These visits will normally be planned (providers will usually get a phone call first) – they are NOT inspections – providers will NOT get an inspection report.
However, what inadequate and requires improvement providers will get is a letter on the Ofsted website, which will tell the Local Authority and parents that improvements have been made or what the provider needs to do next to improve.
During the monitoring visit, inspectors will do anything they can to help providers feel safe including, for example –
- Working in a garden
- Observing social distancing
- Wearing a mask if requested.
Ofsted will publish more operational guidance about these monitoring visits in August.
Comment: I think providers who are currently sitting on an inadequate or requires improvement (with safeguarding and welfare actions) grade should see the visits as a positive move because they will be able to show parents and the Local Authority that they have improved... or they will know what more needs to be done to get to 'good' during their next scheduled inspection.
Webinar: responding to requests from colleagues, I have planned a 'Getting to Good' webinar for Tuesday 4th August @ 7.30pm.
You can watch the webinar free, live and interactive here - www.childcare.co.uk/webinars
Or you can watch a recorded version here - www.childcare.co.uk/webinarplayer.
**The webinar will be useful for all providers - to get up to speed - as well as providers who currently have an inadequate or requires improvement grade.
Routine inspections: Ofsted have said that routine inspections will re-start in January.
Disapplications to the EYFS: It is expected that the disapplications will end as planned on 25th September. This means that the learning and development requirements will resume and, if you have any 2-3 year olds in your setting, you will need to do a 2 year progress check for them.
More information: you will find more information about the Ofsted announcement here - https://leyf.org.uk/zooming-to-a-national-obc-conversation/.