Early years providers feel that inspections don’t capture the ‘full picture’, with inspectors missing ‘key elements’ of the working day, according to findings from an independent report carried out on behalf of Ofsted.
Research was carried out by the IFF, a market research agency, into the views of education and social care professionals as part of the inspectorate’s Big Listen. This has helped shape reforms announced by Ofsted in September, including the removal of the single-word judgement, which is to be replaced by a report card.
It is based on a survey of 3,496 providers – of which 1,152 were early years providers – and a survey of individuals. A total of 376 individuals from the early years sector took part.
The research reveals that some respondents felt the current timing of the one-day inspection is insufficient to capture the full experience of practice in settings. Staff pointed out that the composition of the setting might change each day with different children coming in, and that only seeing a one-day snapshot did not feel accurate.
Some early years leaders and staff also said they felt that a one-day inspection did not give inspectors time to look at all their different rooms or elements in ‘sufficient depth’.
Others thought inspectors missed ‘key elements’ of their working day, such as drop-off and pick-up.
Respondents also made a suggestion about sending paperwork in advance to allow inspectors to spend more time interacting with staff and children.
A leader of a nursery class said, ‘Maybe there could be a way where some sort of paperwork could be sent to the inspector by the manager when you do your call the day before, so you get a lot of that out of the way, then they’ve got more quality time to spend actually interacting with staff and children, and parents.’
Just over one in five (21 per cent) felt that too little time during inspections is spent on ‘listening to children and learners’. This sentiment was felt most strongly among early years providers.
Inspection reports
The findings reveal that leaders and staff frequently feel the content of inspection reports is often too ‘generic’. They said that reports lacked enough detail to provide an accurate assessment of their provision. Some claimed that the content of reports was ‘cut and pasted’ from other reports, or inspectors used ‘standard paragraphs’.
Less than half (47 per cent) of providers rated Ofsted reports as ‘good’ in terms of helping parents, learners and relevant stakeholders make informed choices about education or social care in the local area. A quarter (24 per cent) rated them as poor.
Views on single-word judgements and alternatives
There was little support for single-word judgements across most remits and provider types, according to feedback from the Big Listen.
Among early years providers, 47 per cent said they opposed single-word judgements, compared with 33 per cent who were in support of them.
Leaders and staff also felt that it was ‘wrong’ that the single-word judgement for overall effectiveness was affected if they were not performing well in a specific sub-judgement. For example, the potential for a provider to be downgraded because an area of weakness in leadership and management was not up to standard but all others were good was considered unfair.
A member of staff at a nursery said, ‘I have seen plenty of Ofsted reports that are Requires Improvement, but you actually read the report and those settings are doing lots of fabulous things. They might have just been non-compliant on a certain issue that isn’t necessarily a big issue.’
Respondents also mentioned the ‘high stakes’ that a single-word judgement can have on the wellbeing and morale of staff. Some blamed single-word judgements for their poor health, the reason why staff left their role, and why education settings are struggling to recruit more staff.
Prior to an inspection, leaders and staff said they felt stressed when waiting or preparing for an inspection which, in a few cases, could go on for months and years.
Leaders and staff acknowledged that there is a ‘stigma’ attached to a bad overall effectiveness grade, and this could have serious implications for providers in terms of demand for their provision.
One nursery commented, ‘A parent would look at that report that Requires Improvement and think, “Oh, I’m confident that’s not a setting I want my child to go to”. Actually, that might be a great setting for your child […] Maybe it was a small issue [which is now] sorted and their practice is really good.’
Two-thirds of providers (67 per cent) and individuals (66 per cent) favoured replacing single-word judgements of overall effectiveness with a bullet-pointed summary of findings and recommendations, similar to that used by the Irish education inspectorate.
The impetus to ‘put on a show’ for Ofsted was also mentioned by early years staff and schools, for example, that teachers sometimes create highly detailed lesson plans for review, which is not part of their usual workload.
Big Listen consultation findings
Along with the independent research, Ofsted also held a consultation, which received 16,033 responses, making it the largest consultation in the inspectorate’s history.
Across all sectors, respondents spoke about the negative impact inspection can have on staff wellbeing and mental health, highlighting a ‘culture of fear’ around inspections.
They also said they do not see Ofsted as ‘open’ or ‘responsive’ to feedback and criticism and they want greater transparency in the way the inspectorate works. Early years providers, along with schools, also raised concerns about the way complaints are handled, calling for a more independent process.
Other key findings include:
- Respondents want inspection frameworks that are tailored to different phases of education and different types of providers.
- Reporting on the experience of the child or learner is important to respondents.
- Most of those that took part in the survey want Ofsted to report on the provision for children and learners with SEND and how well the most disadvantaged children and learners learn and develop in a provider.
- Many said they felt it is important that the inspectorate reports on the quality of education and on other current sub-judgements – personal development, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management.
- Most respondents were in favour of expanding Ofsted’s inspection powers to include multi-academy trusts and chains of early years providers.
‘Early years is the number one priority’
During a press briefing, the chief inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, stressed that the early years is his ‘number one priority’, as it is that of the Department for Education. He said, ‘I promised the Big Listen would be followed by real change. This is the beginning of a new chapter for Ofsted as we reset our priorities, refine our practices and rebuild our relationships. We want to retain the confidence of the children, parents and carers we work for, and regain the respect of the committed professionals we work with.
‘The tragic death of Ruth Perry was a catalyst for this change, but the case for change has been building for years. We recognise the growing challenges facing education and social care, particularly since the pandemic. We don’t want to add to this pressure. Many of the changes we are introducing are aimed at reducing the pressure on those we inspect. We will always strive for higher standards. We share that aim with thousands of brilliant people working in education and social care. We are determined to win back their trust and work together in the interests of children and learners.’
