Debbie Worldley, early years consultant
While unannounced visits may feel daunting, they offer the clearest, most honest picture of day-to-day practice in early years settings. Importantly, they help protect children and recognise those practitioners who work tirelessly to uphold best practice, every single day.
Planned inspections give settings time to prepare, which might sound reasonable, until we consider what that preparation can involve. Some settings bring in extra, more experienced staff, staff who are on annual leave and sometimes even staff who are off sick to temporarily adjust ratios or rearrange rooms to create the perfect environment for inspectors. But this does not reflect everyday reality.
I remember as a room senior in a nursery how it felt when inspectors arrived unannounced. There's an undeniable feeling of panic. But we carried on as usual, and it turned into a brilliant opportunity. No-notice inspections aren't about catching people out unfairly; they are about uncovering poor practice and, crucially, protecting children from environments that fail them.
Ultimately, unannounced inspections reward the many early years professionals who uphold high standards every single day. It's time to bring them back!
Kirsten Harrison, childminder, Kirsten's House
No-notice inspections would give Ofsted a more accurate picture of a typical day.
Some say that it would increase stress levels, but I feel that you should take me as you find me. The care I offer children is consistent and we have good routines in place.
I also believe Ofsted inspections should be carried out more frequently to ensure standards remain high and are not only on the day of inspection.
I appreciate that unannounced visits with childminders may mean inspectors arriving at an empty house as we often go out, however.
Ofsted should float around in the local communities at playgroups, soft play areas, parks, at schools for pick-up and drop-off to see exactly how people are with the children in their care.
I'd love to be called a childcare professional rather than a childminder, as most see us as glorified babysitters despite us following the EYFS as nurseries do.
Ruth Pimentel, chief executive, Kindred Nursery Group
Ofsted already has the ability to inspect with no notice if they receive a concern or a complaint. Inspection is already a very stressful event and nurseries are extremely busy places. With the current notice, at least you can ensure you put your best foot forward for an inspection day which is high-stakes. I personally do not wish to go back to no-notice, I would rather focus on ensuring our inspectorate work collaboratively with the sector and use a wider range of tools to identify settings where there may be issues, rather than just relying on the one-off inspection. I would like them to look at other ways to identify lead indicators of poor practice, including how the nursery monitors quality and responds to incidents and events, how they report to authorities and how transparent they are, and staff turnover and explanations relating to that.
Routine no-notice inspections just ramp up the fear factor and that is the opposite of what we need in the sector – we need people to speak up and request assistance, not be terrified.
Kerry Sturmey, care and education director, Mama Bears Day Nursery
As schools have always had notice, I believe this should continue to be the case for early years, ensuring all inspections are consistent.
Being provided with notice by Ofsted gives managers and staff the opportunity to ensure they are prepared. It allows managers to ensure key staff are available, such as a setting's SENCO. A setting may be at a disadvantage if this person is not available.
No-notice inspections can create a culture of fear and anxiety. This stress may impact the performance of staff and their overall job satisfaction in the long term.
From a safeguarding point of view, having notice of a routine inspection means staff can explain to the children that someone new will be coming in.
Notice inspections foster a more open and trusting relationship between providers and inspectors. The key areas around improving the inspection process for me are more around the consistency of inspectors, and ensuring the process is the same for all providers.
