New Ofsted Inspection Framework: Part 4 - How to achieve strong, responsive leadership

The driving force of the Ofsted inspection process is to ensure that providers take the responsibility for delivering quality services seriously and that they thereby improve outcomes for children's learning.

Inspectors will give an overall grade at the feedback based on the judgements they arrive at by assessing each of the following three areas: the quality of the learning experience, the contribution to children's well-being and the quality of leadership and management.

Providers need to evaluate their practice and strive towards achieving the highest possible grades in each judgement. The new self-evaluation schedule guidance is helpful to consult in connection with these expectations and offers advice that is invaluable for providers new to this area of work.

THE JUDGEMENT

It is essential for providers to understand that the success of their service depends above all on their having strong and responsive leadership and management practices.

The skills they require are relevant to all managers of services in the commercial and institutional sectors. Namely, they need to be good managers of: people (children, parents and staff); buildings, resources and money; and the content of the service they are offering.

Providers of childcare and early years education need to have strength in their convictions about what they are offering and ensure that they are making consistently wise decisions that sustain and grow their service.

In respect of this third Ofsted judgement, the quality of leadership and management, providers must have the capacity to ensure that they:

• understand their responsibilities to learning and development, and to the safeguarding requirements of the EYFS
• oversee the educational programme and ensure that it is delivered in its entirety and that children's progress is assessed and used to inform planning
• promote equality and diversity and have a clear overview of the potential and progress of all the children who attend
• evaluate the service and have high expectations for the quality of what their staff provide, and set challenging targets for service improvement
• have effective systems in place for safe recruitment, continuous professional development and staff performance
• work in partnership with parents and associated organisations
• ensure that children, parents and staff are safeguarded and that they maintain secure and comfortable environments in which children can thrive
• have tackled highlighted weaknesses from the previous inspection.

The principles enshrined in this judgement are:

1. The provider is ultimately responsible for all aspects of the service and so needs to be able to evaluate continuously the service and support ongoing improvement.

2. A healthy and safe environment with agreed policies and procedures is essential to promote good outcomes for children's learning.

3. The quality of teaching and learning is dependent on having high-quality and committed staff, as well as sound methods for planning the curriculum, facilitating learning and assessing children's progress.

4. The quality of delivery of a service is sustained with safe recruitment practices, consistent training and support for staff and effective performance management systems.

5. Working in partnership with relevant local organisations supports children's individual and group needs, and for children to succeed and reach their full potential parents must be empowered as their children's first educators.

What can providers do?

1. Management skills

• Providers need a range of skills to succeed and to achieve good outcomes at inspection. It is helpful if they have a background in childcare or education, but if they do not, they must ensure that they have good management skills and are offering strong leadership to their staff, who may be better qualified in early years than themselves.
• They must lead by example and put in place practices and procedures that make sense, are fair and can be interpreted and applied effectively. A successful provider needs a broad understanding of the service and an empathetic approach to the clients, the parents and children receiving the service.
• A good provider also needs to be self-aware and always recognise the potential for improvement in staff. The exemplary behaviour and attitudes of a good leader seem to filter down through a motivated staff team and then through to the children and parents. So for this reason alone, the provider needs strong people management skills: to be a good listener and seek positive solutions when problems arise.
• A successful leader needs a good knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the team, and to delegate responsibilities to perpetuate commitment and raise the participation of each staff member.
• A good provider must use safe recruitment practices and appoint strong senior managers and early years staff who show resolution and drive to work positively to facilitate children's growth and development.

2. Record keeping and documentation

• Providers need to have a good knowledge of their legal responsibilities and understand how they help create a safe and secure environment for children.
• A good provider needs to be practical and effectively manage the paperwork associated with the service. The inspection process will investigate the quality of the stored evidence in the form of policies and procedures, as well as the assessment of children's progress and the way it is shared with parents. So providers need to be efficient at record keeping, and ensure that staff participate in the continuous review of processes that secure good practice in safeguarding, and in reporting the outcomes for children's learning.

3. Premises and resources

• Providers must be strong leaders who make successful choices about the premises that they buy or rent, and the adaptations to help make them fit for purpose. The environment has a crucial impact on how children behave and thrive, as well as influencing the choice of parents who are looking for high-quality childcare and good value for money.
• Securing good premises and meeting health and safety standards is a serious responsibility. The difficulty for many providers is not to become self-satisfied with what they achieve originally. They must oversee continuous monitoring and improvement in the quality of the indoor and outdoor spaces for children. By delegating to staff, the quality of the learning environment can become everyone's job.
• The quality and maintenance of resources are equally important. Providers should look at all opportunities for children to explore natural objects and recycled materials. Real experiences such as using local libraries and investigating the seasons and nature first hand stimulate children's development of life skills.
• Naturally, providers need to have a good sense of managing money and sustaining the viability of the service.

4. Making connections and partnerships

• Providers are not working in a vacuum. They need to appreciate that there are a wide range of community services that parents access to support them and their children's progress. These include health services, local authorities, schools and emergency services. It is important that providers make contact with local services and build alliances with those who directly impact on children's health and well-being.
• Encouraging parents to feel involved with the service will ensure that providers make the best efforts to support each and every child. Parents have a great deal to offer and enjoy sharing their skills and expertise. So providers need to set the expectation that parents are valued for what they bring and participate fully in the planning and assessment of their children's learning.

CONCLUSIONS

A good or outstanding outcome at inspection depends crucially on the provider's ability to manage the service effectively. A good provider has a strong commitment to providing a high-quality service and understands that this can only be achieved by employing a well-qualified and experienced team of practitioners. It is also critical to make effective use of premises and resources to support learning and to safeguard children's health and well-being.

Delegating responsibilities enables a good provider to share tasks and makes staff feel motivated, trusted and valued. The more people that are committed to delivering a quality service, the more effort they will make to ensure it is successful and sustainable.

A good provider must have a robust overview of their service and the skill of introspection to analyse what is working well and what still could be improved. Self-awareness is just one of many personal attributes that make the difference between an adequate manager and an inspiring leader. The Ofsted self-evaluation schedule guidance offers the pathway to evaluate practice and so develop the skills needed to become good and outstanding providers.

More information

The Evaluation Schedule for Inspections of Registered Early Years Provision, www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/evaluation-schedule-for-inspections-of-registered-early-years-provision

Look out for our new four-part series on recruitment, by Laura Henry, starting 19 May.