An important change to the Ofsted inspection process is that the inspector will invite the manager or significant member of staff - deputy, teacher or EYP - to carry out a joint observation of practice. The manager has the right to say no to this. However, I would strongly advise managers to agree to this and to demonstrate their leadership skills within the observation.
The manager should set the scene within an Ofsted inspection, showing confidence and passion about their provision and the service that they provide. They should be able to communicate how their provision meets the needs of the children, how they know that children are learning and developing, how effective the systems they use to track children's progress are and how staff scaffold children's learning to the next steps and beyond.
However, let me be clear that managers should develop their practice to meet the needs of the children and not just to satisfy Ofsted. There will be no need to worry about Ofsted where managers have children's needs central to their ethos and have clarity about what high quality provision looks like in practice. Their main concern should be how their setting contributes to improving and building on quality and, as an ongoing process, one that can make a huge difference to how children learn and develop.
TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE
The manager needs to be in harmony with the setting's values, vision and mission and how these are mirrored in practice. This is what will help them to be proactive and able to lead the setting with clarity and vigour.
The manager should adopt an approach regarding the expectations of the staff team and what their aspirations are for their setting. This clearly demonstrates the characteristics of impact leadership.
When I'm carrying out mock inspections I ask the manager a set of questions which judges their leadership and management style, approach and stance. It may be helpful for managers to reflect on these questions to help them to vocalise their policies and procedures without relying on paper documentation. For example:
- How would you describe your role?
- How do you motivate your staff team?
- How do you ensure that staff keep up to date with early years policy and practice?
- How do you monitor the planning and delivery of the educational programme (including the quality of teaching and learning)?
- How do you ensure that planning takes into account children's starting points and the next steps in their learning?
- How do you ensure that children's progress is tracked effectively, including completing the progress check at age two?
- How do you support parents in helping children's learning at home?
- How do you identify and support early intervention?
- How do you develop and share your setting's values, vision and mission with all stakeholders?
- How do you support CPD for yourself and your team?
- How do you identify staff strengths and areas for development?
- Describe your recruitment procedures?
- What arrangements do you have in place to offer regular staff support and supervision? How do you manage poor performance?
- What systems do you have in place to ensure policies and procedures are consistently implemented in practice?
- What training arrangements do you have in place to ensure that staff are clear about their role and responsibility to safeguard and protect children?
- How has your provision developed since the last inspection and how have you addressed the actions or recommendations?
- How do you promote and support equality of opportunity within your setting?
- How did you complete your SEF, who was involved, what documents/observations are in place to support this?
- What areas of practice are you currently planning, or planning to develop in the future. How will these improvements impact on children?
- How do you create links with the local community?
- How does your setting support children's transitions?
Other members of the senior management team should also reflect on these questions (devised in partnership with Kay Williams, early years adviser) to aid continuous improvement within the setting.
CONSISTENT OBSERVATIONS
Managers should, on a regular basis, observe practice to monitor standards, making sure that every child is achieving and checking that staff know the EYFS in practice and how staff make a difference to children's learning and development. If this is routine practice, staff will also be at ease when they are observed during the Ofsted inspection.
Observing practice should also form part of staff supervision, which is also a new requirement within the EYFS. The information that is gathered during the observation process should form part of face-to-face supervision discussions.
Observation of practice could also be used to build on peer-to-peer support and to ignite key discussions within staff meetings. During the Ofsted inspection it would be useful for the inspector to see the documentation which demonstrates how regularly the manager observes practice and how the information is used within staff supervision to maintain and extend practice.
Staff should also be accustomed to the manager confidently giving them feedback on the spot. For example, they should share what they have observed, noting what is positive and what needs to improve. Even if the observation is outstanding, there should always be an area that needs to be developed to enhance practice. In addition, managers should note any other areas of continuous professional development that may help the staff member with their practice, such as training, coaching or reading relevant early years research information.
From time to time, there should be joint observations of practice carried out between two members of the senior management team; for instance the manager and deputy or the deputy and room leader. This is especially relevant if the manager is on leave when the Ofsted inspection occurs. This helps to check and maintain a consistent approach to observations and gives other senior managers the skills and confidence in carrying out observation of practice.
During the observation, the manager should ask staff open-ended questions such as, 'Tell me about one of your key children'; 'How do you track children's progress?'; 'How have you supported a child with an additional or special need?'; 'What are you trying to achieve in this activity?'
The manager should also attentively observe children's experiences and track what they are doing. Does the environment meet their learning needs? What are the key relationships between the practitioners and child and child-to-child and, importantly, are the children learning and how does this make a difference to their development?
Using this approach can only help the Ofsted inspector to make a positive judgement on your setting.
Laura Henry is managing director of Childcare Consultancy
CASE STUDY: Emma Davis, manager, Busy Bees Pre-School @ LPS in Ledbury, Herefordshire
'As Ofsted inspections now offer the prospect of joint observations, we have been preparing for this by undertaking training with our early years consultant, from the local authority, to moderate our observations.
'Practitioners are beginning to carry out joint observations on each other and this information is being used to inform practice.
'I have also been proactive and have read Ofsted's new documentation on the inspection process. I also use social media (Twitter and blogs) frequently to keep updated in my practice.
'We are pleased that the inspector will be carrying out joint observations with me as head of pre-school as this will give me the opportunity to demonstrate in practice my leadership and management skills and how this has a positive impact on my setting.
'In order to support practitioners in their role as key person, we have developed a supervision policy to ensure the requirement for regular supervision is a key feature of our setting.
Supervisions will take place every four to six weeks and will provide an opportunity for practitioners to have their skills and knowledge recognised, as well as identifying areas for support and training needs.
'We will discuss the needs of children and their families and how well the practitioner feels they are able to support them.
Supervision will also provide an opportunity to promote safeguarding.
All staff have been advised to keep a reflective journal which we can explore during supervisions.
'I recognise, as a leader, that observing practitioners and practice is a very important part of the supervision process. As a leader it is also imperative that I am a role model of good practice, by working directly with my staff team and children. This can only help to have a positive impact on my provision.'
