Nursery World - Leadership

In the first of a new series on good leadership and management under the Education Inspection Framework, Annette Rawstrone finds staff must understand the ‘why’

Know your children, keep them at the heart of everything you do and relax is the advice that nursery area manager Sue Forsyth at Top Tots in Portsmouth, Hampshire has for nursery leaders who are anticipating an inspection. Her setting received Outstanding in all areas when inspected two days after the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) was released in September last year.

‘Achieving Outstanding comes from all the effort that you put in day in and day out, and the inspector can see that,’ she says. ‘The change of emphasis of the inspection is on a more direct approach to staff and children. The inspectors spent a lot more time in the room, around 85 per cent, with the children and observing the staff – how they extend conversations, discussing planning for children’s needs and how they support SEND children. The inspector wanted to see what we do so it was our chance to show them and to shine.’

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