I have just had my inspection. I wrote a comprehensive SEF which I posted ages ago. The inspector bought that with her and asked me some questions about it, all of which I was able to back up with good evidence. She didn't look at any contracts, attendance sheets etc but did read my policies which she complimented me on. She took a cursory tour of the house and garden and then left in under two hours. She gave me a "good" rating..which is what I got 3 and half years ago. I asked her what would rate as "outstanding" and she said it was settings with the "wow" factor.I feel so deflated and low after working so hard to implement EYFS which she said I had done well. The whole thing was over so quickly and I have no specific objectives to work towards. It feels like she just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. Am I the only one who would appreciate better feedback rather than vague comments. I have no idea how to turn the "good" into "outstanding" next time..assuming I can motivate myself to go on. Sorry to rant, just really down.:( :(

I'm sorry your not happy with your grading and feedback. I guess sh couldnt give your specifics as everything is so individual. If we all knew exactly what they wanted then 90% would have outstanding.

I think you should be very pleased with the Good that you got. Your last inspection was pre EYFS so you can be assured that you are reaching and exceeding all the new goals asked of you. It's much harder to maintain a decent grading instead of getting complacent and slacking.

Well done :thumbsup:

Good old Ofsted strike again. But Good is a great result, but i know how you feel.:)

Hey, thats a fantastic result!:thumbsup:

The fact that she didn't stay too long shows how well put together your systems are and how comprehensive your SEF is.

Its time to break open the vino and give yourself a huge pat on the back.:clapping: :clapping: :clapping:

A Good is fantastic! You should be really proud of yourself hun. I had my inspection today and got a Good too!:clapping:

i know its disappointing to not get what you expect but hey remember GOOD is excellent so well done:clapping: :clapping: Its a shame the word good doesn't conjure up better connotations but WE all know what you have done to achieve that.

What you have to do to obtain that outstanding - up your game big style - what can you provide in your setting that you don't already.... what will make you stand out from the crowd.... what would make you say 'wow' going into another minders home and seeing....

Read up lots and see where and what you can improve/change/implement.

I know how you feel, my inspection was the same, but much longer, the inspector i had said she doesn't give outstandings and it was an exception for her to even give goods, so didn't even ask what made outstanding!

It is a bit gutting cos some of my friends (admitted by them) have got outstanding with an easier time than i got, (we are completely honest with each other in relaying comments) so if any of them read this, they will agree that they were surprised that i didn't get outstanding, long before they had their inspections.


I was really disheartened to get a good, and i know that i expect to get a good next time and will deserve it cos i have worked hard at everything, if i got an outstanding i think that i would find it hard to maintain and then it would really upset me to go back to a good, so maybe i am right where i want to be!

I put in a lot of effort with the eyfs, activities and planning and stuff, and my policies and permissions and business identity stuff is strong, but what makes the wow factor is so individual to each inspector and to the day you have when they come.

Please be pleased with your good it is a fantastic achievement and you know you are outstanding really and the parents that choose you know you are outstanding.:thumbsup: :clapping:

I have just had my inspection. I wrote a comprehensive SEF which I posted ages ago. The inspector bought that with her and asked me some questions about it, all of which I was able to back up with good evidence. She didn't look at any contracts, attendance sheets etc but did read my policies which she complimented me on. She took a cursory tour of the house and garden and then left in under two hours. She gave me a "good" rating..which is what I got 3 and half years ago. I asked her what would rate as "outstanding" and she said it was settings with the "wow" factor.I feel so deflated and low after working so hard to implement EYFS which she said I had done well. The whole thing was over so quickly and I have no specific objectives to work towards. It feels like she just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. Am I the only one who would appreciate better feedback rather than vague comments. I have no idea how to turn the "good" into "outstanding" next time..assuming I can motivate myself to go on. Sorry to rant, just really down.:( :(

The old good was easier to achieve than the new good so well done on getting that.

I am the same as you - got good overall with a couple of outstandings. When I asked why again "the wow factor" was mentioned. I asked for an example and was told that I could have worn an apron when serving food, after that I lost interest.

Be pleased with it - your Ofsted inspectors are not giving outstandings just like mine.

Dont be too hard on yourself.

A good is a great grade to get.

If good isn't good enough, think of all the minders that do exactly what you do and don't get a good.;)

I spoke to a minder this week who got a satisfactory including inadequate for the EYFS - she is gutted and furious

In scotland one of the grades is adequate (sp) and that sounds rubbish but it equals to a good as well

So well done :thumbsup:

I spoke to a minder this week who got a satisfactory including inadequate for the EYFS - she is gutted and furious


At the end of the day as we say sooooo many times waht wows one inspector doesn't wow another.

I know an " outstanding" cm and I wouldn't leave my dog with her :blush:

She has the handwashing posters, the rain forest full of paperwork and she does do activies but SHE'S AS MAD AS A BOX OF FROGS :laughing:

And I don't think she is suitable to look after kids in a lot of ways but she's always full and the kids seem happy.

I just wouldn't leave mine with her :laughing:

I would have been delighted with a good!

Good now and good pre-eyfs are 2 very different grades. I am sure your report will reflect that.

Congratulations! :clapping:

Good old Ofsted strike again. But Good is a great result, but i know how you feel.:)

well done on your good but i felt exactly the same about mine and to be honest still do

my inspector said my keeping children healthy stuff was fantastic and went into great detail about how we are growing food and encouraging children to eat home grown food in my report and i still only got good for that.

oh well at least it's over now for a good few years

I know exactly how you feel...I got a GOOD when I had worked so hard, I asked the Inspector how i could achieve an OUTSTANDING, she said she could not tell me, I was to ask my Network adviser:eek:
You should be proud of your achievements and now the only way is UP:clapping: :clapping:

You should celebrate your good- its a fabulous result :thumbsup:

With regards to her not being with you for long, my friend had her inspection today and hers was short too, but she was told that they are under instructions to do 3 inspections a day at the moment :eek: , so that may explain it a little.

It's a great result so well done you :thumbsup:

It's sad that you are not happy with a 'good' grade. I worked really, really hard as well and got the same grading and I was over the moon! I think it's a brilliant result and was really chuffed with myself.

Hopefully once you've read your report you will be a bit more satisfied with it, I think you did really well!

Don't feel bad. A 'good' is a fantastic result.

It's over for 3 years now, relax, have a glass of something sparkling and feel proud:clapping: :clapping:

When I had my inspection 3 years ago I got Good. The inspector couldn't really tell me what I needed to do get outstanding. She just said keep doing what you're doing now!!

So, I carried on doing what I was doing, increased my paperwork and got outstanding the next time round...from the same inspector. But I had to wait 3 years to do that. That's one of the reasons I think we should still have annual inspections - 3 years is a long time to wait to have another go!

Try to be happy with your grade. It's a fantastic result & you must have worked very hard to get it. Celebrate & be proud of yourself :clapping: :clapping:

Thank you girlies for the lovely responses. Have had time to reflect whilst sitting watching my eldest son play cricket..my own children and the parents and kids who come to me like what I do and are very happy..that is was counts after all..off to sink a well earned glass of vino....thanks again for the positive strokes..far and few between in our game!

Thats the way i feel now. I have made a formal complaint, how far it will get me i dont know.
But be proud, as Debbie said earlier, a Good now is far more difficult to get. so be proud:thumbsup:
I am proud but feel i have not been inspected fairly.

I too felt deflated after receiving an overal 'good' grading. When I asked the inspector what I could do to improve, her reply was that she couldn't give any guidance!
I made an official complaint and finally spoke to a senior manager who told me that the inspectors are not allowed to give any advice, only official recommendations for the report.

I feel that this is a very sorry state for both ourselves and the inspectors. If there was any human touch, it has finally been eradicated!

However I agree with the others - a good is a fantastic result! :clapping:

When I had my inspection 3 years ago I got Good. The inspector couldn't really tell me what I needed to do get outstanding. She just said keep doing what you're doing now!!

So, I carried on doing what I was doing, increased my paperwork and got outstanding the next time round...from the same inspector. But I had to wait 3 years to do that. That's one of the reasons I think we should still have annual inspections - 3 years is a long time to wait to have another go!

Try to be happy with your grade. It's a fantastic result & you must have worked very hard to get it. Celebrate & be proud of yourself :clapping: :clapping:

Annual inspections????? Please Nooooooooo! I got far too stressed before the last one and the thought of having that every year gives me nightmares:eek:

I was given a 'Good' in Oct '05 also, and then when inspected Oct '08, the grade was the same. The Inspector I had told me at the end of my inspection that 'Good' was a fantastic grade - AND that to achieve Good now, as opposed to pre EYFS, that you had to have done at the very least double the work you did previously to achieve the same.

So, if you were where you are now, three years ago, you would have been outstanding if that makes sense!

I too wonder what on earth you have to do to achieve outstanding. To be honest, I think you need to turn your home into a nursery setting - which I am not inclined to do.

Labels in the bathroom reminding children to wash their hands (if your setting is good enough however, the children you mind will have been gently trained with consistency to do this anyway and shouldn't need labels), individual names stitched onto towels used by all the mindees.

If I went along with this farce, then I would have to have 11 individually named towels in and out of my bathroom and then double that to provide each child the same for downstairs too - all of that, and my own 4 children get nothing of that treatment, they just have ordinary unnamed towels like any other normal family. Why should I make children that are not even mine, so different in treatment.

And why (as was pointed out to me by a friend recently, why set the minded children up at this early age to think that that is normal procedure .... I can't imagine when they are at school, or employed that they will be given that treatment, can you.

To do everything that Ofsted want you to do to achieve an outstanding, you need to have enough TIME to do this. Most childminders are mums which is why they choose to do it, to stay at home with their own children, and the sad thing is that it pays so badly really, that you need to be working flat out, to maximum capacity to pay the bills and keep afloat, that in turn means you are extremely busy, and so, don't have enough time to produce everything required for an outstanding. And, if you are a good childminder, you will always be in work, keeping you overly busy. Quite ironic really.

SO - don't worry about it at all, you're doing great.:)

At the end of the day as we say sooooo many times waht wows one inspector doesn't wow another.

I know an " outstanding" cm and I wouldn't leave my dog with her :blush:

She has the handwashing posters, the rain forest full of paperwork and she does do activies but SHE'S AS MAD AS A BOX OF FROGS :laughing:

And I don't think she is suitable to look after kids in a lot of ways but she's always full and the kids seem happy.

I just wouldn't leave mine with her :laughing:



I know a few like that but not that they've got outstanding!

I have just had my inspection. I wrote a comprehensive SEF which I posted ages ago. The inspector bought that with her and asked me some questions about it, all of which I was able to back up with good evidence. She didn't look at any contracts, attendance sheets etc but did read my policies which she complimented me on. She took a cursory tour of the house and garden and then left in under two hours. She gave me a "good" rating..which is what I got 3 and half years ago. I asked her what would rate as "outstanding" and she said it was settings with the "wow" factor.I feel so deflated and low after working so hard to implement EYFS which she said I had done well. The whole thing was over so quickly and I have no specific objectives to work towards. It feels like she just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. Am I the only one who would appreciate better feedback rather than vague comments. I have no idea how to turn the "good" into "outstanding" next time..assuming I can motivate myself to go on. Sorry to rant, just really down.:( :(



Just here to second all the comments that went before but felt exactly the same as you when I was told 'good' I asked what I could work towards to get outstanding but didn't get a concrete answer. Inspector was really complimentary but still didn't make me feel good. Everyone told me you have to work twice as hard to get good now as pre-EYFS so made me feel better, then when report came through she had given me 5 outstanding points which she had failed to mention before she left.

I don't want to diss anyone with outstanding as you all must have done a fantastic job - I'm just saying that had you had the same inspector as one of those outstanding minders, you might have been given the same. If you have an inspector who never gives outstanding you're already in an unfair position.

So, don't beat yourself up, good means "strong" practice - over and above meeting requirements so you're wonderful and what is outstanding to one inspector is not to another.

I too wonder what on earth you have to do to achieve outstanding. To be honest, I think you need to turn your home into a nursery setting - which I am not inclined to do.

Labels in the bathroom reminding children to wash their hands (if your setting is good enough however, the children you mind will have been gently trained with consistency to do this anyway and shouldn't need labels), individual names stitched onto towels used by all the mindees.


To do everything that Ofsted want you to do to achieve an outstanding, you need to have enough TIME to do this. Most childminders are mums which is why they choose to do it, to stay at home with their own children, and the sad thing is that it pays so badly really, that you need to be working flat out, to maximum capacity to pay the bills and keep afloat, that in turn means you are extremely busy, and so, don't have enough time to produce everything required for an outstanding. And, if you are a good childminder, you will always be in work, keeping you overly busy. Quite ironic really.



I think it's a shame when people think you can only get outstanding if you turn your house into a nursery & dedicate your life to childminding.

I would just say that my house is in no way a nursery setting. Come here when I'm not working & you wouldn't know I looked after children.
I don't have seperate hand towels for the children (we use disposable paper towels) and I don't sepnd hours doing paperwork.

I am a mum of 5 & busy enough with my own family without wanting to spend time outside my working hours on childminding business (other than courses). It did take me time to set up my routines & paperwork, but now I do it all within my working hours.

When I had mine last month I felt gutted for a couple of weeks that I only got Good. But on thursday I had my written report and I was really pleased with what was written and only one note for improvement. I know how you feel but I also feel we are guinea pigs this year with gradings as EYFS hasnt been running a year yet and I know several cm who havent even started their EYFS yet. So be proud of your grade at the end of the day my parents think I am OUTSTANDING which means more to me than ofsteds report. Well done

Carol:thumbsup:

Annual inspections????? Please Nooooooooo! I got far too stressed before the last one and the thought of having that every year gives me nightmares:eek:

I thought exactly the same when I read that!!! Lol :laughing: :laughing:

I was told "your not just good, your very good, but there is not a very good, so i have to give you a good."
So give me Outstanding then!! if there is nothing between very good and OUTSTANDING:huh:
I am appeaaling! its been going on since Oct 08 but i am like a dog with a bone, I will not let it go!!!!
OFSTED have NO contuinity( dont know if i spelt that right)

Thank you girlies for the lovely responses. Have had time to reflect whilst sitting watching my eldest son play cricket..my own children and the parents and kids who come to me like what I do and are very happy..that is was counts after all..off to sink a well earned glass of vino....thanks again for the positive strokes..far and few between in our game!

Glad you are feeling a bit better

Well done you did really well

Angel xx

Don't be down hearted rosieroob, remember it's what the children and parents think of you that really matters. If they weren't happy with your care, then they would let you know. To them you ARE outstanding!!:) (That's what all my parent's said to me after I had been given good!)

Like SLC, I was also told that I was very good, but just not quite outstanding. My inspector did say it was harder to get outstanding now, as they look at things in a different way. At my previous inspection in December 2005, I received an outstanding grade for "Organisation" ie my policies and documentation, but this time around there is no mention of them in the "Inspection judgements". I think that outstandings are hard to come by, and it really does depend on who inspects you. I had a look at the Ofsted website to see how many others in the area had been given outstanding by my inspector, and the answer was none! So maybe she doesn't give them very often!

I felt really really deflated after mine too I was shattered and had worked like a mad woman getting everything into place - she was lovely about it but as somone else said once they read the actual report it sounded brilliant and I chilled about it then.