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earlyyears.teachwire.net
your setting. To do this, they will track a
child or two by examining any
documentation, from when the child first
starts with you, to the present day. The
inspector will spend approximately 80%
of the inspection time observing staff and
the children during learning activities,
play and daily care routines.
JOINT OBSERVATIONS
The inspector may invite you to
participate in a joint observation of
activities, care routines and/or scrutiny
of the progress children make. You don’t
have to accept this invitation and in
some cases, it may not be appropriate
or convenient.
The purpose of a joint observation is
to enable the inspector to gain an insight
into the effectiveness of the provision’s
professional development programme. It
can also provide an effective assessment
of the quality of the provider’s
monitoring and evaluation of practice.
QUESTION
TIME
THE INSPECTOR WILL
WANT TO BUILD UP
A PICTURE OF YOUR
SETTING, AND WILL
OBSERVE PRACTITIONERS
INTERACTING WITH
THE CHILDREN WHERE
POSSIBLE. HELP EASE
STAFF ANXIETY BY
DISCUSSING QUESTIONS
THEY MAY BE ASKED...
D
What are your responsibilities
with regard to ensuring the
EYFS statutory requirements
are met?
D
How do you ensure that the
safeguarding and welfare
requirements are met?
D
How do you plan and prepare
for a child to join the setting?
D
How do you monitor the
progress of individual
children and plan for their
developmental needs from
day one?
D
What is the ethos or vision
of the setting and targets to
improve?
D
How do you support parents in
helping children’s learning at
home?
D
What strategies do you have
to involve parents in children’s
learning and development at
the setting?
inspection, the children you have
attending, inspection activities and
allowing time for paperwork to be ready.
Make sure your staff are prepared to take
this call.
SHOW YOUR EXPERTISE
An Ofsted visit shouldn’t create panic. If
your setting is delivering a high-quality
service to the children and families in
your care then it’s about getting
everything in order, taking a deep breath
and showcasing your expertise!
All staff should have an excellent
knowledge of the EYFS and be aware of
the judgements that Ofsted will be
gathering evidence of. Take each
judgement in turn and think about how
you will meet them – for example, under
‘leadership and management’ think
about the experience of staff across the
age ranges, how you have used any
additional funding to support individual
children and how children are
safeguarded effectively. Are you aware of
the Prevent Duty and able to
demonstrate how British Values are
integral to your practice?
Ofsted will want to see how staff
interact with children and, in particular,
the many ways in which they support
their natural curiosity to learn.
ON THE DAY
Encourage staff to stay calm – being
relaxed will ensure they’re at their most
natural, and able to demonstrate their
good practice. Try not to let the
inspector’s presence affect the way your
team work with the children.
TAKE CONTROL
Don’t be afraid to request the inspector’s
ID and ask them to sign the visitors’
book; they might be an Ofsted inspector,
but they’re still a visitor to your setting
and you should stick to your child
protection procedures. And don’t be
afraid to challenge them, or explain
exactly why you do something the way
you do it. If it works for your setting,
show them why!
When the inspector arrives, they will
emphasise that you continue with your
normal routine. The inspector wants to
see what you do well. The inspector will
negotiate and agree a timetable of how
the inspection will take place. They will
want to talk to any parents of children
who attend your provision. They will ask
that you show them around the areas of
the provision that children use.
TRACKING CHILDREN
The inspector needs to see that all
children are making suitable progress in
GET
SUPPORT
PACEY HAS A HOST OF
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT
NURSERIES PREPARING
FOR INSPECTION...
D
Spotlight on: The
Common Inspection
Framework –
pacey.org.uk/cif
D
The Common
Inspection
Framework,
British values
and you
– ow.ly/
ZYcx3000DL3
D
Spotlight on:
British values
and the Prevent duty –
ow.ly/8RxO3000Dxt
D
Fundamental British
values in the early years –
ow.ly/A2SN3000DCr
D
Free Ofsted
webinar with PACEY –
ow.ly/92Lt3000Dvx
For more information,
or to become a member,
visit pacey.org.uk
