The New Ofsted Framework – What Will This Mean?

Ofsted have recently made some changes to the way that they inspect nurseries which have already come into effect. As a parent, it can be a little confusing trying to keep up with all the changes Ofsted make, especially when it effects your child’s time at nursery. One of the main reason’s parents look at the reports is to decide where to best place their child and so we’d like to help parents to understand them. Here’s what’s new in the recently changed framework, also known as the Early Years Inspection Framework.

The inspector’s criteria which is used to judge both early years settings and children’s early development has evolved to focus on making the most of nursery resources, the latest legislation and the raising of the quality of education. At the heart of Ofsted’s priorities is a focus on the curriculum and what the children are actually learning whilst at nursery, also considering that every child is an individual and has a different learning starting point when joining a nursery. Ofsted is assessing how children are being prepared for the next stage of life by looking at key life skills and independence as well self-confidence and self-regulation. At Bright Little Stars Nursery we already pride ourselves on focusing on these areas of learning and are proud to send our children off to school having strong Personal and Social skills which enable them to be confident academic learners.

We are pleased to see that the parent is also at the heart of Ofsted’s consideration and hope that the BLS Home Learning on our online Parent Area will continue to assist our little stars with their learning journey. This criteria looks at the substance of what children are learning and each child’s personal attributes, such as behaviour and attitudes and personal development. This again fits with the Bright Little Stars ethos of supporting children well to be happy and positive about learning.

Teachers and early educators will also be judged for their passion and attitudes to work, whether or not they’re putting children’s interests ahead of their own, and whether or not they are using resources to the maximum benefit to the children. Ofsted will use their investigations to ensure the best approach is taken to growth of staff knowledge and training.

You’ll also be pleased to discover that the new reports aims to add more clarity to why a nursery has been graded as it has. Ofsted again, will set the reports out to highlight strengths and where the provider could further develop.

At Bright Little Stars Nursery, we are thrilled to hear of the new updates to the Ofsted framework as it ensures teachers are well trained and supported, children are effectively learning and their attitudes are nurtured, whilst giving parents a snapshot of what is happening at their child’s nursery on a daily basis.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog from everyone here at Bright Little Stars Nursery!