OFSTED inspection monitoring practice

[Guest]

Hi All,

 

We are due an inspection any minute, I am aware that under the new frame work the inspectors will ask me as manager to observe staff practice and rate it. Does anyone have any experience of this and would anyone have a template for monitoring practice/ staff obs sheet that they would'nt mind sharing?

 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated, this will be my first ofsted as manager and feeling rather nervous.

 

Thanks

[Helen]

The joint observation will be offered to you- but it is not obligatory :1b

However, it is a great opportunity for you to show the inspector how you monitor staff practice- in particular their interaction with the children. After a short(ish) observation of around 15 minutes, your inspector will have a chat with you about what you both observed. Do point out the good practice you saw (eg how the member of staff introduced new vocabulary to the children) and also areas for improvement (eg 'she could have asked more open ended questions' or 'she could have developed the ideas more fully by....'.

Are your staff used to you observing them and giving them feedback?

[LKeyteach]

I was inspected ion September and was asked to do this. The inspector chose the scenario. I found a pen and paper and noted down what I saw my practitioner was doing well. The inspector called a halt and we went into a huddle as we discussed what we had both seen. Luckily we both saw the same things, I had running through my mind all our policies and was able to make links to those such as Health and safety, play.

It was dead simple. I did feed back to the practitioner later.

In a previous job the head teacher did an observation on all the teachers annually, I must admit I would not want to do this to my staff, but I do find time to go into the nursery and watch practice and give the staff feedback, but it is informal, there is no written evidence of this. So my advice Camilla is to get in some practice with this informal observation of your staff team.

On the day if things are going wrong on your observation, be clear to the inspector what is going wrong and how you as manager are going to make it go right in future.

Try and observe as you would observe a child at play.

 

Good Luck, let us know how you get on.

[Guest]

I recently carried out my first joint observation - this was alongside an EYAT and at the attached pre-school. I was given a form to complete and the observation went well - although I was distracted because the EYAT talked throughout the observation and I need to be able to concentrate; however, she did decide to do the observation more 'informally' because it was the first I had done.

So, I 'scribbled' my notes on the proforma, then later realised I did not have another proforma to write up the notes for the member of staff being observed (YES - I realise you shouldn't need to do that - but I needed to make it legible!) - so I formed my 'own' using the EYAT template. I have attached my 'version' here which you might like to use (I print it double sided). It does help to have a proforma to refer to in case your mind goes 'blank' (which mine would most definately do!).

Good luck!

 

Joint Observation Form.pdf

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice, will defiantly start doing these more regularly. At the moment staff are not used to me observing them I have only been manager for a few months and previous management did not do this at all.

I think it will be useful for me and the staff, although not sure how they will feel about it after they have had such a relaxed atmosphere for so long.

 

appreciate all the advice thank you.

[Guest]

Ohh thanks DevonMaid really useful. your a star.

[sunnyday]

We do these on each other - terrible grammar - but you know what I mean - have found this practice really helpful and I have encouraged my staff to feel free to observe me and give me some feedback - it just has to be positive not really!

I wanted to be prepared for when we get that 'knock, ring Ofsted at the door'!

[Guest]

I have just come across a book by NDNA on peer observations. It has some really good formats for observations and covers all sorts of activities you could observe, from nappy changing to free play in the garden.

[sunnyday]

I recently carried out my first joint observation - this was alongside an EYAT and at the attached pre-school. I was given a form to complete and the observation went well - although I was distracted because the EYAT talked throughout the observation and I need to be able to concentrate; however, she did decide to do the observation more 'informally' because it was the first I had done.

So, I 'scribbled' my notes on the proforma, then later realised I did not have another proforma to write up the notes for the member of staff being observed (YES - I realise you shouldn't need to do that - but I needed to make it legible!) - so I formed my 'own' using the EYAT template. I have attached my 'version' here which you might like to use (I print it double sided). It does help to have a proforma to refer to in case your mind goes 'blank' (which mine would most definately do!).

Good luck!

 

That's great - thank you for sharing devonmaid :1b

[Devondaisy]

I started doing more formal observations on staff practice and giving feedback a while back, so that we were all used to it for when Ofsted come (if they ever do!) The staff have all said they find it really helpful and a positive experience - they often say they didn't realise they were so good! Obviously I have excellent staff - might be more tricky of staff are less experienced! I don't have a proforma as such, but I do write these down and keep them in the staff file.