How to Prepare for an OFSTED Inspection: Insights From Our Outstanding Nursery
“These inspections are our opportunity to show and tell. To celebrate what we’re doing day in, day out.”
– Clare Crowther, Atelier Director
Think of this episode of Atelier Talks as your essential guide to acing your nursery’s Oftsed inspection. We take you behind the scenes of our recent OFSTED inspection, which resulted in our Chippenham setting proudly retaining its Outstanding status.
This episode is one you don’t want to miss as we share everything you need to know BEFORE you get ‘that phone call’, from the paperwork to ensure you have to hand, to how to empower your nursery team with confidence to showcase the very best of your Early Years setting and practice.
Whether you’re a nursery manager, setting leader or Early Years educator, we’re opening up everything we’ve learned across seven Outstanding inspections to help you feel confident, and well prepared for yours.
We’re sharing what worked, what surprised us, what we held steady through, and how to put your best foot forward without putting on a performance, but holding on to your values so you can showcase your pedagogy, and stand proud in who you are and what you do day in, day out.
In this episode:
- What to expect when the call comes and how to prepare your team in a calm, empowering way
- The “learning walk” demystified: what to say, how to show it, and why consistency is key
- Comfort blankets and confidence boosters: how we prepare our staff and documentation
- Why embedding reflection and critical friendship across your team is your best OFSTED strategy
- How to answer difficult questions with honesty and strength (especially in unique settings)
- The tools, systems and routines that helped us stay calm, collected and focused
- Our top tips for inspection day, from the practical to the emotional
Find out more:
Website and newsletter: ateliernursery.co.uk
Instagram: @ateliernurseryltd
Consultancy enquiries: Contact us via our website
Together, we’ll unlock the potential for incredible growth and learning.
Atelier Talks is a Decibelle Creative original podcast
Produced by Decibelle Creative – decibellecreative.com / @decibelle_creative
Keywords: OFSTED Outstanding, Early Years inspection, nursery manager tips, learning walk EYFS, OFSTED preparation, key person approach, Early Years leadership, Early Years self-evaluation, child-led pedagogy, inspection readiness, show and tell not hide and seek, mixed-age settings, nursery staff confidence, EYFS documentation.
Transcript
>> Clare: Welcome to Atelier Talks, the Early Years
Speaker:Collective.
Speaker:>> Clare: This is the podcast brought to you.
Speaker:>> Clare: By the Atelier, Nursery team, exploring the art and
Speaker:science of early years education.
Speaker:We're here to share knowledge and insights from our unique
Speaker:research led approach. So if you're passionate about
Speaker:early years education, you're in the right place.
Speaker:Let's find out what's in store for you on today's
Speaker:episode.
Speaker:>> Clare: Welcome back to Atelier Talks. I'm joined today by the lovely
Speaker:Laura, Lauren and Beth. Hello.
Speaker:And, we are bringing you a special episode of Atelier
Speaker:Talks directly from the head officers, because we've had
Speaker:a bit of an exciting week. Laura, do you want to share what's been
Speaker:happening for you and your team this week?
Speaker:>> Lauren: Yes.
Speaker:>> Laura: So, last week, on Wednesday lunchtime, we
Speaker:had the call from Ofsted to tell us that they were going to be
Speaker:inspecting us the following day. And we
Speaker:did our Ofsted inspection on the hottest day of the year so far.
Speaker:and we managed to retain our outstanding grade.
Speaker:>> Clare: So we're really, really chuffed at Atelier to be able to
Speaker:share that news. And a well done to Laura and to the team and to
Speaker:everybody who's been supporting you, over the last six years. Because
Speaker:it had been a long old journey, hadn't it, in terms of waiting and
Speaker:preparation?
Speaker:>> Laura: 5 years and 7 months or something like
Speaker:that. It'd been on the horizon for a while. So we knew, we
Speaker:knew it was coming at, but we weren't quite sure exactly when.
Speaker:But I think we'd been ready for a long time. we knew
Speaker:exactly what we needed to do. We had a
Speaker:really strong sort of plan of. We understood, our
Speaker:weaknesses or we understood the areas that we needed to, work
Speaker:on. But actually, there were so many strengths that we could celebrate. So much has
Speaker:happened in that five years to shout about, to celebrate
Speaker:and to show off, really. and the team were just. They were
Speaker:so ready for it. They were so ready to show what they've been learning, what
Speaker:they've been achieving. So it was lovely to be able to have that data,
Speaker:to really celebrate Chippenham and everything that we've achieved.
Speaker:>> Clare: Fabulous. So, for our listeners today, what we really wanted to do
Speaker:was kind of unpick that process, because we know whether
Speaker:you're a practitioner, whether you're a student, whether you're a nursery
Speaker:owner, whether you're a nursery manager, you know, Ofsted
Speaker:is. It's always at the forefront of our mind, isn't it?
Speaker:And I think sometimes it's really hard because
Speaker:we can become so focused on the inspectorate and those
Speaker:gradings that can stick with us for so very long.
Speaker:And actually, sometimes it can be difficult to
Speaker:really hold your focus and your ground over what matters.
Speaker:And what really matters is that actually we should be Ofsted ready every
Speaker:day, and our practise and our provision should be representing
Speaker:the quality that we aspire for our children to have all of the time.
Speaker:But, Laura, you'd had a bit of a rough ride going into this
Speaker:inspection, so just, you know, to give our listeners a bit of
Speaker:context of that. Laura had lost both of
Speaker:her deputies within the last few months, so one had gone
Speaker:on to a different setting for a different pathway and then
Speaker:one was actually sick for during that period of the inspection. So
Speaker:you did have a tough time. And I think what's really important is that
Speaker:you hold that recognition that even when. When things can appear
Speaker:really challenging and even when there are periods of change
Speaker:and uncertainty, that if you stay unwavering, that
Speaker:lovely word, if we stay unwavering to our beliefs and to
Speaker:our, practises, and we don't all of a sudden throw the baby out with the bath
Speaker:water and try and change everything, that actually, you still can be
Speaker:outstanding. And we always have that thing that you can be outstanding even if you're
Speaker:not outstanding, as long as you know you're not.
Speaker:>> Laura: Yes.
Speaker:>> Clare: And you know what you're doing about it.
Speaker:>> Laura: and I think that was the biggest thing, was being able to show that, actually, yes,
Speaker:our staff turnover in terms of deputies has been
Speaker:really, really challenging. But this is what we've put into place
Speaker:to mitigate those circumstances, or this is what we're doing with the
Speaker:team, to support them, to make them feel held
Speaker:and to ensure that actually the consistency remains there
Speaker:for the children, for the parents, for the families and
Speaker:for the staff team. And like you say, you don't have to
Speaker:necessarily have all your ducks in line and be perfect
Speaker:to still be outstanding. And I think that was really lovely that we could
Speaker:prove that and show that we had a plan in place and this is how we were
Speaker:going to push forward and, they still deemed us to be outstanding.
Speaker:>> Lauren: I think it's about holding it steady, isn't it? like you could have the perfect.
Speaker:>> Laura: Day and you'd say, oh, that would.
Speaker:>> Lauren: Be amazing for them to come on this day. But actually, it's
Speaker:just when you hit turbulence,
Speaker:holding everybody steady, you used a. I can't think of the
Speaker:word that you just used, but it was keeping everybody
Speaker:feeling safe and secure and actually
Speaker:that flowed through the inspection, I think that
Speaker:everybody did that feeling held.
Speaker:>> Laura: But I think the biggest thing was that nothing changed on inspection
Speaker:day. People weren't being expected to do something that they wouldn't
Speaker:normally do on any other day. And that's the biggest thing for us, is that
Speaker:it's like Clare said, every day is an Ofsted day, or every day
Speaker:should be outstanding in your nursery. You shouldn't have to put on a
Speaker:performance or your staff shouldn't be doing something they wouldn't
Speaker:normally do. So, for us, that was lovely to see staff just doing what
Speaker:they normally do and for that to be still judged as
Speaker:outstanding. So that was really a proud moment.
Speaker:>> Clare: So, come on, then, Laura, take us through the whole process.
Speaker:So what happened when that call came in? How did you
Speaker:feel?
Speaker:>> Laura: There's a bit of a funny story behind the phone call, because I just walked out of the
Speaker:bathroom and, Nikki, or as me, came and said, all of a sudden, you're
Speaker:on the phone to the lovely Beth, took the call, the
Speaker:main call. Beth, do you want to talk a little bit about what you spoke to the
Speaker:inspector about to start with?
Speaker:>> Beth: yeah. So the call was, actually, because it's my first call
Speaker:I've ever done, actually, was really
Speaker:calm, actually, when I was able to talk
Speaker:about us in the nursery and explain. And
Speaker:I think, Clare, you've already always really enforced
Speaker:that, actually. You do that show and tell, don't play
Speaker:hide and seek. And so the more I spoke on the phone to her,
Speaker:the more idea that she got about our nursery
Speaker:before stepping into it and what we were trying
Speaker:to. What we're achieving, actually. so just
Speaker:breaking down some of those conversations with her,
Speaker:obviously those. Those normal questions around how
Speaker:many children that we have on site, talking about our registers,
Speaker:talking about staffing numbers, all of those things, and
Speaker:looking at those safeguarding questions. So protecting staff as well,
Speaker:that need that, kind of that little bit of blanket around them on
Speaker:Ofsted inspection day, I asked if she wanted to come and
Speaker:join us for lunch, because actually, being part of that lunchtime
Speaker:process with our children is a huge part of that.
Speaker:M. So, yeah, really being confident in what
Speaker:you're saying and how you're saying it. It's your nursery,
Speaker:don't forget that. but no, I think the call
Speaker:for me actually kind of calmed my
Speaker:nerves a bit, really.
Speaker:>> Laura: I felt the same. Once I'd spoken to her on the phone, I thought, oh, she's
Speaker:a human. She's something that's coming to the US
Speaker:and Just see what it's like to be a child at our
Speaker:nursery. And I think you build it up in your mind so much that it's going to
Speaker:be this huge, overwhelming situation when actually it's just
Speaker:another human who's walking through the door, who you're just going to show your nursery
Speaker:off to. So I think the next thing I did was I rang
Speaker:Clare and I.
Speaker:>> Clare: Was like, claire, we've just had the call.
Speaker:>> Laura: And she was like, I'll be there in the hour. and the first thing we spoke
Speaker:about was keeping it steady for the team and making sure the
Speaker:team felt calm, that the team weren't overwhelmed
Speaker:by the news, that they didn't have to start panicking or
Speaker:start, you know, thinking about everything that was going to happen. So that was
Speaker:really important that the team knew, but knew in a
Speaker:calm way and excited way that we were going to share the news with them in a
Speaker:positive light. and then I guess the. The work
Speaker:began, on making sure that everything was ready, Clare and I sat
Speaker:and we went through folders and made sure everything was up together.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think it's one of those bits, isn't it, where I love the way you.
Speaker:We all just looked at each other and you said, actually, it is
Speaker:the second hottest day of the year. It was the penultimate day.
Speaker:And we wanted those children that we still had in our
Speaker:care that afternoon to still have the best level of
Speaker:love and support and opportunity.
Speaker:And so, actually, we couldn't just
Speaker:throw everything up in the air and panic about the next day because
Speaker:we still had 70 children to be looking after in the meantime.
Speaker:And so there was a really gentle message that just kind
Speaker:of swept through the nursery. And then together, Laura
Speaker:and I went and just held the team. I think that's a really
Speaker:important word to use, Laura. We just held the team. We put
Speaker:our arms on them and just kind of said, have you heard the
Speaker:news? You know, we're so excited to be
Speaker:able to share. And I think, like you said, Beth,
Speaker:you know, we have a culture at atelier where we always pay show and tell.
Speaker:And I think it is about giving staff that empowerment
Speaker:to feel that this was about their
Speaker:inspection, it was about their journeys, it was
Speaker:about their experiences, it was about their. Them telling
Speaker:their CPD opportunities. And we always do that, you know,
Speaker:showcase your children, showcase yourself. What are your
Speaker:highlights going to be? So, actually, I really
Speaker:enjoyed the afternoon before because you kind of got to
Speaker:see them getting excited and almost kind
Speaker:of remembering everything they'd done in the last
Speaker:five years. And Nine months. Because actually so much
Speaker:had been achieved in that time. So it wasn't just about what are we going to
Speaker:do tomorrow? It was what have we already
Speaker:done? And how can we illustrate that? How can we kind
Speaker:of not evidence. I don't know what the right word is, but how
Speaker:can we, how can we showcase that? So I think, yeah, that would be
Speaker:one of my real kind of finds. I think for other nursery owners
Speaker:and for other nursery managers is don't just focus on the
Speaker:day ahead, focus on what has already happened that that inspector
Speaker:hasn't already seen and empower the team.
Speaker:>> Laura: Empower them, make them feel ready, confident,
Speaker:say how, you know, show how much you believe in them. Because we do believe in that team so much
Speaker:and we knew they were ready. They just needed to believe, believe in
Speaker:that as well.
Speaker:>> Lauren: M. Well, I was wanted to say about. Give a little
Speaker:shout out to our call sheet.
Speaker:We're inspired by Vanessa at Jigsaw.
Speaker:Help me to have our call sheet ready. So that just had
Speaker:key illustrates it beautifully, doesn't she, in her documents? But
Speaker:all of that key information just there and then that meant that
Speaker:when Beth picked up the phone she knew she had the numbers there
Speaker:ready to go. I think it's a small thing that meant
Speaker:it's just like, okay, we've got the call sheet ready with all of that
Speaker:information. Rather than falling at the first
Speaker:hurdle and worrying about numbers.
Speaker:>> Laura: I really like that.
Speaker:>> Lauren: Bit of bit leaky in that way. Those kind of comfort
Speaker:blankets that can guide you through and I think that's.
Speaker:>> Clare: That next comfort blanket isn't that, you know, we know that all of our
Speaker:reference is in place, we know that everybody's done their first aid
Speaker:certificates, but you want to know you can put your hands on
Speaker:them. You want to know that you've got everything in
Speaker:exactly the right place. So when you're asked that question,
Speaker:you can put your hand on it straight away. And I
Speaker:think if nothing else, it just helps your own head
Speaker:to stay clear. and it gives you the confidence.
Speaker:So even if you know everything is up together and you,
Speaker:I don't know, your self reflections are done and your
Speaker:evaluations are all in place and your parents have already been
Speaker:invited in to talk. But actually just by
Speaker:knowing and touching, I don't know, I'm a physical toucher.
Speaker:Physically touching all of those supervision files and physically
Speaker:knowing that the fire drill folder is there,
Speaker:it just helps you almost go into that meeting the next day
Speaker:knowing that what you can do is lead your team team without
Speaker:worrying and fussing. In your head as, ah, to where things
Speaker:are and what's the next step.
Speaker:So what about the staff team, then? So, Lauren and Beth,
Speaker:you've done a huge amount of work across both sites within
Speaker:your roles in terms of quality of some of those comfort
Speaker:blankets for the staff. So what are those things that you would recommend
Speaker:for other settings to kind of start thinking
Speaker:about and, processing with their team?
Speaker:>> Beth: I think for me, when it comes to the
Speaker:team, I think they have to
Speaker:have those conversations or
Speaker:those questions all the time. Like,
Speaker:they have to get comfortable chatting with somebody about
Speaker:their children, what they're providing,
Speaker:how they're setting up their room, the impact, the intent.
Speaker:They have to have those conversations all of the time.
Speaker:so I think we're really strong at walking
Speaker:around the nursery, having those conversations, breaking
Speaker:that down with our team, and the use
Speaker:of, what we spoke about previously, our confrontos, and actually
Speaker:bringing in some of that language that an Ofsted
Speaker:inspector would use alongside them. So
Speaker:the day actually just feels normal.
Speaker:It feels like a comfortable day. Yes. You've got the added
Speaker:intenseness of somebody being there that you don't
Speaker:know. But, yeah, I think those general
Speaker:questions, talking things through and getting them
Speaker:to come out of their comfort zone a little bit all of the time really,
Speaker:really helps on the day, boosting their.
Speaker:>> Lauren: Confidence because, yeah, I often, when we're having these kind
Speaker:of pedagogical conversations on the floor, I often
Speaker:get this kind of look like, did I say it right? And,
Speaker:like, it's not about being right and wrong, it's about having that
Speaker:discussion, being confident in knowing those children.
Speaker:And if you can confidently dialogue what you
Speaker:do every day, that's all you can do. You don't want to be thrown on
Speaker:the day by saying an inspector using a different,
Speaker:Some unfamiliar, terminology.
Speaker:>> Clare: Yes.
Speaker:>> Lauren: For me, it's the paper, the physical
Speaker:paper words up on the wall.
Speaker:So, we have planning boards in each room,
Speaker:which means that we can document as
Speaker:we go. It's very much living, breathing
Speaker:part of what we do every day. And then those key
Speaker:words, those projects that we, are focusing on in those rooms
Speaker:we're in, we have in big letters at the top, so
Speaker:we all know what our focus is like. For me, I just thought,
Speaker:if anybody gets stuck and they think, oh, I can't think, look at your
Speaker:planning board. That's your comfort blanket. And you've got some good keywords up
Speaker:there which we wouldn't use just for that day. We
Speaker:use when we're talking to our Parents and say the stage of the
Speaker:block play, we're looking at enclosing structures
Speaker:and we talk about, oh, Freddy made this wonderful
Speaker:farm, because we're working on enclosing and all of
Speaker:that feeds through. So, for me, it's that.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think it is that we use the word comfort blanket all of
Speaker:the time, because we recognise, you know, there's been a huge
Speaker:amount of news within, within the press about
Speaker:the impact that Ofsted inspections can have on providers and
Speaker:on educators. And I think for us, what we really want
Speaker:to do is reduce the impact
Speaker:of that stress on the staff team. And actually, we can't get
Speaker:away from the fact that inspections don't always
Speaker:feel comfortable. But actually, we're really grateful to see the
Speaker:changes that are taking place with Ofsted in terms of the
Speaker:training of inspectors, to be much more aware
Speaker:of the impact that the inspection process itself can have
Speaker:to reduce stress. And I think for us, we've always,
Speaker:in the last 15 years, always looked at what those comfort
Speaker:blankets can be. So, actually, if that's even having your
Speaker:room Champion folder so that all of the staff know
Speaker:that actually there is a spare allergen sheet in there, there is
Speaker:a spare first aiders list in there. So if for any
Speaker:reason they lose themselves, they know that they've only got to
Speaker:go to one place to be able to pick up all of those vital
Speaker:documents, or they've only just got to go, oh, let me explain
Speaker:my planning to you. When they've lost themselves by physically
Speaker:standing in front of the planning board and actually looking back and
Speaker:we always know, don't you, we always know with our staff team that when they're
Speaker:talking about their children, that's when they come alive.
Speaker:Because actually, that's where their engagement
Speaker:has been the highest. It's where their passions are most, you
Speaker:know, really demonstrable for them. And so
Speaker:actually, when they're talking about their children and they're talking about what they do on a
Speaker:day to day basis, all of a sudden they're able
Speaker:to dialogue much more confidently. and the
Speaker:fluidity of what they're talking about is much clearer because I think
Speaker:it's not so much as, you know, they're. They're almost
Speaker:expecting a question. So tell me about.
Speaker:So actually, we've kind of taught our staff team, haven't we, not to be
Speaker:put off by any direct questioning, but to tell the
Speaker:story and to run the narrative, and I think running the
Speaker:narrative of their room and running the narrative of their.
Speaker:But also of themselves and the staff development or the
Speaker:opportunities and simple things like, you know, within
Speaker:our setting, some of our staff will call their supervision
Speaker:sessions with Laura their catch ups. But actually, you
Speaker:know, it's sharing with them that the true,
Speaker:what's the word? I've lost the word. Terminology, the true terminology.
Speaker:Thank you, Laura. Of what that is. So that when the inspector
Speaker:comes in, they're able to truly understand what it is the
Speaker:inspector's asking of them. And so I think it is,
Speaker:it's about really empowering them, but educating them about
Speaker:the process and what to expect and what not to expect,
Speaker:but also to be on their side. So we always say,
Speaker:you know, if you lose yourself or you make a mistake or you
Speaker:can't find the answer, it's okay, it's not on your
Speaker:shoulders. so I, I don't
Speaker:know, I think I'm probably a little bit
Speaker:determined. So I don't actually let the inspector out my
Speaker:site and I work with her and sometimes I
Speaker:worry that freaks the team out more because I think they don't want
Speaker:to get it wrong for me and in front of me.
Speaker:But actually sometimes I think if we have
Speaker:those real honest and reflective relationships with
Speaker:our team, then actually what they, I think what they took
Speaker:from it was that I was there for
Speaker:them and it wasn't about secondary judgement. It
Speaker:was around actually making sure that that inspector was appropriate
Speaker:with them. that what they were asking of them was fair
Speaker:and was relevant and was within the inspection framework, but
Speaker:also to champion them. And so sometimes I go, oh, have you
Speaker:seen, you know, have you seen this interaction that's going on over here?
Speaker:And I think that bit about playing show and
Speaker:tell, Beth, is really, really important because I think as leaders
Speaker:we should also feel that empowerment. You know, I think
Speaker:there's really important times within any inspection process
Speaker:where we have to take control. and I
Speaker:haven't, you know, it's not the first inspection where I've stopped an inspection
Speaker:and said, I'm really sorry, I'm not sure you're getting us. And
Speaker:we work very, very differently to a lot of settings.
Speaker:And so I think sometimes as we know, with visitors that walk in
Speaker:the door or new families that walk in the door, it can be a little bit
Speaker:overwhelming for an inspector as well to try to make sense of
Speaker:everything we're trying to achieve in a mixed stage, free flow nursery.
Speaker:But they have never been in before. And so we have to take
Speaker:absolute control of that and make sure that that
Speaker:is completed, the inspection is completed at a pace that
Speaker:suits our children. And our setting and our staff
Speaker:team.
Speaker:So, Laura, talk us through your biggest role within that then,
Speaker:in terms of the. The walk and talk, because that's our
Speaker:key time really to share as a leader and a manager
Speaker:for the inspector what it is we are doing. How was that
Speaker:process?
Speaker:>> Laura: So the learning walk is where you're going to take the inspector around
Speaker:your whole setting and you're going to explain to her
Speaker:or him the curriculum. And I think the
Speaker:biggest thing for us was that we needed to talk the talk.
Speaker:So we needed to really explain to the inspector what
Speaker:our staff were doing day in, day out, as our staff are then
Speaker:walking the walk. So what we said needed to be shown in
Speaker:practise. So we started off in the studio and we started
Speaker:to explain to the inspection. I think it was at this point that I really sort of
Speaker:twigged that they have not seen
Speaker:atelier before. So we really need to take it back to
Speaker:basics. We really need to explain from the
Speaker:beginning what we do and who we are. Because again, I think
Speaker:it's really difficult when you live it and breathe
Speaker:every day to then come at it from a perspective of
Speaker:this isn't normal for most people. A m. Mixed age free flow nursery
Speaker:isn't something that you see every day. So you really need
Speaker:to break it down and explain what mixed stage free flow looks like
Speaker:in atelier or at atelier. And I think it took me,
Speaker:inspector, a little bit of time to really understand
Speaker:that, yes, our babies were allowed to be with our older children and
Speaker:yes, our babies were seen as capable, confident,
Speaker:autonomous learners who didn't need to be
Speaker:sort of hovered over. So I think that was the. The first thing
Speaker:is kind of overcoming the hurdle of our, our
Speaker:ethos. I suppose before then you start to then talk about our projects and
Speaker:provocations. but it was beautiful because we
Speaker:walked through, the staff were just beautifully demonstrating
Speaker:everything we were talking about. So we were talking about peer
Speaker:scaffolding, we were talking about that mixed stage approach, we were talking about
Speaker:our projects, we were talking about how all areas of learning
Speaker:were covered within, certain provocations. So
Speaker:Sara was doing some beautiful baking and within there there was communication,
Speaker:language, there was mathematics. She was,
Speaker:allowing them to develop their personal, social, emotional. So
Speaker:actually, throughout the whole nursery, it just was a seamless
Speaker:flow of everything that we do day in, day out, and
Speaker:everything we were dialoguing was happening real time for the
Speaker:inspector to see. And I think there were still some really challenging questions where
Speaker:Clara and I looked at each other and we're Quite okay. We're still kind of
Speaker:having to explain the ethos again, but I think once,
Speaker:once they twig and once they understand it, they understand it. And
Speaker:then you can kind of really ice the cake and add in those
Speaker:cherries that they then begin to understand once they get the
Speaker:whole ethos behind us.
Speaker:>> Clare: And I think, Laura, I think it would be fair to
Speaker:say that this walk and talk was perhaps one of
Speaker:the most challenging walk and talks we've had out of
Speaker:what, seven outstanding inspections across
Speaker:the Tilio. And I think it was around again, being
Speaker:really brave. You know, this was an inspector that
Speaker:was there to do her job and she did her job very well and she did her
Speaker:job very fairly. But actually
Speaker:it felt very quickly
Speaker:like we needed to
Speaker:rationalise why we worked the way we worked in
Speaker:a bit.
Speaker:>> Laura: Fancy of space, wasn't it, Actually kind of being able to
Speaker:say, no, this is actually what we're doing and why we're doing it. And I think
Speaker:we didn't want to have to prove anything, but we wanted to fight for what we believed
Speaker:in and what we knew was what we.
Speaker:>> Clare: Did really well every day. And I think it's,
Speaker:it's a really interesting one, isn't it, that we actually, I think as
Speaker:a leader and a manager, it would be about making sure you also
Speaker:surround yourself with the right people, people. So I think,
Speaker:you know, when there were moments within the inspection that perhaps,
Speaker:Laura felt unheard or a little bit
Speaker:frustrated that actually we were able to take a step back and go,
Speaker:no, let's turn this upside down, actually. What if it all
Speaker:goes right? Let's look at this from a glass half full
Speaker:perspective. We can actually,
Speaker:you know, really celebrate the
Speaker:pedagogy and the ethos and the philosophy
Speaker:if we can. If we can dialogue it. And actually,
Speaker:in fairness to the inspector, one of the first things she
Speaker:did was ask why we had the pencils in, in separate
Speaker:colour coding pops. So the red pencils are in one pot, yellow
Speaker:in a second, the green in a third. And she said, but why
Speaker:do you do that? It's much more challenging if the colours are mixed. And
Speaker:so Laura and I had this like, secret little sly look at each other and,
Speaker:immediately came straight back out with the environment
Speaker:as a sad teacher. And actually, if you're looking between hot colours
Speaker:to cold colours and you're looking at hues and you're looking at, tone and
Speaker:shade, and she immediately went, oh, I get that. and I think it was, it
Speaker:was that ability to be able to be Confident. You
Speaker:know, this inspector is not there to.
Speaker:Yes, they are there to judge your setting, but they're not there to. In. To
Speaker:judge how you have interpreted the Early Years
Speaker:foundation stage. You just need to know it. And
Speaker:as long as you know what you're doing and you can,
Speaker:dialogue effectively with the inspector,
Speaker:the reasons why, then she was happy and she took it
Speaker:and she moved on. And I think it is about having that confidence
Speaker:to be able to do that and to know
Speaker:that actually you don't have to be intimidated because they
Speaker:are there as an inspector. And I think it's about taking
Speaker:it back down the anxiety ladder and kind of going, actually, do you
Speaker:know what? We do this every single day. And we know why it's
Speaker:important that the pencils are sorted in the way they're sorted. And we
Speaker:know why it's important that our babies are able to access the whole of the
Speaker:learning environment. And we know it's important as to why our toddlers are
Speaker:able to learn, from the peer scaffolding of our preschoolers. And
Speaker:I think it's holding that, isn't it, within that, and making
Speaker:sure that, like you said, you're talking the talk and your team are walking the
Speaker:walk. So everything has to be triangulated. You can't,
Speaker:and you shouldn't be able to on an inspection day, just pull
Speaker:something out for the day.
Speaker:>> Laura: So talk a little bit about the.
Speaker:>> Lauren: Culture of our leadership team and the fact, the
Speaker:balance between being a critical friend and
Speaker:having these challenging pedagogical conversations
Speaker:and then actually
Speaker:supporting each other and not tearing each other apart,
Speaker:because I think that's where we
Speaker:can succeed in inspection, because we're used
Speaker:to challenging each other and we're used to
Speaker:not defending ourselves, but actually being reflective
Speaker:and thinking critically about our own practise and then
Speaker:having that discussion. I think that's where
Speaker:we're maybe a little bit more used to that kind of questioning.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think that's a really, really valid point.
Speaker:Yeah, yeah, it's a really valid point because
Speaker:I believe in surrounding myself with people
Speaker:that challenge me. I don't want to have a team that
Speaker:just sits alongside me and does whatever I think.
Speaker:And it was really interesting because we had a visitor into the loft
Speaker:last week, who's an amazing
Speaker:owner, Manager, you know, 10, 11
Speaker:settings, really well established, Beautiful,
Speaker:beautiful settings. And, And she was talking to me and
Speaker:she asked Lucy who she was. And Lucy works alongside us
Speaker:in the office as well. We're going to introduce her soon as a guest on
Speaker:the podcast. And she kind of said, but, Lucy, what's your role
Speaker:and what is it you do? And Lucy just kind
Speaker:of explained what her role was and then I went, but
Speaker:actually, Lucy's here and just the same as Lauren is here
Speaker:and, Beth is here and Laura's here because she'll
Speaker:challenge me, she'll challenge my perspective
Speaker:and she will always strive,
Speaker:as all of the leadership team do. Lauren, I think you're absolutely
Speaker:right for that highest level of quality
Speaker:and thinking about how we can
Speaker:adapt our practises or how we can further embed our
Speaker:practises. And, I think one of the skills that Lauren,
Speaker:you really, really hold with that is not just as a leadership
Speaker:team in terms of how we can
Speaker:challenge and be that critical friend for each other, but also
Speaker:with the staff, you know, when you're doing and what you
Speaker:do so, so skillfully with those, educator
Speaker:confrontes is really
Speaker:analyse their work with them and
Speaker:analyse their interactions with their children. And so
Speaker:therefore the next steps that they're promoting
Speaker:are so, are so suited because you're
Speaker:constantly asking them to reflect and think about the
Speaker:what's and the whys. And I think atelier, that's
Speaker:a really, really important thing for us as a leadership team. And then that
Speaker:naturally filters down to the whole staff team. Otherwise,
Speaker:why are we doing it the way we're doing it? Is there a different
Speaker:way? Is there a greater impact that we could achieve by doing it in a different
Speaker:way? I think that's fab. I thought we should do a whole podcast on that.
Speaker:>> Laura: Yeah, but I think that's so true because every single question the
Speaker:inspector asks just, we knew the up. We didn't have
Speaker:to. We weren't panicked because we already have those
Speaker:discussions every day. Or they were things that we'd already considered
Speaker:as a leadership team, or they were things that were just
Speaker:inbuilt into our practise. It wasn't a case of
Speaker:panicking or thinking, oh, no, we don't know the answer to this,
Speaker:because everything we do is so embedded.
Speaker:Embedded. And, we do challenge those things. You know, if
Speaker:Clare suggests something, I'll say, but why? Or is that the best way to do it? Or can we
Speaker:try this way? And actually, we've already had that
Speaker:debate about why or yes or no. And then when they
Speaker:inspect to us about, you know, why are your pencils in the same pot?
Speaker:We know because xyz, we don't need to think about
Speaker:the answer. It's already there.
Speaker:>> Lauren: and our stress response isn't Triggered. No,
Speaker:sometimes when you get like. And it's your. Like your
Speaker:nursery is like your world, isn't it?
Speaker:>> Laura: Oh, absolutely.
Speaker:>> Lauren: It means so much to you and then somebody comes in and says,
Speaker:why.
Speaker:>> Laura: Are you doing that?
Speaker:>> Lauren: You could just go into fight or flight and then you can't use your
Speaker:brain. So, yeah, it's a really lovely
Speaker:point. Try and stay cool, calm, collected.
Speaker:>> Clare: Yeah, and also, you know, that term of
Speaker:critical friend is so, so important, isn't it? Because actually,
Speaker:you know, we've got the most amazing critical friend, Clare Morrinow, and
Speaker:she works with us and has worked with us. Again, she's one of those few people
Speaker:that will really take me on. and she's worked with us for over
Speaker:a decade now, so she's seen all of us grow
Speaker:within our roles and the impact that our
Speaker:roles are having on the business and the children and the
Speaker:nurseries. And so I think it's never being scared
Speaker:to ask for somebody else's perspective.
Speaker:>> Lauren: So ultimately, the peer observation part of your
Speaker:inspection is a moderation activity. It's to
Speaker:see if your judgement in teaching
Speaker:or learning sits where it should. It's not a
Speaker:test.
Speaker:>> Clare: I think it's a really valid point, Lauren, that it's about moderation.
Speaker:So it's about us as leaders and managers and
Speaker:really knowing our staff, really
Speaker:knowing what it is we're asking of them and also
Speaker:being able to understand what it, what the impact is
Speaker:they're trying to achieve within the work that they're
Speaker:doing. So we had a lovely,
Speaker:really lovely observation, with the gorgeous Sara,
Speaker:who's one of our key people at Chippenham, and she was,
Speaker:as she does every single day, baking
Speaker:bread. So this time she was using
Speaker:fruit. And they spent some time in the morning
Speaker:chopping the fruit. Well, picking the fruit from the garden,
Speaker:then chopping the fruit and then pureeing the
Speaker:fruit and then making the bread dough so they could then make a true
Speaker:fruit plant, as atelier children do.
Speaker:and it was absolutely beautiful because within this they were able
Speaker:to discuss, their prior learning and their prior
Speaker:knowledge, their prior experiences, the link
Speaker:between the growing that they'd done in the garden and the picking of the
Speaker:fruit that they were then using within their bread. So that real
Speaker:triangulation, and then they were able to use
Speaker:huge amounts of mathematical language. But there were
Speaker:also lots of personal, social, emotional. So there was the
Speaker:negotiation between a toddler who really, really, really
Speaker:needed to do the stirring of the bread dough
Speaker:and actually some of our older children who knew that they
Speaker:needed to take a turn, but actually wouldn't let go of the
Speaker:idea that it was their turn next. so Sara didn't have
Speaker:an easy ride in her observation. You know, there were some dynamics
Speaker:to manage and some children that she was certainly
Speaker:interested to see join her on that day, bless her. But
Speaker:she did a wonderful, wonderful job. And I think it is about, again,
Speaker:being confident as a manager. You know, was there any aspect
Speaker:within that observation that Sara could have
Speaker:improved on and not being scared to highlight it?
Speaker:So one of the examples was that Sara used quite large
Speaker:numbers because she was weighing flowers, so she was getting to two hundred
Speaker:and fifty grammes. Well, two hundred and fifty is a really big
Speaker:number when you're three and four. and so actually
Speaker:breaking that down, but also looking at how she did do that on the
Speaker:scale. So it's a two and it's a five and it's a zero.
Speaker:So breaking it down in her learning, so recognising
Speaker:all of the positives and really championing your team,
Speaker:but also putting in, you know, one of my top tips would be, you
Speaker:know, put into that and really emphasise the learning
Speaker:that you've seen take place by that practitioner before. So
Speaker:it isn't just a one off. So you can talk about the.
Speaker:Put it into context, talk about all of the learning that
Speaker:that particular member of staff has undergone. So how has her
Speaker:previous peer observations fed into her
Speaker:targets? How has that been raised with her and her
Speaker:confrontes about managing perhaps different
Speaker:children's needs of behaviour? How has that then been
Speaker:supported through the staff development that she's undertaken?
Speaker:So, again, you're looking completely holistically and
Speaker:putting that together and really, yeah, just putting yourself
Speaker:in the best place, really.
Speaker:>> Laura: And I think, again, peer observations is something we do all
Speaker:the time with our practitioners. So it wasn't something that Sara had never had before.
Speaker:She was aware that she was being observed and she's used to the
Speaker:feedback that comes from peer observation. So I think it was really,
Speaker:again, important that it wasn't something that she'd never done before. She
Speaker:hadn't been observed before. And I think she was really proud
Speaker:and celebrated that she'd actually been able to do that
Speaker:in front of the inspector and managed it so beautifully.
Speaker:So I think, again, it's about empowering that team and showing how proud you
Speaker:are of them and, and showing that actually they play such a huge
Speaker:role in that inspection day. Because I think it's easy to just think, oh,
Speaker:it's the learning walk and it's the leaders and managers, but actually it's
Speaker:the staff on the floor that are the most important and really are
Speaker:the ones that shine and show off how
Speaker:amazing a setting is.
Speaker:>> Clare: So Beth, you had a big role to play in that as well, didn't you?
Speaker:So, because Beth works and the Chippenham nursery, she's been supporting
Speaker:Laura whilst there's been that transition of change, in
Speaker:deputies. So Beth was actually on site during inspection day as
Speaker:well. So Beth, can you talk us through the role that you played
Speaker:in really supporting those babies and, the kind of
Speaker:explorer team? Because I think one of the things that really came through
Speaker:with her, as it quite rightly should, was around
Speaker:routine and around rhythm. So right
Speaker:the way through from the nappy changing and how that happened to the
Speaker:bottle feeding to the baby cafes and
Speaker:again making sure she was really hot, wasn't she? Or making sure
Speaker:those babies, baby's news were being met. So how did you find that with the
Speaker:Explorers team?
Speaker:>> Beth: I think, yeah, we've been quite open and honest
Speaker:that she at, the start, didn't get what was
Speaker:happening for our baby. So I think really
Speaker:showing her that what they do all
Speaker:day, every day is really magical
Speaker:and the fact that we've got real trust in
Speaker:our educators and the people that work alongside our
Speaker:baby. So she got a bit caught up on. But how do you
Speaker:know that they've had cafe and so it's that talking it
Speaker:through and going. Because we know who's in our key
Speaker:families, we know our children, we know their allergies,
Speaker:we talk to those other practitioners or other educators,
Speaker:if somebody else has joined us for cafe, things like that, it's
Speaker:around communication, it's huge
Speaker:within the baby space and working with our youngest children,
Speaker:but really being able to show and demonstrate
Speaker:you've got this young kind of one year old that's working
Speaker:alongside their sibling who's three, nearly four. Going off to
Speaker:school, was a really lovely way to
Speaker:demonstrate just how magical it is
Speaker:and how it works at atelier and the benefits our
Speaker:babies get from being able to observe
Speaker:and to watch our older children, but also knowing that there is
Speaker:a space for them to come back to and be kind of
Speaker:nurtured and have that quiet time and have that space
Speaker:alongside their keeper person. and again it's that
Speaker:really showing off that elastic actually our
Speaker:babies push and want to get out onto the
Speaker:nursery, onto the main floor as soon as possible.
Speaker:but actually that doesn't happen successfully
Speaker:unless the work at the beginning is put into place. So
Speaker:actually those attachments are made. Those relationships
Speaker:with the parents. You have that time to do,
Speaker:having just that nurturing time to change a nappy and
Speaker:sing and chat and tickle their tummies. It's
Speaker:so important. But those are just the little parts
Speaker:of the days that people don't always see. so,
Speaker:yeah, I think it was really about talking and showing and
Speaker:demonstrating how much love our babies
Speaker:get.
Speaker:>> Clare: And they certainly do. I think the other part of
Speaker:the day that you led really beautifully, Beth, was that
Speaker:ability to almost
Speaker:be one step ahead in your thinking about what it was
Speaker:she'd be looking for or what it was she would be asking.
Speaker:And one of the things I was really proud for you on the day was that bit
Speaker:about, could you come and have a look at this? Oh, actually,
Speaker:Gemma's just going to go and put a baby up to bed. Would you like me to talk you
Speaker:through that process and that real show and talent.
Speaker:And she turned around really honestly, didn't she? She went, I've seen enough
Speaker:now, because I think the whole team were like, can
Speaker:I show you this? And can I show you that? And I think once
Speaker:we kind of, as a team, got wind about what
Speaker:her concern concerns were and preconceived
Speaker:concerns, being really honest, before she walked in the
Speaker:door, it was really important, I think, as a team, M, that
Speaker:we all united because there was such a passion
Speaker:about the rights of our children and that our
Speaker:pedagogy did work and we knew it worked and so we weren't going
Speaker:to have somebody else come in the door and. And tell us it
Speaker:wasn't working. and I think it was, you know, a real
Speaker:testament to the team that they stood their ground and they.
Speaker:They stood tall, actually. They stood really
Speaker:cool to be able to demonstrate everything that
Speaker:we do every single day for the last five and a half years.
Speaker:But actually, in those six hours.
Speaker:So your parents then, Laura, they were pretty
Speaker:amazing.
Speaker:>> Laura: They were lovely.
Speaker:>> Clare: M. So talk us through your parents and how they were
Speaker:engaged within the inspection process.
Speaker:>> Laura: So part of the inspection is that the inspector will want to talk
Speaker:to the children and staff, but really importantly, parents,
Speaker:they want to get parental feedback. They want to hear about the things
Speaker:that potentially they find a bit
Speaker:tricky or the things that they really enjoy about the nursery. And we
Speaker:had some absolutely beautiful parents who sang our
Speaker:praises and were really complimentary about,
Speaker:atelier and everything we do. They spoke about the
Speaker:festival, they spoke about how nurtured and loved they
Speaker:feel within the setting. They spoke about how their children are
Speaker:thriving. And the inspector Got to a point where
Speaker:she said, I've not really had this many parents talk to me before and actually,
Speaker:I need to now do the rest of the inspection because we just, just there was a
Speaker:queue of parents who really wanted to celebrate and share in,
Speaker:everything they loved about atelier. So that was gorgeous that we had so
Speaker:many parents who, off their own backs as well, wanted
Speaker:to share.
Speaker:>> Clare: So, all in all, then we had
Speaker:inspection process that included observation
Speaker:of all of the staff talking through with the staff. But
Speaker:we also, I think every thread of
Speaker:what's coming through is around the team
Speaker:and is around the preparation can't just
Speaker:take place in half a day, but it has to be embedded,
Speaker:it has to be evidenced day in, day out for the
Speaker:staff to feel confident in their practise, but
Speaker:for that practise to also be consistently applied.
Speaker:and I think that's coming across really clearly. So
Speaker:go on then, Laura, tell us a bit about the upstairs job,
Speaker:because that's the bit that I think most leaders and managers would feel
Speaker:a little bit more anxious about because it is the, it's, it's much
Speaker:more of the evidence finding.
Speaker:>> Laura: And I think that's the bit of the inspection that I was most worried about, because
Speaker:actually, the learning walk, we do it every day,
Speaker:we walk around the nursery, we can dialogue it with our eyes
Speaker:closed, we can, we can share the stories of our children. But actually, this
Speaker:is where I like to have the folders and I know where everything is because it is that
Speaker:evidence base of. Can you show us, you know, the supervisions that you're
Speaker:carrying out with your staff? Have you got a policy regarding this? Have you got a policy
Speaker:regarding that? We spoke through our,
Speaker:improvement plan. So we face head on the challenge of our staff
Speaker:turnover in terms of our deputies. And we said, this is what we're
Speaker:doing to ensure that consistency remains. This is how
Speaker:we're working with the staff team. And actually, just having that plan
Speaker:in place proved that we were able to continue
Speaker:to be an outstanding setting, even though we were facing
Speaker:challenges. We spoke about qualifications,
Speaker:she wanted to see first aid certificates, we spoke about
Speaker:safeguarding. So there were lots of, of questions, but actually,
Speaker:again, we had everything there, everything was ready in the
Speaker:folders. I knew where it was, you knew where it was. so actually it
Speaker:wasn't as daunting or as scary
Speaker:as I thought it was going to be. And again, it was just a really gentle
Speaker:conversation about what we do, why we do
Speaker:it and how we do it. And again, we live it, we breathe it every day. So
Speaker:it wasn't putting on a show, it wasn't trying to share
Speaker:things that weren't accurate. It was just about telling our
Speaker:story proudly and with evidence.
Speaker:>> Clare: and then the feedback came and the real,
Speaker:I guess the real emotion kind of
Speaker:came through. So you all rehearsed a run through. Lauren had
Speaker:a cry, Beth had a cry. And so when you went downstairs
Speaker:to be able to tell the whole staff team, you know, there
Speaker:was a, real high and a
Speaker:real sense of togetherness across
Speaker:beauty. So how have they been since?
Speaker:>> Laura: There's just still on cloud nine and I think it's just so beautiful
Speaker:because a lot of the team as well, we've been kind of waiting
Speaker:for months thinking it's going to happen, it has to happen before the six year
Speaker:mark. So it's going to be at some point this year. And I think they were
Speaker:sort of on the edge as well, waiting for that phone call to come. And
Speaker:I think the relief, the joy, but also just the the
Speaker:euphoria of doing it together. And every single person in
Speaker:that team felt like they played a part. It wasn't
Speaker:just on the leadership team, it wasn't just on Sara who did
Speaker:the observation. Every single member of that team was observed. They were
Speaker:seen in practise, they answered questions and so
Speaker:everybody felt empowered. They felt that
Speaker:sense of, like you say, togetherness, that they were involved
Speaker:in that process and managed to, to get us to that outstanding
Speaker:point. and yeah, they just, they still talk about it, they're still
Speaker:celebrating, they're still, you know, walking around going, we're
Speaker:outstanding. And you know, really proud of their achievements.
Speaker:And that's what I wanted for them. I wanted them to feel that it was
Speaker:their inspection and that they achieve that because they did. And
Speaker:without that team we wouldn't have got it. So I'm really proud of
Speaker:them.
Speaker:>> Clare: We're really proud of you for taking them with you.
Speaker:>> Clare: So well done.
Speaker:>> Clare: So Bass, for our listeners, what would be
Speaker:your top tip for anyone that might be facing an
Speaker:inspection that might be worrying about their inspection,
Speaker:or actually might have had an inspection that hasn't gone quite so
Speaker:smoothly that might be facing a re inspection, what would
Speaker:your recommendation be?
Speaker:>> Beth: I think build on your confidence. Like
Speaker:you cannot talk about it,
Speaker:explain it, really look in close detail
Speaker:enough. So I think be really confident in what
Speaker:you're doing, why you're doing it. If you have the answers as to
Speaker:why, then you already
Speaker:know where you're at and what you're doing and why you're doing it. So I think,
Speaker:yeah, loads of talking. Keep talking to your team. You're in it together.
Speaker:It's not just on one, one person. So talk to each
Speaker:other, reflect, review, chat about things,
Speaker:break things down together. and as long as you're all
Speaker:on the same page, then you're already
Speaker:halfway there.
Speaker:>> Lauren: And Lauren, the most important thing is to not
Speaker:forget the basics. Don't think about. And
Speaker:I even found myself questioning it, thinking, can I
Speaker:tweak that setup a little bit to make it a bit more sparkling? I
Speaker:thought, but, why, like, would the children benefit from
Speaker:that? Or shall I set it up in the way that I
Speaker:know works best? Don't forget the basics and
Speaker:do what you do every day.
Speaker:>> Clare: And I think I would echo that. Don't forget the
Speaker:basics. I think it's that bit about
Speaker:remembering. Hands are washed, noses are
Speaker:wiped, T shirts are clean, shoes are on. If
Speaker:you say you do it, do it. I think that'd be a really
Speaker:important one. And, thank you, Lauren and Laura.
Speaker:>> Laura: I'm, going to go with having those comfort blankets, doing everything you can
Speaker:to mitigate kind of any of the worries you have. So like I say,
Speaker:making sure you've got your first aid certificates out of folders, so actually when they ask to
Speaker:see them, you're not looking around all the folders trying to find them.
Speaker:like Lauren said, for the educators, having their comfort blankets on the
Speaker:walls, I don't think you can ever be over prepared. I think it's really important
Speaker:to have everything you need at your fingertips so you're not
Speaker:panicking in that moment, trying to find things. So that would be my top
Speaker:tip.
Speaker:>> Clare: And I always have to come in with a second one. But I think my top
Speaker:tip would be to be brave and to
Speaker:manifest that positivity across your team. You
Speaker:know your setting better than anybody. You know your
Speaker:children better than anybody. So be brave.
Speaker:If something hasn't quite gone to plan owner. if something
Speaker:isn't quite in place, share it. Be the
Speaker:leader that you are every single day. But be your
Speaker:best self. Manifest that positivity. Believe in
Speaker:yourself, believe in your team, and be brave. These
Speaker:inspections are our opportunity to show and tell, to
Speaker:celebrate what we're doing day in, day out.
Speaker:So from all of us at atelier, put your big girl
Speaker:pants on.
Speaker:>> Laura: Be brave.
Speaker:>> Clare: Face those inspections head on. And
Speaker:yeah, don't be scared to stand out from the crowd. Dare to be different.
Speaker:Hold on to your principles, be unwavering to your values.
Speaker:>> Clare: Thank you for joining us for Tilly Talks if you
Speaker:enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, share and
Speaker:leave us a review. It really helps us to reach more educators,
Speaker:parents and early years professionals just like you.
Speaker:For more insights into our unique research led approach
Speaker:or to find out more about our services at both the nursery or
Speaker:the consultancy and how we can help you in your early years
Speaker:practise, visit our website or follow us on social media.
Speaker:All the details you need to find us are in the Shed
Speaker:Notes. In the meantime,
Speaker:it's goodbye from us. Thank you for joining us. We look
Speaker:forward to seeing you next time for another episode of Atelier
Speaker:Talks.
Speaker:>> Clare: Thanks for listening.
