Ofsted inspections aren’t exactly a walk in the park- and for good reason! One thing you can do to minimise staff and parental stress during this time is to plan and communicate.
We dive into ways you can prepare your staff and your parents to make the inspection process enjoyable and rewarding for everyone.
Let’s get down to the specifics. Here’s what you can expect:
How to prepare staff
Make The Early Years Inspection Handbook familiar and readily available – it doesn’t need to be a scary/stressful document. Chat about it now and then in the common room over tea.
The more staff understand what constitutes an outstanding nursery and what needs to be done to be Outstanding in the four areas of assessment, the more confident they will be on inspection day.
Understandably, some of your staff may experience anxiety around the inspection, especially if there is added pressure to boost your setting’s Ofsted rating. Don’t ignore this, and of course, don’t add to the pressure – they’re already aware of the importance.
Ofsted nursery ratings are important to staff as well. Remind them that it’s alright to acknowledge mistakes, and emphasise that the inspection is a celebration of accomplishments that your staff should be proud of.
Blossomers can upload and store The Early Years Inspection Handbook on the Blossom platform for continued, easy access. Our Staff Rota lets employees know who will be present on the day of inspection, and our child attendance tracking features make it simple to see which children (and therefore parents) will be participating.
Questions you will be asked
Unsurprisingly, you can expect to be asked a variety of questions on inspection day. Some are directed at the manager, others Room Leaders, and so on. It’s imperative that you answer all questions with 100% honesty because sooner or later the inspector will find out. (And rest assured that lying won’t work in your favour to bump up your ratings).
Check out these examples of inspection questions:
Safeguarding:
- If you had any safeguarding concerns about a child, what action would you take?
- Who would you approach or contact if you had any safeguarding concerns regarding a child or adult?
- What are the types of abuse?
Key children & their development/Observations:
- What was your child’s starting point and what stage of development are they in now?
- Is your child in the right development stage, are they behind or exceeding age bands?
- How do you use your relationship with parents when settling a child?
Questions to Room Leader:
- How do you monitor/check children’s observations?
- If a teacher is reading a story very badly, what would you do?
- What’s your daily routine?
General Questions:
- What qualifications do you hold?
- Have you had supervision?
- How do you get your point across?
- What is your relationship like with other staff members?
Upload all policy documents for safe online storage, record key moments in a child’s education journey, customise and store all staff info with staff profiles.
How are the parents involved in the inspection?
It is essential to notify parents that an Ofsted inspection will be taking place. Remember, Ofsted nursery ratings are important to your parents as well.
The inspector will make sure to chat to parents and gather evidence on their opinions of your setting. So send out a notification email or text so that they’re not caught off guard.
Our Parent App enables parents to:
- Receive diary updates, highlighting special moments
- Be involved in their child’s learning and development with Learning Journeys
- Continue their child’s education at home with Home Observations
- Enjoy paperless billing (with automatic reminders)
- Communicate with the nursery instantly with two-way messaging
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