When delivering training around the subject of inspections and when carrying out mock-up inspection visits, I always emphasise to providers how they must be aware of what the inspectors will look for on the day.
Most importantly, the inspectors will focus on 'what is it like for a child in this setting'. With this in mind, think about how your setting is seen from a child's viewpoint. For instance, if we think about the environment from a child using their senses, what does the child see, hear and touch in your setting? What they are seeing, and do staff behave positively? Is it a noisy environment where they can't hear themselves think? Equally, how emotionally safe do they feel? This is where staff need to have a real understanding of children's inner feelings and emotions in order to make a judgement.
Ofsted has made available, online, the documents that inspectors use when carrying out inspections for providers who deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is important to familiarise yourself and the staff with these documents. They will help you to have a full understanding, step-by-step, of how the inspectors make their judgements about your setting and enable you to cross-reference these documents back to your practice.
Evaluation schedule
Using the early years evaluation schedule - Guidance for inspectors of registered early years settings required to deliver the EYFS
Ofsted clearly states the purpose of this guidance. 'The early years evaluation schedule shows what inspectors must evaluate and report on when inspecting early years settings required to deliver the EYFS, and gives guidance for inspectors on what to take in account when making judgements set out in the evaluation schedule.'
When going through each section, think about:
- What does this mean in relation to my practice?
- How are we meeting this point/judgement?
- How do we know we are meeting this?
- What evidence do we have?
- Why are we not meeting this?
- What steps do we have to take to achieve this?
This document also clearly states the judgments that an inspector uses this to grade the setting.
One of the other points that I make in training is that staff should analyse a variety of inspection reports from the Ofsted website. You will find it interesting to look at the inspection reports of the different grades. For example, what made that setting achieve outstanding, or inadequate? Make a note of the actions and recommendations. I have noticed that some of the recommendations on these reports under the EYFS are ones that have been raised under the National Standards - for instance, recording of children's attendance and providing fresh drinking water. Therefore, this should not be raised under this new round of inspections, and I would question the provider's knowledge of the EYFS. One should also look at reports from other providers in their local authority, region and nationally, to compare reports and grades.
Conducting inspections
The other document that Ofsted recommends to be used with the above is Conducting early years inspections - Guidance for inspectors of registered early years settings required to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Ofsted states, 'This guidance is intended to assist inspectors when inspecting registered early years settings required to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage'.
Early years settings can also use it to see how Ofsted will conduct inspections to help them carry out their self-evaluation. It should be used in conjunction with the guidance Using the early years evaluation schedule, which explains how inspectors should structure their evaluation of the provision and the judgements they should make. The key point in this document is that settings can use it as part of their self-evaluation process and it reaffirms Ofsted's commitment of how transparent it is in sharing its systems with providers.
The annex section is very useful. It shows how the EYFS (principles, themes and welfare requirements) and Every Child Matters are linked to your inspection.
Are you ready?
The other useful document that providers must make sure they read and action is Are you ready for your inspection - a guide to inspections of provision on Ofsted's Childcare and Early Years Register. In this, Ofsted plainly states what the provider needs to do in order to be ready at any time to be inspected. There are key questions and answers, accompanied by an overview of the grades and judgements. Also listed are documents, policies and procedures that need to be in place.
Go through the list of policies and procedures, checking that they are in place and when they were last updated. Is there a match between the policies and procedures and what happens in practice? Do staff know and are they able to show that they understand what the policies mean in practice? How do you know that staff understand? If they were questioned about key policies, what would their answer be? Some settings make good use of staff meetings and spend time discussing one policy at every staff meeting and/or focus on one policy a week; this approach helps to embed their understanding of what documents look like in practice.
As we have gone along on this inspection journey, we hope the message about reflective practice and self-evaluation is not just used at inspections. It should be applied continuously as a sound measurement of how children are able to reach their full potential within your setting and how you respond to narrowing the gap for children.
Nathan Archer, development manager, The Children's House, Lincolnshire
The team at the Children's House were well prepared when the inspector called. In addition to a Policy and Procedure file, we pulled together an extensive operational plan. The evidence in this file was originally organised under the Every Child Matters headings and was then reorganised to meet the welfare requirements of the EYFS.
As a precursor to this, we had undertaken the NDNA accreditation scheme Quality Counts, which helped us compile this evidence against indicators. This substantial file essentially became the basis for our Operational Plan.
Ensuring the SEF was up to date was obviously key, and although our inspection was only four weeks into the new EYFS requirements, we had begun this process in earnest. We had started cross-referencing evidence in the operational plan to the SEF headings as a means of reducing the text input to the SEF form. The team's understanding of and familiarity with this was enhanced by reissuing key policies.
Evidence of leadership was also key to a successful outcome at the inspection. One of our key areas for development was building on our monitoring practice. Regular documented monitoring of quality throughout the nursery was something we knew we had to move forward on, so by the time Ofsted called, we had undertaken several months of room-by-room quality monitoring. We see this as a key role in leadership, assuring quality care and education.
Beyond curriculum leadership, documenting our evaluation of leadership and management proved difficult. Certainly we could prepare evidence on training, staff retention, and curriculum leadership, but we felt the culture of the nursery was difficult to show on paper. Instead, we relied on the ethos of the nursery to show through in practice. We were delighted this was recognised in the Ofsted report.
Perhaps most importantly, we encouraged the team to have a normal day!
We were delighted that the combination of quality practice and systems was recognised by the inspector as 'outstanding' - a testament to a great team.
DOCUMENTS TO COMPLEMENT THE INSPECTION JOURNEY
National Children's Bureau,
www.nationalchildrensbureau.org.uk/qualityimprovement
- Quality Improvement Principles
- The National Quality Improvement Network Companion Guide
Ofsted, www.ofsted.gov.uk
- Early Years: Leading to excellence
- Using the early years evaluation schedule
- Conducting early years inspections
- Are you ready for your inspection?
- Early Years self-evaluation form
- Early Years self-evaluation form guidance
- Every parent matters
National Strategies, www.nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk
- Early years quality improvement support programme (EYQISP)
Teacher net, www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications
- Early Years Foundation Stage
Laura Henry is managing director, of Childcare Consultancy
For information contact info@childcareconsult.co.uk or 020 8689 7733
