Hi,

I'm due my first inspection on either Thursday or Friday afternoon. I am totally prepared for them to come and to see me with my little ones however, I'm a little bit worried about them staying to do the school run with me and observing my after school session. I don't tend to do a lot with the after school kids because they get in, I cook their tea and they go home! So the children just tend to have free play and watch tv... Which is all they want after a long day at school :-/
So, should I have a more focused activity planned for them or just let them play or watch tv, as its only for about an hour after school?!
Helpful suggestions please :) thanks

Mine stayed in the car and looked at our files - but yours might!

Our after schoolers do lots of activities anyway and help with cooking / preparing food so they were busy and the inspector could focus on the little ones :D

Mine didn't stay for the school run as she came quite early in the day but she did walk to nursery with me at lunchtime to collect 2 LO's from there. It was quite nice actually as I got to tell her lots about the 2 I was collecting on the walk up there so she could see that I knew them very well. My inspector was really nice :thumbsup:

xxxx

Mine stayed in the car and looked at our files - but yours might!

Our after schoolers do lots of activities anyway and help with cooking / preparing food so they were busy and the inspector could focus on the little ones :D

Ha, I thought you meant you made your after schoolies stay in the car! I was a bit shocked till I read it again. Lol.

I haven't had any experience of Mrs O visiting in the afternoon so can't really offer any advice but I should imagine that she would be done by then with the normal inspections lasting about 2 hours I think - good luck! :thumbsup:

my friends inspector went and sat in her car looking at paperwork whilst she went on morning nursery run at 1130. Mind you any inspector would probably far rather run away before you come home with a load of tinies AND after schoolers!

Thanks ladies :) I'm going to do homemade pizzas for tea, so they can all have a go at making their own! Then with the weather being so good, we'll just gave free at in the garden while they're cooking! Hope that's enough, if they do decide to stay till the end

I only got a satisfactory and im totally gutted :( my son, who is 18months, was a total nightmare and just cried and clung to me, so I didn't get to do my planned activity, which I would normally do while he was asleep. So she picked me up on some paperwork and not enough teaching/learning observed!! I'm just so disappointed :(

I only got a satisfactory and im totally gutted :( my son, who is 18months, was a total nightmare and just cried and clung to me, so I didn't get to do my planned activity, which I would normally do while he was asleep. So she picked me up on some paperwork and not enough teaching/learning observed!! I'm just so disappointed :(

Aah no, that's rubbish and really unfortunate with your son being clingy. How do they know?!?!?! Hugs.

Oh no couldn't you have done it with ur son also? Or holding him?
Its away the way our own kids become clingy etc after all their is a strange person in the house staring lol :)

Seems unfair when a total stranger comes in to assess us on a snapshot couple hours, especially when the inspector could see that your son was being clingy! She could probably tell from the learning journals all that you do with the children. I still believe it was better in SS days when you got someone you knew who came at least once a year.....

I doubt your parents will care what you got because they are happy that their children are happy! x

Seems unfair when a total stranger comes in to assess us on a snapshot couple hours, especially when the inspector could see that your son was being clingy! She could probably tell from the learning journals all that you do with the children. I still believe it was better in SS days when you got someone you knew who came at least once a year.....

I doubt your parents will care what you got because they are happy that their children are happy! x

Totally agree...
Think current system is an absolute lottery. Wish it was coordinated locally by LA staff. Whole focus needs to change... Way too negative and 'trying to catch you out!' at the moment.

I know my parents are all more than happy with the care I provide for their children and the kids are all happy and settled too, which for me is the main thing. I just think its so unfair that I can be judged in just 2 hours on a, not so good day, which I'm sure everyone has!
She hadn't read my SEF before she came so was throwing loads of questions at me about that, as well as what I would expect and I'm just rubbish at being put in the spot :( so with my son crying in one ear and questions in the other, it was just not good. Don't want to sound like I'm making excuses though. I know some of my paperwork wasn't quite up to scratch but I think I had evidenced their learning well and next steps in LJ. Just think its unfair that with all the work you put in, for them to pass judgement in such a short space of time, it's not right... And now that's what I've got to live with for at least another 3 years, when I've only been working for 5 months!! Ggrrrr, just disappointed :(
Oh well, what's done is done, so just need to get on with it and be happy that my children and parents are happy with the service i provide!!

Thanks for your comments x

I insisted the Ofsted inspector came with me to the park as that is what we do every morning, she wasn't happy and was worried about having enough time for her paperwork! :laughing:

A lot of inspectors only give satisfactory on the first graded visit anyways, so had it all gone really well you might have ended up with the same result anyways. Don't stress about it

o I think we all need to learn to show off about what we do, to be confident in our setting rather than intimidated by Ofsted. We need to learn to talk to Mrs O as if we are the best she will see, tell her everything before she asks, wow her with our knowledge. If they aren't going to use any common sense or be fair, we need to make sure we give ourselves the best chance possible. I am building up a photo album just for evidence, trying to show as much as possible about things we do and covering all areas. I don't like my walls covered in children's work, but I have given in to having a wall with samples of activities.