Registration and inspections used to be carried out by the local authority but in 2001 this was transferred to the Ofsted directorate. It is the job of Ofsted inspectors to look at, and monitor, the ways in which childcare providers demonstrate how they meet the English National Standards (these standards are covered in depth in Chapter 2).

Childminders practising in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will need to follow the guidelines for the standards in their own areas. (See useful contacts at the end of the book.) Ofsted has the power to investigate your setting as a childminder to ensure that you are meeting the standards and can request that changes are made if necessary. Ofsted also has the power to terminate your registration if your setting does not conform to the national standards.

The Grading System

In April 2005 Ofsted announced that they would change some of the ways in which they inspect childcare settings in England.

One of the areas of change is the grading system. In the past, childminders’ inspection reports have stated that the childcare service provided is either ‘good’, ‘satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’. The grading proved unpopular and confusing and has now been replaced with a new, four-tier scale of:

Grade 1 Outstanding: given to exceptional settings that have excellent outcomes for children.

Grade 2 Good: given to strong settings that are effective in promoting outcomes for children.

Grade 3 Satisfactory: given to settings that have acceptable outcomes for children but have scope for improvement.

Grade 4 Inadequate: given to weak settings that have unacceptable outcomes for children.

In addition to the changes in the grading scale, Ofsted now gives shorter notice periods prior to inspections and has introduced a simple self-assessment element to the inspection.

Inspection frameworks for childcare will be more in line with those of schools and colleges and reports will focus on what it is like to be a child in that particular day-care setting. In order for the inspector to judge the overall quality of the care you provide, Ofsted inspectors will base their judgement on how well you meet a series of outcomes for children which are set out in the green paper, ‘Every Child Matters’, and are now in the Children Act 2004.

The points considered will be how you:

Inspectors will also base their assessments on how well you organise your childcare to help promote children’s well-being and look at whether you meet the National Standards (see Chapter 2).

How To Meet The Standards Successfully

Few people, no matter how good the service they provide, or how many years they have been providing childcare, relish the idea of an inspection. The idea of having your work assessed, your moves monitored and your words scrutinised can fill even the most confident childminder with dread. However, inspections are a vital part of your work and it is essential that you plan properly for your Ofsted visit.

Your home and work will already be scrutinised on a daily basis, probably without you even realising it, when parents drop off and collect their children from you. No matter how tired and harassed the parent may be don’t be fooled into thinking they will not notice if you are short tempered or if your house is dirty or the children are unhappy. They will, and most importantly, they should! If your business lives up to the watchful eye of your parents then you should rest assured that Ofsted will have an equally high opinion of your provision.

However, it is vital that you are aware of the National Standards and how to implement them, not just during your inspection visit but throughout all your working hours. These standards are available from Ofsted and they give information about the standards themselves, points for consideration, what the inspector looks for during an inspection and the things they base their judgements on. (We looked at them in detail in Chapter 2.)

The Ofsted inspector will look at each of the National Standards and expect to see you meeting them successfully. Below are some of the things the inspector will be looking for during their visit.