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In a hurry? Here’s the quick run-down:
Every educator in England knows Ofsted. Or, at least, we did.
With change on the horizon and consultation about the proposed new inspection framework well underway, it’s time to question everything we thought about the inspectorate.
To find out more about what the proposed new style of inspections might look like for us in the Early Years, I sat down with Becky Cook, Executive Headteacher of Waterton Pre-schools. Waterton’s setting, The Meadow Pre-School, had the opportunity to experience a trial thematic visit with two Ofsted inspectors earlier this year, using the proposed new Early Years Inspection Toolkit.
And the feedback was nothing short of amazing.
So, while the changes are just proposals, at least for now, let’s inspect the proposed new inspections…
Becky and her team’s inspection was a pilot of a thematic visit, as opposed to a full inspection. The themes that were covered were:
The other five themes of the proposed new framework (Leadership and Governance, Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, Children’s welfare and well-being, Inclusion, and Safeguarding) weren’t explored specifically, during the visit.
Some elements remain the same, the focus on the quality of leadership, quality of adult interactions, quality of language development, what it’s like to be a child in the setting and the impact the setting has continue to be the ‘golden threads’ that should run through all aspects of the provision.
“They're always looking at the quality of interactions, the quality of language development, and what it’s like to be a child in this setting,” explains Becky, “Within that, they will track a vulnerable child and look at what the lived experience of that child is and then the overall impact of the setting.”
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"Coming to that conclusion of your lines of inquiry together felt very powerful. Every step of the way felt really collaborative. It really felt like the inspection was being done with us and not to us, a definite switch in how the whole experience felt. We were treated as professional partners in the inspection, right from the initial phone call."
Becky Cook, Executive Headteacher, Waterton Pre-schools
Once Becky and her team agreed to take part in the pilot, the next step was to receive the (mock) notification call, the following day. However, it wasn’t the extra 24 hours to prepare that made the difference - it was the content of the call itself.
Rather than the inspectors coming in with preconceptions about the provision and practice, Becky had the opportunity to set the scene, sharing the context and ethos of the setting on the call, the day before the inspectors arrived.
“Right from the phone call, it felt different in terms of the information they gathered,” explains Becky, “The inspector really took the time to understand the context of the setting. Usually, it's more the practical things: your numbers, the people, your qualifications, the welfare requirements, but they wanted to talk about our curriculum offer, what's unique about us, our ethos, and what's strong in the setting. It was a very much a two-way discussion.”
Becky and the inspector also used the call to decide collaboratively on the lines of enquiry for the inspection. In previous inspections, Becky noted this was decided by the inspector but felt that this time, the discussion led them to a shared conclusion.
The proposed changes to the inspection framework include starting with the assumption that the setting is ‘secure’ across all areas.
Becky and her team felt that the inspectors coming into the setting with the ‘secure’ judgement in mind meant that their professionalism was acknowledged and respected. The process felt more like two sets of Early Years professionals collaboratively evaluating the practice and provision they were observing.
“As a leader, if you've identified any areas where you think more attention is needed or is developing, then that's a discussion to be had - here's the evidence, this is what we're doing about it,” explains Becky, “It's very much that professional discussion that leads to an understanding of the setting.”
A greater focus on the context of the setting meant Becky had an opportunity to set the tone of the inspection and really show off where they shine. Waterton’s The Meadow setting has over a third of their children in receipt of EYPP, due to the significant socio-economic struggles of the area. However, Becky was able to ensure that the deficit wasn’t the focal point of the inspection.
“We're aware that the community we're working in has significant levels of child poverty, but it doesn't define us,” explains Becky, “What defines us is the experience that these children get, not the deprivation and the challenges that the children face. I wanted the inspectors to see that these children get the right early years experience without waving the flag for deprivation. I valued the opportunity to speak openly and honestly about the work we do and I think the staff valued that too. That's why we felt that there was a real understanding of our culture and context.”
Later on, an inspector’s praise for an apprentice at The Meadow allowed Becky to speak about the Trust that the Waterton Pre-schools are part of and share some of their work more broadly.
“We got to talk about what we were doing within the Pre-Schools and the Trust. I could explain how that impacts the children and the adults in the settings in terms of their learning opportunities and their wellbeing,” explains Becky, “We're part of that larger organisation so there’s training available, career progression and the wellbeing package in place for everybody and the inspectors were happy to discuss that further. In the past, I felt like inspections have been really narrow in focus, but this was much more holistic.”
As part of the proposed new format for inspection, Becky and her team had opportunities to receive and give feedback throughout the day, with the Early Years Toolkit providing the basis for the evaluations. Instead of the learning walk, the manager of the setting and the inspector undertook an hour-long joint observation, followed up by a group discussion.
“We talked about what we’d all seen that morning and got the opportunity to say, ‘We think we’re strong in this area and this is why.’” says Becky, “If there were any sort of challenges where they'd disagree, I'd have the opportunity to go back and say, ‘Actually I think we are strong and here's the evidence of what we do. You haven't seen this, but this happens or this happens’ and they’d agree that yes, we are strong in that area. It was very much a two-way conversation about what we'd all seen and how that reflected the wording in the toolkit. We felt that was really positive.”
"The staff all felt the same; that they'd been heard. What we do and how we do it and the passion with which we do it had been acknowledged. We really all felt that the inspection had been done with us and not to us. We definitely felt like it was a collaboration. We'd all enjoyed the day."
Becky Cook, Executive Headteacher, Waterton Pre-Schools
Although much of the day was spent in professional discussion, the proposed new framework certainly isn’t a return to senior leadership and inspectors being locked in the office all day with the ‘Ofsted’ folder open on the desk.
In fact, the inspectors didn’t want to see any of Becky and her team’s paperwork or planning at all. They still wanted to hear about the setting first-hand, from the educators themselves.
“As before, all the evidence is triangulated,” explains Becky, “They asked staff about training and opportunities and how their wellbeing is looked after. They're double-checking what you say.”
However, how the inspectors got the evidence they needed felt more collaborative.
“The team felt like they'd been asked the right questions about early years and their practice, but it was a discussion rather than questioning,” explains Becky, “Each member of staff that they approached got the opportunity to talk about what they were doing and the impact on the children.”
Of course, the most important people of all have to have their say too, so the inspectors still took the time to chat with the children. The children shared what they enjoy about pre-school, and what they're learning about, and keenly showed off their floor books. Becky and her team noticed that the inspectors encouraged the children's interactions with their ‘special visitors’ and wanted to hear their opinions.
The inspectors looked at the development of language and literacy, parent partnerships, and of course, wanted to find out what's it like to be a child in the setting. Inspectors also focussed on the more vulnerable children (EYPP recipients, children with SEND etc,) and children with any other barriers to learning.
Becky and her team noted much of what Ofsted was actually checking on was unchanged too. As Becky herself says, “High-quality early education and care is still high-quality early education and care.”
“If that is how they're going to run it, I think it's the better way of doing it,” says Becky, It didn't feel any less focused or like there was any less attention to detail, it just felt collaborative and very much like you were on equal footing, as Eary Years professionals, talking about what you do for children and the impact that it has.”
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
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