End in sight for no-notice nursery inspections
Friday, March 27, 2015
In future early years settings will receive a half-day's notice ahead of their routine inspection, Nursery World can exclusively reveal.
The major change is being brought in as part of the move towards the new Common Inspection Framework, which will be introduced in September.
The move will mean an end to no-notice inspections for early years providers to bring them in line with notice periods for schools, which will continue to receive notice of their inspection visits around midday on the day before their inspection.
Ofsted had previously said that it intended to move towards aligning the notice of inspection with schools, but this is the first time that it has stated it so explicitly.
Sector organisations have long called for early years providers and schools to be given identical notice periods for routine Ofsted inspections.
Writing exclusively for Nursery World, Nick Hudson, director of early years, said, ‘A key change proposed in the common inspection framework will be an end to routine no-notice inspections of early years settings. We will move towards the same notice period across all remits, but we will retain the right to inspect without notice. The details have still to be worked out, but it is likely that early years providers can expect to receive a call at about midday on the previous working day before their inspection.’
Ahead of the new inspection framework, Ofsted carried out 30 ‘shadow’ pilot inspections of early years settings last month. Forty more will be carried out after Easter, with some providers receiving advance notice.
Ofsted is also holding three free events during April, to give early years providers the chance to hear about how the new framework will affect them and to discuss the principles in the draft early years handbook, which will form part of new inspection guidance.
The new Common Inspection Framework is intended to standardise inspection to ensure consistency across different remits and make it easier to compare inspections for different providers that cater for similar age ranges.
It applies to all settings on the early years register, maintained schools and academies, non-association independent schools, and further education and skills providers.
Ofsted’s annual report for early years will be published in the summer.
The early years provider events are taking place on the morning and afternoon of 23 April and on 25 April in London.
Regional events future of education inspection launch events are also taking place during the summer.
