The EYFS for childminders 2024 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-inspection-handbook-eif
During the initial phone call to settings, inspectors are advised to inform providers that, ‘They will usually be required to take part in joint observations’ and inspectors are advised that they, ‘must offer the provider or their representative the opportunity to take part in joint observations and their response must be recorded.’
The Ofsted early years inspection handbook -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-inspection-handbook-eif
What is the purpose of the joint observation?
Ofsted state in the handbook that, ‘Joint observations should enable the inspector to:
· Gain an insight into the effectiveness of the provision’s professional development programme for practitioners.
· Learn about the provider’s view of staff’s interactions with children.
· See the quality of the implementation of the curriculum/educational programmes.
· Consider how effectively the manager supports staff to promote the learning and development of all children.’
Ofsted also state that, ‘Following a joint observation, the inspector should discuss and note any similarities or differences between the provider’s evaluation and their own.’
A joint observation usually follows the learning walk - I will blog about this another time. It is an opportunity for childminders and staff in group settings to showcase their practice. Good practice starts with the child – their starting points and their individual (next steps) or group curriculum. To define the curriculum, Ofsted say that it is everything you want children to learn during their time with you.
During the joint observation, you and the inspector will watch a group of children playing. It will usually be carried out during a planned activity - so you need something they enjoy doing up your sleeve ready to pull out during the inspection. You will then discuss, after the observation, what you both saw and, using the Early Years Outcomes, you will see if you agree about the areas of learning you have observed and the children’s levels of learning and development.
Preparing for your joint observation
During the time between inspections - and certainly before your inspector comes into the setting, you need to –
**Get to know child development really well, focusing on the ages and stages of children in your early years setting at the time of your inspection.
You will find some support for learning more about child development in the ‘observation checkpoints’ in the DfE’s non-statutory Development Matters 2021 guidance –
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/development-matters--2
There is further support in the Birth to 5 Matters non-statutory guidance from the Early Years Coalition –
https://birthto5matters.org.uk/
**Get to know each child’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses really well so you can discuss them confidently with the inspector. You do this by talking to parents and finding out their child’s starting points and ongoing home learning, as well as watching and listening during play.
Note that there is no longer a requirement or expectation to track children’s progress – and inspectors will not ask to see graphs, highlighted lists, tick charts etc. Instead, you need to watch and listen and use your professional judgement to recognise what each child needs to be doing and learning next. Sometimes, it’s about repeating what they already know to help them remember and build on new skills and knowledge and other times you might want to introduce something new.
**Know your ‘why?’ Before you set out any activity for the children, think about ‘why?’ – what do you want them to learn? What are the learning intentions linked to the activity? Why is the paint and sand play out today – what do you want the children in the setting to get out of the activities? You will be expected to be able to explain your ‘why?’ to your inspector.
**Know your ‘how’. While you are planning your activities, think about how you will teach them – how you will deliver your ‘why?’ Some settings use a specific approach to teaching while others blend, adapting their teaching to children’s needs at the time. Be ready to talk to the inspector about your teaching approach.
**Understand how to observe and then use the learning characteristics in your planning so you can talk about how you tailor children’s activities to how they learn. When children are motivated by what they are doing, they are more likely to be engaged in the activities – when they are motivated and engaged they will be using their developing critical thinking skills.
**At the end of the joint observation, be ready to talk about your assessment – what the children have learned and can now do, as a result of the activity you planned for them. Be honest about your assessment – if the activity didn’t go well, think about how you will improve it later; if you missed an opportunity to introduce something or extend learning, talk about what you will do next time.
You might want to practice your joint observation – for example, you could ask a childminder colleague to visit and carry out some joint inspections together so you have practiced what might happen during your inspection. In a group setting, the manager or room leader can observe staff and use their observations as part of supervision feedback.
Joint observations provide you with an excellent opportunity to show that you are amazing at your job! You should be able to speak confidently about each child and explain to the inspector how you are supporting their learning through the activities you plan for them, based on their ‘next steps’ and things you want them to learn and be able to do.
During the conversation with your inspector, you will have the opportunity to talk about how you work with parents, support children’s learning at home, develop children’s interests, use the children’s learning characteristics and any observed schemas in your planning – and much more!
If you have staff
If you work with assistants or a co-childminder, the inspector is likely to ask you to do a joint observation watching your colleague working with the children. You should be doing this sort of observation as routine, so you will already have practiced observing and feeding back comments in a useful, non-judgemental way.
If you do not currently carry out observations of your staff, then you need to consider how you will incorporate them into your daily / weekly routines. Nursery managers set aside regular observation times to carry out staff observations and hold feedback sessions to support staff development – as a manager of a childminding provision you should be doing the same. Ask your staff members to observe you as well – this will help everyone to think carefully about what language they use during feedback and how they can phrase their comments positively to support progression.
You might find it helpful to observe specific areas of provision – for example, tell your assistant that today you will be observing care routines… or inform your co-childminder that over the coming week you both need to choose a time to observe each other during a planned activity.
The inspector might ask you to feed back to your staff member during the inspection – this will give you an opportunity to show off your management skills as you inspire your staff member to improve their practice. However, if your staff are not used to you doing this, they might be offended or feel criticised – regular observations will help overcome this concern. During feedback, focus on strengths – what went well – and then on things to work on in the future. Ask your staff member ‘what do you think went well?’ – you might find that many younger staff struggle with this as most college learning seems to focus on what they can improve!
The joint observation involving the inspector will be a further opportunity to show that you are brilliant at your job! During feedback, you will be able to discuss how your regular observations of your colleague(s) have led to raised outcomes for all the children and promoted better working practices in your provision. You will also be able to demonstrate that your leadership and management skills are constantly evolving as you show the inspector previous observations you have carried out and s/he sees a progression of your skills.
Note: this is an update for a blog I first wrote in January 2014.
If there are any other areas of provision you would like me to research for you, please let me know.
Chat soon, Sarah