Q & A about Ofsted Inspections

My name is Julie Campbell. I currently work part
time for the local authority as an quality manager
and part time as an early years inspector. I have
been qualified since 1996 and have worked in a
variety of roles in a variety of settings such as
schools, PVI’s and children centres.
Copyright © Early Years Careers. Outstanding Day Nurseries Ltd 2015

A.Safeguarding/parents/transitions/assessment
/
progress/ how to support SEN and
Whistleblowing

A.If it is a child's interest then why not? You
could have these for children to access if they
wanted to. However I would also give them
lots of opportunities to write with a purpose.
Ie if they draw a pic, encourage them to write
their name on it. Even if it looks nothing like
their name, it does to that child.

A. As all settings are different and have different
funding/staffing/building constraints we do not expect every
setting to have specific areas that we need to see. Particularly in
the under 2's I like to see secure relationships/attachments and
of course opportunities to learning across the prime areas.
Personally I like natural materials/treasure baskets/sensory
play/books/ photos of familiar people/good teaching
methods/outdoor play and most of all happy babies.
A. Also remember that a baby will probably be case tracked in a
daycare setting...
Q. What do you mean cased tracked?
A. Inspectors track a number of children in your setting during
inspection, looking at their assessments/learning docs etc. often
a baby is tracked.

A. Yes, unless it poses a risk. No such thing as
bad weather, just bad clothing!

A. From sept you may start getting 1/2 days notice
in line with the new framework. You can inform
Ofsted that you are term time only and that will
prevent an inspector coming out during the hols.
You can have a NCP inspection where you discuss
how you meet the requirements, which resulted
in a met or not met judgement. We can't give a
normal grade as we are unable to observe
teaching and learning.

A. The best advice I can give is be prepared. Look
through the conducting ey insp, so you know
what to expect. Practice joint observations. Look
at the evaluation schedule and be honest with
your judgment. Do you find in the good
category? How can you prove it? Look at some of
you LA most recent inspections and see what
recommendations have been made. Are you
covering these?

A. Questions will most likely cover how you can
evidence the impact of the funding..

A. Good practice to me would not allow this,
for a number of reasons, not only to
safeguard the member of staff, but what
would happen if there was an emergency.

A. What were the recs/actions from your last
report? Have you established your strengths
and weaknesses through self evaluation?
Where do you see yourself in the judgements?
A. Look at the evaluation schedule at the
judgments for outstanding and see if you are
doing what it asks.

A. As an inspector I need to see progress made
from starting points. There is no legal
requirement for how often you update the LJ's
but as a manager my staff updated them
weekly. This ensured progress was
documented and next steps followed. It's all
about quality over quantity.

A. Singing number rhymes/songs/books. Items
that are in groups so can be compared/counted.
Equip such as role play that an be sorted.
Treasure baskets so things can be compared
big/little etc. and the obvious things like large
inset puzzles. It's more about how staff support
the mathematical learning than the equipment.
A. Bare in mind, main focus will be prime rather
than specific areas

A. That is up to you....a good practitioner is a
reflective practitioner...
A. Don't forget parents/staff views

A. The req state that if you cannot provide an
outdoor space, you need to be taking the
children out as much as possible. As it
sounds like you are doing this I cannot see it
being a problem

A. Some settings have no option other than
people lone working. I think it's difficult for
the staff and the children. I would consider
what needed to be done if a child had an
accident etc...risk assess/lone working policy
perhaps

A. As all settings are different and have different
funding/staffing/building constraints we do not
expect every setting to have specific areas that
we need to see. Particularly in the under 2's I like
to see secure relationships/attachments and of
course opportunities to learning across the prime
areas. Personally I like natural materials/treasure
baskets/sensory play/books/ photos of familiar
people/good teaching methods/outdoor play and
most of all happy babies.

A. What was your last Rec? What have you
done to continually improve. What's the
impact on children? The bar has been
raised since the last framework and
achieving outstanding is more difficult.
A. New framework out in Sept, I would
familiarise yourself with that and continue
doing what you are doing!

A. There has been no specific guidance on this,
other than it being closely linked to
emotional well being and resilience. You may
want to look at The Luven Scale for Well-
being.

A. Teaching and learning/school
readiness/transitions
progress/assessment/Safeguarding

A. If you look in the conducting early years
inspections doc it tells you what we initially look
out for. For example we have to evaluate whether
managers understand the EYFS, how they
monitor provision, effectiveness of supervision
and parents are an integral factor. All inspectors
need to get her the same evidence but as no two
settings are the same out inspection trails often
differ due to what evidence is provided.
A. In terms of just working with parents we look
out for input into SEF, parental questionnaires,
input into learning etc

A. Relax, you'll be fine

A. No, not downgraded. As long as all children
are accounted for it is up to you how you
maintain the register.

A. Again the focus for all inspections will be
teaching and learning. Progress made,
particularly in the prime areas, safeguarding,
transitions, school readiness. They will also
probably focus on a funded child if you have
and funded 2 year olds. Also on the 2-3 yr
room, speaking from personal experience
behaviour can be an issue. And I mean the
children, not the staff!

A. There is no set time for supervision but it
must be effective. It would be far better to
write up obs, otherwise you don't have
evidence to show.

A. You will have a meeting with the inspectors
as a 1-1, see page 8-9 of conducting early
years inspections to see what this could
involve.

A. The best advice I can give is be prepared.
Look through the conducting ey insp, so you
know what to expect. Practice joint
observations. Look at the evaluation schedule
and be honest with your judgment. Do you
find in the good category? How can you prove
it? Look at some of you LA most recent
inspections and see what recommendations
have been made. Are you covering these?

A. Lots of emphasis on teaching and learning
now. Monitoring of provision and impact of
training on children. Safeguarding of
children will always be included, as will be
working with parents/other providers. Read
conducting EY inspection doc to find out
what inspectors must report and evaluate

A. Consistency in all practitioners. High
expectations of themselves and the children.
Precise assessment and intervention where
needed. Happy, motivated, independent
children who are displaying the CoEL

A. It depends what method of learning you
follow, Steiner has a calm, neutral
background for children to learn in, others
don't follow this theory. Ofsted Do not have a
preference for theorists. Personally I like to
see photos of children busy and their work
displayed at their level. I don't like to see
several pictures all looking the same and that
an adult has completed them.

A. You will get a normal inspection. Things that
will be focused on are teaching and learning/
safeguarding/ monitoring/
assessment/school readiness/parental
involvement/ partnership working.

A. Yes, where possible

A. Yes but to take it even further consider cohorts
of children. Are boys progressing well in PD but
not EAD. What can you do about this?

A. No specific format, just ensure learning
covers the 7 areas, with particular focus on
the prime. Next steps are followed along with
children's interests

Q & A about Ofsted Inspections

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