Ofsted inspection

^{Running a club > Daily management > Ofsted Inspection}

An Ofsted inspector can arrive unannounced at your premises at any time - so how do you prepare?

Ofsted are inspecting your provision to ensure it meets the National Standards for Out of School Care. While you may know that you meet these standards it is important to provide the inspector with evidence. Examples include:

• Ensuring copies of up to date policies are kept on the premises and that all staff are familiar with these.
• Keeping a record of what children have been eating - this may be as simple as filing your weekly menu when it is finished with rather than throwing it in the bin.
• Putting a system in place to formalise planning of play sessions. Again this does not need to be complicated - a simple form that is filed on the premises is enough and may even help staff to generate ideas.

Click here for a full list of the National Standards from Sure Start. Take each in turn and think about how you will evidence that your club meets that standard. Its worth noting that the Ofsted inspector does not have to ask for any evidence - it is up to you to demonstrate that your club meets the standards. It is essential that all staff are aware of where relevant documents and procedures are kept and you might want to consider organising a special briefing or informal training session for your staff. It can be a good idea to develop a checklist of evidence to show the inspector - you could even go through this with the inspector present. BUT above all don't forget that even during your inspection the children's needs come first. Don't be afraid to excuse yourself to see to a child's needs - maintaining a caring, quality environment is your absolute priority! For more help and guidance contact the Business Development Team at Sheffield Out of School Network on 0114 249 4941or e-mail info@osn.org.uk.

The maximum interval for childcare inspections is three years but Ofsted has developed a series of prompts for early inspection that may help you to anticipate that knock on the door. These include visiting all new provisions within 7 months of registration and revisiting a provision classified as "inadequate" on a previous visit within 3 to 6 months. A summary of the prompts used by Ofsted inspectors is available on their web site - click here to view the list. For more information on the three-year interval between inspections please contact Ofsted on 0845 6404040.

Read more about the Ofsted inspection guidelines on their web site >