lack of supervision. Another colleague was told that she didn’t have enough accidents recorded in her file which might lead the inspector to think she didn’t do enough activities with the children - Ofsted might also want to look into whether she was hiding anything.
The Early Years Inspection handbook states, ‘the inspector should focus on what happened and discuss with the provider whether the incident was preventable and what lessons have been learned’. So if a child falls over a piece of equipment at the park we need to consider how it can be made safer - is it an acceptable risk? How can we work with the child to help them understand safety? Should we go again - is it something that needs reporting so it can be fixed first? Do we need to take further precautions such as closer supervision? How can parents be involved to make the experience safer? Risk - benefit - do the benefits of the outing outweigh the risks? We should be asking those sorts of questions for this scenario...
If an accident keeps happening then we have to ask whether we are exposing the children to unnecessary hazards - next time a child could, for example, break a leg or be badly injured in other ways - so we must ask ourselves ‘what can we do to protect the child?’ Do we need to change anything? We don't need to wrap the children in cotton wool but we do need to show that we are keeping them safe because that's a requirement of the Eyfs.
Next time you go to that particular park, for example, you might talk to the children about taking care, discuss the hazards with them before they go off to play, supervise the piece of equipment where accidents have been recorded more closely, remind the children to take more care around the swings etc.
The risk assessment you carry out after an accident does not necessarily need to be in writing – the EYFS does not require childminders to have written risk assessments. However, when you are recording an accident you might want to note how you will work with parents to stop it happening again. You can do that on your accident and first aid record form. You will find a sample form in free childminding forms on Childcare.co.uk here.
Similarly, if a child is having repeated accidents in different areas of the provision, we have to ask ourselves why it is happening. Is there an underlying medical cause? Does the child need to be seen by a health visitor or doctor? Does the child need referral to a specialist? Alongside recording the accidents and first aid administered our risk assessment would state that we have called a meeting with parents to discuss how to support the child in the future.
To summarise, Ofsted are looking for...
- Risk assessment before the outing eg we are going to the park. After our last visit we noted that we need to watch out for… this does not need to be in writing as long as you can explain it confidently if asked.
- Continuous assessment of the risks during the outing eg we arrived at the park and noted that there was broken glass in the bark so we left and went to the café instead.
- Accurate recording of accidents including first aid administered (sample form in the link above) – and that we have shared this information with parents (they should sign and date the form).
- Risk assessment after an accident (as detailed above) showing that we have learned from what has happened and noting how we will try to keep the child/ren safer next time.
- Teaching children about risk / dangers – we don’t need to bubble wrap them and we can expose them to risky or carefully controlled rough and tumble play, but we do need to teach them how to be safe, supervise them closely and discuss what they need to do if they cannot manage a situation. We also need to inform parents what we are doing and take their views into consideration.
- Constant reflection - looking back at what has happened and asking ourselves - what could have been changed to make things safer? How might things be planned differently next time?
We have a duty of care to protect every child - we do whatever we can to keep them safe and if Ofsted don't think we are doing that then they will action us. Look at it from their point of view for a moment - if they don't pick up on something like this they will be criticised by parents and government if a serious injury happens and they had the opportunity to stop it happening.
There is a very fine line between being risk aware - and keeping Ofsted happy - and risk / benefit - and allowing risky play. Many childminders are risk averse as a result... or have lengthy policies in place to cover themselves. Take the childminder who let a child roll in their front room - the child broke their arm - Ofsted wanted to know how it could have been prevented ... is rolling on the carpet in a supervised environment so very wrong? No, of course not, but we do have a duty of care to keep children safe...
This has been a difficult blog to write because it seems at the moment we are in the middle of an impossible situation - too many accidents... not enough accidents... accidents being investigated in case something sinister is going on... advice to allow risky play or children will not learn to take risks... accidents after well planned and supervised risky play being questioned...
I think we need to take a robust approach to record keeping (despite what the Eyfs says) and we need to be confident when we are talking to Ofsted about the types of play we allow, our level of supervision, the accidents that have happened and how we have changed our provisions and ways of working as a result. Inspectors want to see constant, honest self-reflection...
Chat soon, Sarah.
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E-books on my Knutsford Childminding website include e-book 5 'Risk assessments' and mini e-book 30 'Risky Play'.