Now that we are at the end of this series I thought that I should focus on bringing everything together and reiterate a few points about what makes a successful inspection. In addition, I have included a case study from a nursery which achieved an outstanding grade under the new inspection cycle.
Strong leadership and management is crucial for a successful inspection outcome. Key to the leadership and management part of the inspection process is how well the manager supports staff so that they can do their job effectively.
When managers say to me, within training sessions, that they feel they do support their staff, I ask how their team would respond if I teleported myself into their setting. Would they really and truly say they feel fully supported by the leadership team?
It is a relevant question to ask because if staff feel supported then they themselves will be able to support children on a day-to-day basis and it is the quality of the staff interactions that determines outcomes for children.
There are many different ways that managers can encourage staff in their day-to-day job. One crucial aspect is supervision and the positive impact that this can have on practice. It is so important that staff understand what is meant by supervision and how it has an impact on their performance. In addition it is the nominated person's responsibility to support the senior management team. Supervision should be an integral part of your setting's long-term development. My definition of staff supervision is, 'Focused professional and personal dialogue - empowering staff.'
To me there are three main elements of the supervision method which is stated in the EYFS 2012 as, 'Effective supervision provides support, coaching and training for the practitioner.' I make reference to this as I believe, at times, there is a misunderstanding that supervision is only about the private one-on-one discussion between the manager and practitioner. Yes, it is crucial that every practitioner has one-on-one support. But part of the holistic method of supervision is the inclusion of supporting, coaching and training staff.
This means supporting practitioners with their understanding of the planning systems, coaching staff how to carry out effective meal times and providing staff with training on the two-year progress check.
So practitioners should remember that when the term supervision is mentioned by the inspector, they need to think carefully about the holistic approach that is in place.
This also applies if the inspector asks if the practitioners or senior management team have attended specific training. Face-to-face training is part of the continuous professional and personal development (CPPD) process. However, it is also important to include within the CPPD package research, reading journals, visiting other settings, coaching, mentoring, staff meetings and so on. Therefore, if the inspector asks practitioners if they have attended any training, please think of the CPPD package as well. More important, how has the CPPD made a difference to your practice and what is the impact on children's learning and development? For instance, they could say that they visited a neighbouring nursery and thought the way that it did rolling snack provision was a great idea so they introduced this concept into their nursery. They felt that the impact of this was that children are now able to have longer uninterrupted periods doing activities. This helps to consolidate children's learning.
The CPPD process should also strongly focus on the key person approach and child development. On reading inspection reports since September 2012, it is often these areas of a setting that receive actions/recommendations. Practitioners must know their key children's starting points (including children with SEN, EAL and vulnerable children) and how observing, assessing and planning for their next steps will make sure that they are making progress. It is practitioners who are knowledgeable in child development who make a difference to children's learning and development, because they know their key children and are able to plan interesting and challenging activities and experiences based on their understanding of child development.
Providers should also cross-reference their practice against the statutory requirements to monitor and improve practice. Practitioners should also be aware of how the legal requirements have an impact on their role and how they transfer the legislation to practice.
I cannot stress the importance of strong leadership and management enough and how it can either have a positive or negative impact on quality. This is why leadership and management are so rigorously judged within an inspection. A well managed, high-quality staff team that understands how children learn, knows the children and their families well and plans and provides an inspirational learning environment will effectively give children the best early years experiences.
CASE STUDY: CLAIRE DEADMAN, NURSERY MANAGER, ONE NINE SEVEN EARLY YEARS NURSERY, KINGSTON, SURREY
'Moving from Satisfactory to achieving Outstanding in all areas has been a journey that required determination, a clear vision, as well as a strong and solid team. It was essential from the start to ensure a commitment from everyone and establish a mutual understanding to achieve our goal. To do this, we frequently held staff meetings to discuss our aim and how we were going to accomplish this. We made sure that everyone understood that it wasn't going to be simple and would require a lot of hard work but if they wanted to come on board, it would be a great experience. This openness and honesty is a key part of our ethos and starts from the beginning. When people join the team, we let them know that our setting has very high expectations, but equally every team member is valued.
'Our staff turnover is very low. Recruiting and retaining the best staff allows us to build strong relationships with the children that, in turn, leads to a high-quality environment for all children. We are continually assessing our performance, and embarking on new initiatives helps us to push boundaries of good practice and fully explore, as a team, fresh ways of supporting and challenging children. The ECAT programme and our local 'Let's Talk' scheme empowered us to focus on children's communication and PSED, and as a result many changes were made to the indoor and outdoor environment.
'The QUILT quality assurance scheme means we evaluate all aspects of our practice and do not get complacent. We constantly seek inspiration from theorists such as Jean Piaget and Elinor Goldschmeid and adapt their ideas to suit the setting and put theory into practice. Continual professional development is also a very high priority at One Nine Seven. Staff are very enthusiastic and eager to learn. The inspection itself was a fulfilling experience. Rather than being an interrogation, it was a chance to demonstrate to the inspector all of the things we do and why.
'As a setting we seek to support staff in their development through regular effective supervisions and appraisals. We also encourage staff to be reflective in all aspects of their practice.
'We are hoping to build upon our Outstanding inspection further by training a member of staff to become a Forest School leader. This will enable us to introduce new teaching methods.'
FURTHER READING:
- www.Ofsted.gov.uk Conducting Early Years Inspections; Evaluation schedule for inspections of registered early years provision; Early years online self-evaluation form (SEF) and guidance for providers delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage; Are you ready for your inspection?
- EYFS 2012 and Development Matters www.foundationyears.org.uk
- For previous articles in this series, search "Ofsted: the new inspection framework" at www.nurseryworld.co.uk.
Laura Henry is managing director of the Childcare Consultancy laura@childcareconsult.co.uk
Next month Laura will be kicking off a new series on policies and procedures
