Ofsted - Frequently Asked Questions

Although the Birth to Five Service endeavours to update the contents within this page, we would strongly recommend that Practitioners regularly visit the official Ofsted website on a regular basis for current information. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/

Ofsted -
Questions for Providers

Some useful questions to reflect upon including 'Improving your Practice', 'Providing a well-organised environment' and 'Keeping children at the heart of all that happens'.

Ofsted -
Questions for Children

When Practitioners review provision, it is crucial that they consider what the children think and feel. Some useful questions to support conversations with children.

These Frequently Asked Questions have been taken from the Ofsted Document 'Are You Ready for Your Inspection?' The Birth to Five Service will update this section following the recent Manager's Briefings.

What is the purpose of the inspection?
The purpose of the inspection is to evaluate the quality and standards of your early years provision in line with the principles, and general and specific requirements of the EYFS.

How long do inspections take?
This varies depending on the size and features of your provision. Inspections of settings normally take the equivalent of one day and are carried out by one inspector.

Will I have to pay an inspection fee?
There is no fee for inspection, but you do have to pay a fee to continue to be registered as a childminder or childcare provider. The fee is payable annually and the amounts are set by the Government.

What if my provision is on a school site?
If the provision forms part of a school’s extended services and is managed by the school’s governing body, it will be inspected at the same time as the school, and be reported on in the school inspection report. If your provision operates entirely independently of the school and does not form part of its extended services, it will be inspected and reported on separately. This is normally but not always at the same time as the school. This might happen, for example, if you hire a room in a school to enable you to operate a pre-school or holiday playscheme for children in the local community. If this inspection is completed at the same time as the school inspection, it will always have its own separate report. Further information on school-based provision is in ‘Registering school-based provision factsheet’ (www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080291).

What if my provision is on a school site?

If the provision forms part of a school’s extended services and is managed by the school’s governing body, it will be inspected at the same time as the school, and be reported on in the school inspection report. If your provision operates entirely independently of the school and does not form part of its extended services, it will be inspected and reported on separately. This is normally but not always at the same time as the school. This might happen, for example, if you hire a room in a school to enable you to operate a pre-school or holiday playscheme for children in the local community. If this inspection is completed at the same time as the school inspection, it will always have its own separate report. Further information on school-based provision is in ‘Registering school-based provision factsheet’ (www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/080291).

Will my provision be inspected against the EYFS even if I only care for children before and after school or during school holidays?
Yes. If your provision is registered on the Early Years Register you must deliver the EYFS, even if you only care for children at the beginning and/or end of the school day or in the school holidays. You are expected to work closely with other settings, including schools, that also provide the EYFS for those children to ensure they receive the full offer. Inspectors will grade the quality of your provision using a four-point scale, basing their judgements on the nature and extent of what you provide rather than the full EYFS offer being received by each child. When reaching judgements inspectors will consider whether you work in partnership with other providers to ensure children receive the full EYFS. They will also consider how well your activities complement other EYFS provision to ensure continuity of children’s care and learning. In your inspection report, inspectors will make clear the extent of your provision and that children also attend other settings providing the EYFS. Please note that this applies if you only provide care for young children before and after school or during school holidays. It does not apply where some children attend for longer. For example, it does not apply if you care for a baby all day, and for a three-year-old between 12.00 and 17.00 who has attended a nursery school during the morning.

Will my provision be inspected against the EYFS even if I only care for children before and after school or during school holidays?

Yes. If your provision is registered on the Early Years Register you must deliver the EYFS, even if you only care for children at the beginning and/or end of the school day or in the school holidays. You are expected to work closely with other settings, including schools, that also provide the EYFS for those children to ensure they receive the full offer. Inspectors will grade the quality of your provision using a four-point scale, basing their judgements on the nature and extent of what you provide rather than the full EYFS offer being received by each child. When reaching judgements inspectors will consider whether you work in partnership with other providers to ensure children receive the full EYFS. They will also consider how well your activities complement other EYFS provision to ensure continuity of children’s care and learning. In your inspection report, inspectors will make clear the extent of your provision and that children also attend other settings providing the EYFS. Please note that this applies if you only provide care for young children before and after school or during school holidays. It does not apply where some children attend for longer. For example, it does not apply if you care for a baby all day, and for a three-year-old between 12.00 and 17.00 who has attended a nursery school during the morning.

Will my inspection be different if I receive government funding for the early education of three- and four-year-olds?
No. All providers who deliver the EYFS will be inspected against its requirements, whether or not they receive funding. There is only one specific welfare requirement that applies exclusively to providers in receipt of funding – that is, they must have regard to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sen/sencodeintro).

Will I have two inspections if I am registered on the Childcare Register and the Early Years Register?
Wherever possible, when inspectors carry out a full inspection of the early years provision, they will also ask the provider to confirm that they are meeting the Childcare Register requirements. The early years inspection report will include a statement as to whether or not the Childcare Register provision complies with requirements, and where it does not the action the provider must take to do so. The report will not grade the part of your provision registered on the Childcare Register but may comment on its impact on children in the EYFS where this is evident. We will usually carry out a separate inspection if we receive a complaint about the Childcare Register provision which relates to requirements or to the conditions of your registration.

Will I have two inspections if I am registered on the Childcare Register and the Early Years Register?

Wherever possible, when inspectors carry out a full inspection of the early years provision, they will also ask the provider to confirm that they are meeting the Childcare Register requirements. The early years inspection report will include a statement as to whether or not the Childcare Register provision complies with requirements, and where it does not the action the provider must take to do so. The report will not grade the part of your provision registered on the Childcare Register but may comment on its impact on children in the EYFS where this is evident. We will usually carry out a separate inspection if we receive a complaint about the Childcare Register provision which relates to requirements or to the conditions of your registration.

The inspection: What happens during the inspection?
Once the inspector arrives, please carry on with your normal routine; Ofsted want to keep disruption to a minimum. At the beginning of the inspection, the inspector will discuss with you how he or she will carry out the inspection, agree convenient times to talk to you and any staff or assistants about your provision, and make arrangements for the feedback meeting at the end of the inspection. The inspector will also discuss your completed self evaluation form with you. This is an opportunity for you to explain your provision and the reasons for the grades you have included in the form. Ideally you should have completed and submitted the self-evaluation form beforehand. If you have not, the inspector will ask to see a completed form and any other documents you may use to evaluate your provision. The inspector will then spend time: Observing what the children and adults are doing Talking with staff/assistants, children and, where possible, parents to find out their views Checking premises and equipment to ensure they are safe and suitable and to assess how well they are used to promote the outcomes for children Checking records, procedures and any other documents, if necessary Making notes, usually on a laptop computer. At the end of the inspection, the inspector will meet you and let you know the judgements, the reasons for these and where improvements, if any, are needed. If the quality and standards of provision are judged to be inadequate, the inspector will explain to you what happens next. The feedback meeting usually lasts no longer than one hour. During the meeting, the inspector will tell you the main judgements and will normally show them to you on their laptop computer. These are the judgements that we will include in the report. You may correct factual details– for example about the description of your setting which will appear in the report – but this is not a time for you to present fresh evidence about the provision. The inspector will have already made his or her judgements, so make sure you have shown or told the inspector all he or sheneeds to know before the feedback meeting.

The inspection:
What happens during the inspection?

Once the inspector arrives, please carry on with your normal routine; Ofsted want to keep disruption to a minimum. At the beginning of the inspection, the inspector will discuss with you how he or she will carry out the inspection, agree convenient times to talk to you and any staff or assistants about your provision, and make arrangements for the feedback meeting at the end of the inspection. The inspector will also discuss your completed self evaluation form with you. This is an opportunity for you to explain your provision and the reasons for the grades you have included in the form. Ideally you should have completed and submitted the self-evaluation form beforehand. If you have not, the inspector will ask to see a completed form and any other documents you may use to evaluate your provision.
The inspector will then spend time:

Observing what the children and adults are doing
Talking with staff/assistants, children and, where possible, parents to find out their views
Checking premises and equipment to ensure they are safe and suitable and to assess how well they are used to promote the outcomes for children
Checking records, procedures and any other documents, if necessary
Making notes, usually on a laptop computer.

At the end of the inspection, the inspector will meet you and let you know the judgements, the reasons for these and where improvements, if any, are needed. If the quality and standards of provision are judged to be inadequate, the inspector will explain to you what happens next. The feedback meeting usually lasts no longer than one hour. During the meeting, the inspector will tell you the main judgements and will normally show them to you on their laptop computer. These are the judgements that we will include in the report. You may correct factual details– for example about the description of your setting which will appear in the report – but this is not a time for you to present fresh evidence about the provision. The inspector will have already made his or her judgements, so make sure you have shown or told the inspector all he or sheneeds to know before the feedback meeting.

What do inspectors look for when judging provision?
The central question which inspectors seek to answer is: what is it like for a child here? In doing so, they consider how well you and/or any staff or assistants deliver the EYFS; and how, as a result, children are helped to achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes – a basic entitlement for all children. In order to decide this, inspectors make four main judgements: How effective is the provision in meeting the needs of the children? How effectively are children helped to learn and develop? How effectively is the welfare of the children promoted? How effectively is provision led and managed or?

What do inspectors look for when judging provision?

The central question which inspectors seek to answer is: what is it like for a child here? In doing so, they consider how well you and/or any staff or assistants deliver the EYFS; and how, as a result, children are helped to achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes – a basic entitlement for all children. In order to decide this, inspectors make four main judgements:

How effective is the provision in meeting the needs of the children?
How effectively are children helped to learn and develop?
How effectively is the welfare of the children promoted?
How effectively is provision led and managed or?

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