Hear from the experts

Even though Ofsted inspections are now on hold, it’s a great time to get prepared for the call once schools and childcare settings do reopen. With a new inspection framework recently released there are some important changes to be aware of. To find out more about the new framework, my colleague Matt sat down with Wendy Ratcliff, an Ofsted inspector who was instrumental in the development of the new early years inspection framework in collaboration with Gill Jones and the rest of her team.

In their discussion, they cover what’s changed since the new framework came into effect, what you can do to prepare as well as some of the myths around Ofsted. Some of the key takeaways included:

• Greater emphasis on the learning walk during an inspection – you should use this as a way to explain how things are done in your setting and why.
• Inspectors aren’t trying to confuse practitioners with the new terminology and will not focus on whether or not staff understand exact vocabulary, but instead how well they know and understand the children’s development.
• The inspection and reports are really trying to explain as best as possible what it’s like to be a child in your setting, hence the simplification of the report style.
• There’s no need for ‘an Ofsted folder’, Ofsted don’t want settings to produce paperwork for the sake of it and would rather see your setting in action.
• The increased focus on behaviour doesn’t mean that you’ll be marked down if a child does misbehave, inspectors are interested in seeing how staff manage behaviour and help the children improve.

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Find out more

To learn more, you can watch the full interview below, or click here to read through all of the new resources Ofsted have provided.