There is one word that makes nurseries and schools around the country quake in their boots: Ofsted! At Pear Tree in North Camp we’ve just had our Ofsted inspection and we’re delighted that we got a ‘Good’, although many of our parents actually think we’re outstanding!

One of the things about Ofsted is that we don’t get any prior warning that the inspectors are coming…! This means there’s no frantic activity to make the nursery look presentable, instructions to staff to be smart, or forward planning to ensure the inspection day activities make us look great. Instead the inspectors get a really good insight into how the nursery runs on a day-to-day basis; which gives us a massive incentive to ensure that everyday we meet the needs of our children, offer excellent care, and provide educational and fun activities that meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

8am – A knock on the door

I thought it might be interesting to explain what happens during an Ofsted Inspection. The first we know about it is when there’s a knock on the door a little earlier than normal to announce the arrival of the inspectors. This gives the nursery manager an opportunity to give the inspectors a tour of the setting before the children arrive. Usually when the children get dropped off the inspectors will ask a parent or two if they have time to have a little chat about the nursery to get some feedback:

Leadership and Management

Pascale, our nursery manager at North Camp, then spent some time talking to the Inspector about the running of the setting; procedures, children’s assessment records, staff evaluations, monitoring etc. As her first inspection Pascale found the whole process very reassuring as it really confirmed that all our systems are robust and working well.

“The manager has a secure knowledge of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. There are good systems in place to assess and monitor children’s progress.”

Activities and Early Years

Having gone through all the paperwork and management side of things, the Ofsted Inspector then observed activities inside and outside involving each member of staff. This part of the process is done alongside the manager so that then there’s an opportunity to discuss the activity and the performance of particular members of the team. Everyone passed with flying colours!

“Children are motivated and excited to learn because staff provide interesting, and developmentally appropriate, activities and experiences which they base firmly on children’s current interests.”

Ofsted also spoke to each individual member of staff with particular reference to their areas of expertise and responsibilities. Specific praise was given to our safeguarding measures in the report, which is an important issue for parents and carers alike.

You can see the full Ofsted report here; and also those for our other settings (all of whom are due to get a knock on the door this year). But here are the key findings that we are so proud of:

• Children are very safe in the setting, because staff have a very good understanding of their role and responsibility to safeguard and protect children from harm. They undertake regular risk assessments to ensure children’s safety.
• Highly qualified and experienced staff support less qualified staff very well and are good role models. This has a positive impact on staff practice and continuous improvement.
• Children make good progress in their learning and development given their starting points and capabilities. This is because, overall, the quality of teaching is consistently good. As a result, children develop the skills they need for their future learning and school.
• Children enjoy healthy meals and snacks, which promotes their good health. All meals meet children’s dietary needs, are freshly prepared and cooked from scratch.
• Children behave very well. Staff offer a consistent approach to promoting positive behaviour and regularly praise children for their achievements.

Last word from Pascale:

“I am extremely proud to work with such a dedicated team who consistently strive to provide a high standard of care and education for all the children. We couldn’t be happier to receive our Good rating and the future holds many exciting developments for Pear Tree Nursery.”