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I had a shock this morning-5 mins before we were due to open our doors 2 ofsted inspectors walked in and told me they would be doing a full ofsted inspection over the next two days. When I stammered out that my pre-school had an excellent ofsted only eighteen months ago they said 'that was under the old system'. So far everything has gone smoothly and they have made lots of complimentary remarks but I shall be very glad when tomorrow is over. After being assessed for accreditation last October I did think I could relax for a year or so without worrying about inspections. I'm standing as branch chair for the local Pre-school Learning Alliance Sub-committee at the AGM on Thursday and doing my first Rainbow Guide Sleepover with nine 6 year olds at the weekend so I had hoped for a quiet week at pre-school. Just shows you should never be complacent! Its good to feel I can shre all this with my supportive friends on the forum.

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Wow!!

 

Deb, what a shock!!! Ours was 18 months ago, too - ooer!!!! :o

 

I'm sure everything will be OK, but - crikey!!! It's the new 'Every Child Matters' format - yes?? Let me know everything - please

 

Sue :D

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Oh Deb W - what a shock for you!!!!!!!!! Hope all goes well for you - perhaps you could let us know if there is any difference from the old style inspection !!!!!!!!!!!

 

I had a visit from our EYDCP today and when I said that I could have an inspection at any time - she said " no it'll be 3 years as you had an inspection last July (04)" The way she said it made me think she had inside information, and maybe, just maybe, I could relax a little.

 

Now you have confirmed my worst fears and I just know that it could happen at any time - thanks for keeping me on my toes and I really do wish you well for tomorrow!

 

janice :o

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oh blimy and theres me telling my staff at their appraisals today, well done, fantastic...Ofsted last march, accreditation in october, iip just done, sit back relax.......................... :oxD:(

 

good luck DEB FINGERS CROSSED FOR YOU :D

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You're the first person I've heard have the unannounced visit, and as you're still alive to tell the tale I presume it's not that bad :o

I'm leaving 15th July, so I'm wishing the days away now xD:(:D

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Guest MaryEMac
I had a shock this morning-5 mins before we were due to open our doors 2 ofsted inspectors walked in and told me they would be doing a full ofsted inspection over the next two days.  When I stammered out that my pre-school had an excellent ofsted only eighteen months ago they said 'that was under the old system'.  So far everything has gone smoothly and they have made lots of complimentary remarks but I shall be very glad when tomorrow is over.  After being assessed for accreditation last October I did think I could relax for a year or so without worrying about inspections.  I'm standing as branch chair for the local Pre-school Learning Alliance Sub-committee at the AGM on Thursday and doing my first Rainbow Guide Sleepover with nine 6 year olds at the weekend so I had hoped for a quiet week at pre-school.  Just shows you should never be complacent!  Its good to feel I can shre all this with my supportive friends on the forum.

34288[/snapback]

 

Had a shock when I read your post Deb. :o Our inspection was last July so I assumed that I had at least 3 years. Obviously I was wrong. I hope that everything went okay and that the rest of your week goes smoothly. :)

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That couldn't have been very nice first thing this morning - hope all is well!

 

As far as the new 'regime' goes - the slate has been wiped clean now, so regardless of when you were last inspected, you could receive Ofsted on your doorstep at any time. There is also no guarantees as far as relating the outcome of this inspection to the previous inspection report (just because you received a 'good' last time, does not mean that you cannot get inadequate this time)

 

We are in the process of briefing all our settings about the changes (I work for an EYDCP), what changes in legislation have been made and how the outcomes are going to be judged - if you haven't done so already, I would recommend contacting your early years team to see if they have something similar planned.

 

Also, we do not get any prior warning or information about when settings are going to be inspected, so we are as much in the dark as the providers. All I can say is ensure that your staff are up to speed with all the policies and procedures (esp. Child Protection) as the inspectors will speak to everyone to gauge their individual level of understanding and where they 'fit in' to the setting's structure.

 

Keep smilin' :D

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Sorry I missed your post yesterday to wish you good luck. Now it is all over you can breath a sigh of relief. :D

 

In your own time , we would love to hear how the process was and if the Inspectors judged you on the new ethos of "What is it like to be a child here".

 

Peggy

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Like Peggy, I too missed yesterdays posts - you poor thing.

 

Hope everything went well and that you sleep well tonight - I'm guessing you didn't last night!

 

Sending you smiles across the e-waves. :(:D:)xD:o

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Thank you for all your kind messages. The inspectors did seem more laid back than under the old system. they spent a lot of time talking to the children, staff and parents and generally observing. They only spent about half an hour talking to me on my own. They did say that having the accreditation file to lend them saved a lot of time as everything was there for them to refer to. They asked me quite a lot about my management style and how balanced my different roles within the group. They liked the fact that every member of staff has a responsibility and they all contribute to planning. They praised me for being an 'active manager' always looking for new ideas (this forum has helped enormously). At the end of it all we came out as 'good in all aspects' with the right balance of adult led and child led activities. They gave us a 'recommendation'-like the old points for consideration- that we think about introducing a snack bar and leave our activities out longer. They weren't at all worried about the 'evidence of learning' that the last inspector told us was our main development point. Mind you that was the inspector who praised us for changing our activities during the morning so that the children didn't get bored! We have now had three inspections within eighteen months(accreditation assessor last October) and each one has made quite different recommendations. I'm inclined to ignore the lot and follow my instincts-especially as I have a long waiting list, happy children and happy parents!

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Well done Deb, you must be feeling great now. I take your point about relying on your own instincts to know what to do. If the children and parents are happy theres no better endorsement. The inspection sounds relaxed, our new playleader will be glad to hear it. :D:D

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Congratulations and well done to you and your team. Thanks for letting us know how it went. Now you can enjoy the rest of the term, and the holidays with out worrying about a pending inspection.

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Well done Deb! Thanks for letting us know how you got on. Happy children and happy parents-what more can you want??

Linda

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Guest debralenise
I had a shock this morning-5 mins before we were due to open our doors 2 ofsted inspectors walked in and told me they would be doing a full ofsted inspection over the next two days.  When I stammered out that my pre-school had an excellent ofsted only eighteen months ago they said 'that was under the old system'.  So far everything has gone smoothly and they have made lots of complimentary remarks but I shall be very glad when tomorrow is over.  After being assessed for accreditation last October I did think I could relax for a year or so without worrying about inspections.  I'm standing as branch chair for the local Pre-school Learning Alliance Sub-committee at the AGM on Thursday and doing my first Rainbow Guide Sleepover with nine 6 year olds at the weekend so I had hoped for a quiet week at pre-school.  Just shows you should never be complacent!  Its good to feel I can shre all this with my supportive friends on the forum.

34288[/snapback]

 

Like you we had a shock on Tuesday when the ofsted inspectors arrived just before we opened to carry out the full inspection. I had re-registered in September, after my partner retiring, I was led to believe that they would not arrived until later in the year - what a shock, we're just about getting ourselves organised as we want and would have liked a little bit longer to do it, but at least this way I suppose we can have a worry free summer holiday. All I can say is don't give them the chance to point out any thing you know you are weak on - get in there first and make sure that you have an plan for improving it and moving forward, we did this and I am sure it helped get the result we did. They thanked us for making them feel welcome and having an enjoyable two days - I'm glad they did because we found it very stressful especially when a child fell through the middle of the climbing frame banging his head and arm on the way down - still I guess we handled it correctly as it wasn't mentioned in the feedback, my poor deputy felt awful and even more stressed for the rest of the inspection. I guess at the end of the day inspecting in this way gives a truer reflection of how a group operates and is probably better but I could have done without the shock.

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Well done Debra

 

........for getting through it.

 

Actually, I feel quite comfortable about the prospect of a "surprise OFSTED", but I'm not a manager, only a worker. Since we are an "open setting" (i.e. existing and prospective parents here at any time), I always strive to do my best as a pre-school assistant. Obviously, it is very hard for you managers in comparison! You have my admiration!

 

Diane.

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Hope it all went well and look forward to hearing your results.Think it is better for them to come unannounced,less stressful for all but it is a shock!

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Another handy hint for your inspections...

 

Ask the inspectors about mid-way through the afternoon if there is anything that they haven't seen yet that would help them i.e. children's development records or observation records.

 

It is too late when the inspector makes a comment about something they have not seen at the end of the inspection - GET IN THERE FIRST!!

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Deb

Glad your Ofsted went well

Thanks for taking the time to inform us all about the process

I am just planning VIP Ofsted training and have just completed SSE/ SEF -maintained school training so it's great for me to be able to pass on gems like your advise / info to practitioners working in settings

Well done

LGM

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  • 3 months later...

Good luck Deb W i sympathise we had the same thing happen although i had longer in between. my last combined was 2 years ago. my last care one was only a year ago.

keep smiling and good luck wwith the outcome hope it went well as this is quite along time since you had the inspection

:D:D

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