They are the children who stand by the messy tray and watch or the children who sit under a blanket when everyone else is running around or engaged in an activity in the garden; they are the children who don’t sing or chat to themselves while they are playing and don’t have appear to have anything much to say for themselves ... they are the children who can often get ‘lost’ during a busy session.
Quite often, because you or staff are rushing around planning activities, sorting routines and being busy, these lost children are not being interacted with – nobody is talking to them beyond giving a few instructions, so they are not hearing a rich and varied vocabulary; they are not learning about sharing and taking turns because they are not playing as part of a group; they are not moving very much or practicing their fine motor skills ... because they are simply pottering around on the periphery, possibly waiting to go home.
Do you recognise a child or a few children like this in your early years setting? When your inspector arrives to do your inspection, they will be looking out for 'lost' children in the setting / rooms and will focus on them, asking you about their progress from starting points and watching how you and your staff interact with them.
Ofsted’s focus areas, along with progress from starting points, are communication and language – how well every child is motivated and engaged – what children are learning and whether they are remembering new things. Your inspector will use the indicators in the Ofsted early years inspection handbook as a starting point to grade your setting and ways of working.
If, after observation, you find that you have one or more 'lost' children in your setting, some reflection points include:
**Is each child greeted by a staff member, using their name, every session?
**How did you / your staff engage every child in conversation today?
**What / how much do children understand, using in English or their home language (if relevant)?
**How can you ensure every child is engaged in the story you are reading and listening during reading time?
**What happens / what do you or staff do if a child refuses to sit and join in at music and movement time?
**Do you / all staff know every child’s current home and family interests?
**Are you / staff giving every child time to respond or doing things / making decisions for them?
**What can you / staff change so every child is hearing quality words throughout the session?
**What can you / your staff do to help children who are maybe feeling shy or less confident to build friendships with other children?
**Has recent training covered curriculum planning, communication and language, supporting children with English as an additional or second language, engaging quiet children etc?
Ofsted will spot ‘lost’ children during inspection and will ask probing questions to assess how well you engage them. According to an Ofsted inspector, in a recent nursery inspection, a staff member said to the inspector, ‘He doesn’t understand us, so we leave him to play’. You need to make sure this does not happen in your setting - because if you get it right for every child, every day then it will not be an issue during your inspection.
Chat soon, Sarah.