Ofsted - Key Indicators of Quality

[Shirlwith3]

I downloaded this from somewhere but thought I would share it with you all.

Key Indicators of Quality

The following indicators are to help inspectors pitch their overall judgement on the quality and standard of care. The list is not exhaustive and not all features may be present.

1. The quality and standard of day care / childminding is good
You are likely to judge the quality and standard of day care / childminding is good when:
• conditions of registration are fulfilled;
• all actions raised at the previous inspection have been effectively addressed;
• Children Act regulations are complied with;
• strengths far outweigh areas for improvement;
• no actions are needed to ensure each overarching standard is met;
• minor recommendations are necessary to enhance the quality and standard of care.

What does good quality care look like?
The childminder/registered person and staff are likely to:
• have a good or better knowledge of the National Standards and supporting criteria; they understand how to interpret them in the best interests of young children;
• implement policies and procedures that are particular, understood and have a positive impact on the children;
• have high level of awareness of all risks to children’s health and safety. They take all reasonable steps to ensure the physical environment is safe and secure, and to implement child protection procedures which are robust, fully understood and work in practice;
• build warm and trusting relationships with the children and their parents
• recognise children as individuals and meet their needs well;
• manage children effectively; the quality of their interactions significantly enhances all aspects of children’s development;
• be well organized; make the best use of their time; and use space and resources imaginatively to create a stimulating, orderly and supportive environment for the children;
• plan and provide a broad range of practical activities which develop children’s knowledge and understanding; activities are presented in an interesting and thoughtful way;
• be committed to improvement, reflect critically on what needs to be improved and systematically plan ways to develop practice;
• (in day care; work well as a team, share a common purpose and are fully involved in planning, evaluating and developing practice).

The children are likely to;
• be kept safe a free from harm;
• enjoy attending, are settled and have warm relationships with the staff and relate well to each other:
• behave well and are beginning to understand the consequences on others of unacceptable behaviour on others;
• be confident, independent and use their initiative;
• be interested and fully involved in activities, they are keen to communicate to known adults what they are doing and to find things out for themselves;
• be challenged to use what they know and to learn more
• make good progress in all aspects of their development.

The parents are likely to:
• have strong partnerships with childminder/staff; relationships are trusting, open and friendly
• have their differing needs taken into account, such as those linked to their culture, language and work patterns
• be listened to, and well informed about the provision and their children’s progress;
• be given interesting suggestions about how they can help their children’s development and learning.

2. The quality and standard of day care/childminding is satisfactory
You are likely to judge the quality of care to be satisfactory when:
• conditions of registration are fulfilled;
• most actions raised at the previous inspection have been addressed;
• Children Act regulations are complied with;
• on balance, the strengths outweigh the areas which need improvement;
• very few further actions are needed to ensure all Standards are met:
• recommendations are necessary to enhance the quality of care.


What Does Satisfactory Quality Care Look Like?
The childminder/registered person and staff are likely to:
• have reasonable knowledge of the National Standards and relevant supporting criteria; they mostly interpret them well;
• be aware of risks to children’s health and safety. They ensure the physical environment is safe and secure, and implement child protection procedures which are robust, fully understood and work in practice
•build positive relationships with the children, manage them well and take an interest in what they say a do.
• be aware of children’s individual needs and are mostly successful in meeting them;
• create an orderly environment in which to care for the children;
• be conscientious and waste little time
• provide a range of activities and equipment most of which are appropriate to children’s need;
• be aware of what needs to be improved and are generally committed to developing their practice.

The children are likely to:
• be kept safe and free from harm:
• be settled and have positive relationships with others
• behave well and do what is expected of them;
• engage in activities an sustain interest in them for periods if time;
• make steady progress in all aspects of their development;

The parents are likely to:
• have open and friendly relationships with the childminder and staff;
• be given general information about the care their children receives
• talk informally about their child with the childminder/staff.

3. The quality and standard of day care is Unsatisfactory
You are likely to judge the quality of care to be unsatisfactory when:
• not all conditions of registration are fulfilled;
• Children Act regulations are not complied with;
• most actions raised at the last inspection have not been addressed;
• weaknesses far outweigh any strengths of the provision;
• enforcement action is needed to ensure compliance and necessary improvements.

What Does Unsatisfactory Quality Care Look Like?
The childminder/ registered person and staff may:
• have a weak knowledge and understanding of the National standards and supporting criteria, or of the needs of young children;
• be lax about children’s safety and/or be uncertain how to address risks and hazards;
• have variable relationships with the children and be unsuccessful at managing them;
• provide a narrow range of activities that do little to promote children’s well being,
development and learning;
• not choose resources carefully that meet the children’s needs;
• be complacent, lack commitment or show little understanding of what needs to be improved:
• be unwilling or unable to improve.

The children may:
• be exposed to danger;
• be unsettled;
• behave indifferently or inappropriately,
• take only a fleeting interest in the activities and resources provided;
• make poor progress in all areas of their development.

The parents may
• be unaware of important aspects of how their child is cared for;
• not be encouraged to share what they know about their children;
• not be given help in how to be involved in their children’s learning and development.


Shirl

[Kelly]

Thanks for that, look interesting, I will save for future reference.

Kelly

[ma7ie]

Thank you Shirl.

[Pipsqueak]

Thank you for that - may well print that out and put it in my Policies!!!

[Spangles]

Thank you that's really useful.

x

[Pauline]

That is fantastic Shirl, thanks

[Gherkin]

Thank you Shirl. That looks great.

[donnahay0]

Very interesting, I too will be keeping that saved for later reference.

[chez1373]

Finally something i can put into practise basic wording that doesnt take a bleeding geniouse to understand
Thank you so much for this its making a big differance to how i run things.
xx
Chez

[Eagles4ever]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[angeldelight]

Thanks for that

Angel xx