Ofsted in my area

[mumofone]

What's the best way to spend my time in case of an imminent inspection?

[k1rstie]

Head in the sand, like I did for 2 years?

[mumofone]

Head in the sand, like I did for 2 years?

Lol Yeh tempted to do that!!! :-) x

[FloraDora]

I think making sure you have all the paperwork up to date SEF , progress action plan etc...it just reminds you of where you are so that you are able to talk about action plans or next steps confidently. If they ring with just a couple of days notice you won't go into panic mode either ( well you probably will but not about your paperwork!) Revise your safeguarding policies etc..
Then when you get the call you can concentrate on planning your activities learning environment.
Though on learning environment nows the time to stand back and think about it with an inspectors eye.

If it happens you'll be well prepared and less likely to panic, if it doesn't then it won't have done you any harm so you are prepared whenever the call comes.

[k1rstie]

Have you done your SEF? ( if you are wanting to do the Ofsted one?) don't leave it till the last minute, when I did mine recently, I have a complete nightmare, and in the end had to be resent all the log in and password details.
Do you know who to contact in the event of a safeguarding concern, and have got a suitable mobile phone procedure, do you know about prevent?

[mumofone]

Have you done your SEF? ( if you are wanting to do the Ofsted one?) don't leave it till the last minute, when I did mine recently, I have a complete nightmare, and in the end had to be resent all the log in and password details. Do you know who to contact in the event of a safeguarding concern, and have got a suitable mobile phone procedure, do you know about prevent?

Thanks kirsty, good tips. I've STILL not uploaded my SEF, I keep playing around with it, I really should...

[mumofone]

Have you done your SEF? ( if you are wanting to do the Ofsted one?) don't leave it till the last minute, when I did mine recently, I have a complete nightmare, and in the end had to be resent all the log in and password details. Do you know who to contact in the event of a safeguarding concern, and have got a suitable mobile phone procedure, do you know about prevent?

Do they expect it gone uploaded ready for them to read at the time of them calling you?

[mumofone]

Do they expect it gone uploaded ready for them to read at the time of them calling you?
*to be uploaded

[Simona]

Mumofone...Tribal or Prospects are always hovering in their areas...Ofsted on the other hand are omnipresent in all areas!

You must be coming up to your first inspection...be yourself and ready at all times
If you upload the SEF the inspector will have a chance to read it and get the feel of your practice.
Once uploaded you can 'edit and change' the SEF as often as you want.

[BallyH]

Do they expect it gone uploaded ready for them to read at the time of them calling you?

I was not able to 'access' my sef after the ofsted phone call to arrange for them to come and inspect me. So I would advise you to update it now and have it ready. On my inspection day the inspector was parked outside my house for approximately 20 minutes before she knocked on my door. I was peeping through the curtain and I could see her reading and turning lots of pages. I'm assuming it was my sef. She referred to my sef a lot during the inspection. I think this was to test various things I claimed I can do/had done in the sef. She also mentioned my sef in my report.

So for me a thorough completed sef is very important. It certainly helped me as I do tend to 'forget' to say things under pressure.

[blue bear]

I'd get any paper work uptodate, whether that be risk assessments, lj self etc. In the early days of self we were advised once they called you couldn't access the set as they lock it down,not sure if that's still the same. Personally I'd get it done and it's one last thing to panic about me you can always add to it if things change between now and then.
Make sure accident forms, register etc are all signed in all the right places so you are not tripped up by something you missed.
Don't be wanting to change routine with the children for inspection day so establish regular routines now, such as hand washing, self registration ....... Make every day as if an inspector was looking over your shoulder so when it comes to it things will flow naturally.

Then relax and stop worrying about it, the build up is so much worse than the actual inspection.

[alex__17]

I second the sef, my first graded inspection only lasted about 2hours 45 min (felt like an eternity of constant questions but I know I got off lightly!) because she said I'd done such a thorough sef she didn't have to ask me so many questions as I'd answered a lot of them.
It also meant I'd thought of examples I'd done things in advance, as if I'd been put on the spot I don't think I would have been able to come up with it while looking after 2 2 year olds.
Updating my sef is one of the only things left on what was a long list of things to do at the beginning of the year...I wrote it on paper and have been crossing everything off as I rarely get more than 20 minutes to work on something so need the list to hand and fit in bits when I can.
Need to take my own advice and do my own sef ASAP...!