I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve heard a huge number of stories about early years inspections and the level of anxiety pending inspections are causing in settings up and down the country. Vanessa Dooley, founder of JIGSAW early years Consultancy shares her insights

I’ve heard a few success stories where settings have been graded as ‘outstanding’, but most of our early years owners and managers are reading reports that don’t paint quite such a rosy picture, and the rise in anxiety is hitting its peak within the sector.

Added to the stress of upcoming inspections is the recruitment crisis the sector seems to be suffering right now. Levels of successful recruitment of staff are at their lowest, with more and more owners and managers telling me that finding the right team member to join their setting is nigh-on impossible. Successful recruitment really is at an all-time low, which is really hitting settings, and that really is a concern.

Before I carry on, I do know that I’m being controversial when I say this, but I wholeheartedly believe that inspections shouldn’t stop happening. I know for a fact and many of you may disagree with me – and that’s fine – but I have visited so many settings that need an inspection to help to get them back on track and to keep them there. A lack of local authority visits has, in some cases, seen standards drop, which is why inspections are so essential.

We have a duty to ensure our children are kept safe, and inspections help us to keep achieving everything we need too to keep doing just that. It also doesn’t hurt to be kept in check when it comes to abiding by the essential policies and procedures we are wedded to – regulations change regularly, so surely any help or overview is welcomed?

As you all will know, during the autumn term of 2021, the Early Years Inspection Framework saw some quite impactful changes based on the results of a public consultation. All registered nurseries, childminders, schools, and pre-schools are required now to follow to final EYFS framework; however, the core judgment principles of quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management remain at the forefront of reaching inspection judgments.

An inspection in 2022 takes into consideration how the pandemic increased safeguarding risks, with Inspectors considering how providers adapted their approaches to safeguarding during the Covid-19 years, making sure that safeguarding processes remained effective for those at home and those attending early years settings. Inspectors will also see to understand how leaders have adapted their approaches because of the pandemic and will pay particular attention to the rationale applied for any new or modified ways of working.

Of course, we will have all seen that some children will have forgotten things that were learned before or between school and setting closures and, as we are all experiencing, our children now have a wider than usual range of starting points and gaps in their knowledge. How are you identifying and addressing these gaps? The Inspectors will be keen to know and understand this when making their judgments.

It goes without saying that the Inspector will also wish to consider the extent to which leaders have designed the curriculum. Is it ambitious and well-sequenced? What’s being done to address any disruption caused by the pandemic, and how well are children prepared for the next stage of their education? These are key to the inspection.

Similarly, Inspectors will seek to understand how some providers will have been unable to support children in the usual way during the pandemic and try and understand what was done to get the best results for your children throughout the last two years – all of this will be considered when making inspection judgments.

So, when it comes to anxieties caused by learning gaps that have developed because of the pandemic, the Inspectors are keen to see how, with understanding and care, how you’ve managed the impact – the aim is to support you and advise. Don’t let those anxieties take over, instead, consider what you’ve done to ensure the impact is as limited as possible. Consider all the actions you’ve taken and be ready to share your strategies and the outcomes.

I think it’s probably important to remember that for the Inspectors, no two inspections are the same right now (not that they ever were, in fairness) as no two areas, no two children will have been impacted in the same way by the pandemic. The DfE recognises fully that the context in which providers operate has changed and Inspectors really will be keen to understand attendance patterns and how the pandemic has specifically affected your setting. The context will play an important part in any discussions –
and that’s incredibly important to keep in mind.

In my new version of Are You Ready For Your Inspection? I take a look at the changes and updates that have impacted on our sector.

Yes, I hear you when you say that you already have the first two editions, but edition three really is an upgrade for our times, featuring an additional 12,000 words covering using learning walks valuably to be inspection-ready, creating your own curriculum and helping you and your team deal with that never-ending inspection anxiety by enabling you to understand what to expect when you’re being inspected.

The new edition provides you with even more tools to be able to motivate yourself and your staff team to evaluate and improve your practice. This will enable you to demonstrate impact during your inspection and delivery that will achieve that much-inspired-for ‘outstanding’ practice consistently.

We know that mental health and well-being is at the top of the agenda right now, and we also know how intuitive and responsive children are to emotions, so this level of anxiety and worry really isn’t helping anyone working in early years provision right now – this new edition of my book will help you manage that anxiety – both within yourself and your incredible team.

And remember – the inspector isn’t there to catch you out; they’re there to ensure we’re all doing the best for our early years learners.

Jigsaw works with you and your team to achieve the best outcomes for children. We are passionate about ensuring you are promoting excellent practice and that you can have a positive impact on children’s lives. Jigsaw understands the needs of all your staff, yourself, and the children. Our aim is to ignite and fuel the passion within you and your teams for the work that you do. We deliver high-quality training and bespoke consultancy to all areas within early years, including childminders, pre-schools, and full day care settings. We are also able to provide a Quality Improvement Audits (QIA’s) service which will enable you to be ready for your inspection and to shine throughout the process. This will be completed by an ex early years inspector with years of experience in managing Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ settings.