how can this happen - re nursery ofsted inspection

in my town there were a childminding couple both registered and working together, they took on more than 2 assistants and became childcare providers on domestic premises - and were graded Outstanding. They then managed to get premises outside of their home and decided to open a nursery - and this year opened up! they have just been graded inadequate in all areas with a notice to improve! how can that be - that as childminders they were outstanding but as a nursery inadequate? it doesn't make sense to me if they are doing what they always did but on a grander scale?:panic: It's been plastered all over the local papers too! :( makes me worry how I am going to be graded on my next inspection = as I am currently Good!

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Originally Posted by TinyTinker

in my town there were a childminding couple both registered and working together, they took on more than 2 assistants and became childcare providers on domestic premises - and were graded Outstanding. They then managed to get premises outside of their home and decided to open a nursery - and this year opened up! they have just been graded inadequate in all areas with a notice to improve! how can that be - that as childminders they were outstanding but as a nursery inadequate? it doesn't make sense to me if they are doing what they always did but on a grander scale?:panic: It's been plastered all over the local papers too! :( makes me worry how I am going to be graded on my next inspection = as I am currently Good!

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Oh dear. Running a nursery is a hugh responsibility, paperwork etc. The workload does increase with the number of children and remember, Ofsted are grading what is like for the individual chilld to be their setting. They will 'follow' certain children on inspection day and see if their needs are being met, so maybe they aren't meeting those children's individual needs. Their Ofsted report will say. Can you access it?

Oh no.. I do understand that setting up a nursery can be hard but if you have a background of an Outstanding setting surely it should be easier. Not sure really how they can be graded inadequate in all areas. You would think that they have EYFS down to a T.

Could be no first aid cert?
Could be no safeguarding cert?
Could be poor management?

In order to get inadequate something must be seriously wrong.. maybe they missed something? Maybe oversubscribed? Too many children, out of ratios?

Have you looked at their Ofsted report? That should tell you why they have been graded inadequate.

It may be that they whole process has been a lot harder than they anticipated and they just haven't been able to keep up with the same high standards they had when they were a smaller setting.

I really feel for them.....

it seems its to do with staffing, not robust enough on who they employ? training, mainly paperwork issues, but they were inspected after concern was raised over safeguarding children. And it seems they have little or no outside playspace so have to organise outings- and these aren't regular enough and children weren't kept safe enough......

they had a few days to put right some issues, and 2 weeks for the rest! can't imagine how stressed they are these 2 weeks! people are talking about it on community facebook pages too and saying they wouldn't send their baby to an inadequate nursery etc etc....

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Originally Posted by TinyTinker

I really feel for them.....

it seems its to do with staffing, not robust enough on who they employ? training, mainly paperwork issues, but they were inspected after concern was raised over safeguarding children. And it seems they have little or no outside playspace so have to organise outings- and these aren't regular enough and children weren't kept safe enough......

they had a few days to put right some issues, and 2 weeks for the rest! can't imagine how stressed they are these 2 weeks! people are talking about it on community facebook pages too and saying they wouldn't send their baby to an inadequate nursery etc etc....

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Sounds as though their risk assessing wasn't robust enough.....

It must be incredibly stressful for them, but to be honest they are pretty big 'rules' that they have broken. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but they should have known better, they are not new to this business.

I agree, the ease at how this sort of news can spread and encourage gossip is frightening.

Yep what does their OFSTED report say? It should be published around 6 weeks after an inspection I believe?

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Originally Posted by TinyTinker

I really feel for them.....

it seems its to do with staffing, not robust enough on who they employ? training, mainly paperwork issues, but they were inspected after concern was raised over safeguarding children. And it seems they have little or no outside playspace so have to organise outings- and these aren't regular enough and children weren't kept safe enough......

they had a few days to put right some issues, and 2 weeks for the rest! can't imagine how stressed they are these 2 weeks! people are talking about it on community facebook pages too and saying they wouldn't send their baby to an inadequate nursery etc etc....

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Tbh there's a world of difference between working for yourself, where you can practice your own high standards, and getting employees to share the same standards, value and dedication. There's also a big difference in the paperwork expected of nurseries.

OTOH it might just be down to an individual inspectre. Our local preschool got 'inadequate' (quite some years ago) with the inspectre citing a lack of training. She pointed this out when talking through her judgments, just before leaving. The preschool then showed her all the current training certificates, because the inspectre had simply failed to look through the training folder. They were told it was too late to "bring new evidence" once she had finished the inspection. :eek: They were reinspected and got a 'good' from a new inspectre, whom they pretty much forced to sit down and have every single piece of paperwork passed before her eyes by the manager.

Incidentally, Ofsted refused both an appeal against the original judgment and a complaint against the original inspectre. :(

Sadly, parents set too much stall by inspection grades when they rarely know the first thing about what goes into an inspection. I wonder how most would react if they realised you can be inadequate on safeguarding if you let them use their phone in your house, or you aren't asking the sort of questions to ensure mum and dad aren't planning to join the IS forces in Syria????? :huh:

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Originally Posted by TinyTinker

I really feel for them.....

it seems its to do with staffing, not robust enough on who they employ? training, mainly paperwork issues, but they were inspected after concern was raised over safeguarding children. And it seems they have little or no outside playspace so have to organise outings- and these aren't regular enough and children weren't kept safe enough......

they had a few days to put right some issues, and 2 weeks for the rest! can't imagine how stressed they are these 2 weeks! people are talking about it on community facebook pages too and saying they wouldn't send their baby to an inadequate nursery etc etc....

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Ah...so it was a 'complaint' driven inspection and because it was safeguarding they had to be inspected soon.

What they are inadequate about 'appears' to be Vetting and Barring process for their staff...with Prevent Duty just in now that will become even more difficult for nurseries as they need to check on the suitability of their staff and much more.

What will not help is parents gossiping on FB....and you say it is a community page? ...goodness!

It will also depend which type on Inadequate grade they have received...one will mean they are monitored very closely and re-inspected very quickly and put under LA's wing as well.

As much as I enjoyed being an employer a long time ago...I think it is very very different now....and costly too!