Documentation that Ofsted will want to see

What documentation Ofsted will check during an inspection

It is the Ofsted inspector’s job to check certain documentation during an inspection; this is to check whether the setting is meeting the guidelines set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. As documentation is such a big part of an Ofsted inspection, it is imperative that this is kept up to date and those policies and procedures are in place to ensure the setting is meeting all statutory guidelines.

Prior to an inspection the Ofsted inspector will check

• The childcare providers registration details
• Information about individual associated with the registration
• Details of any concerns received
• Previous inspections reports – including any actions or recommendations mentioned in the previous inspection
• The settings self-evaluation form
• The settings website, if they have one
• If there are any safeguarding or other issues relating to the provider

Childcare providers are now given notice of an inspection; a telephone call is made around midday to the setting notifying them of an inspection the following working day. The purpose of this call is to;

• Give the setting notice of an inspection
• Confirm the providers registrations details
• To inform the setting that they must notify parents of the inspection
• Make arrangements for the inspector to conduct a joint observation with the manager
• Make arrangements to talk to key staff, such as the managers
• Make arrangements to meet with the nominated person
• To ask for relevant documentation to be available as soon as possible
• To arrange a time for the setting to ask questions regarding the inspection
• To find out the age range of children, the number of children on roll and the opening times of the setting
• To find out whether the childcare provider offers funded places and if they receive any pupil premium funding
• To find out about if there is any additional support for children with SEND
• To find out if the setting is providing support for other settings or receiving it.

On the day of the inspection, the inspector will request to see the following documentation;

• Current list of all employees and their qualifications, this must show employees that hold a current paediatric first aid certificate.
• A register/ list showing the date of births of all the children that are on roll. How in your setting do you evidence this?
• Documentation showing staff arrangements. Do you have a staff rota currently in place in your setting?
• List of the children that are present on the day of the inspection
• DBS Records, including the vetting and employment arrangements of all employees working on the premises. Many settings use a single central record that contains each employees DBS number and other relevant information. What system do you use in your setting to record employees DBS records?
• Staff training for safeguarding
• Logs containing accidents, exclusions, children removed from roll, incidents of poor behaviour
• Settings complaint log – the inspector will want to see evidence that the complaint was resolved.
• Logs of any incidents related to discrimination including racist incidents
• The settings safeguarding policies and procedures
• Any referrals made to the designated person for safeguarding; the inspector will want to see actions and resolutions for each referral.
• A list of children who are under social services/children’s services
• Risk assessments, fire safety documents and any other policies relating to health and safety
• Documentation relating to supervision of staff
• Training records/CPD of employees, sample of an employee’s induction
• The self-evaluation document if this hasn’t already be submitted on line
• Any further reports on the evaluation of the setting

As well as the above documentation the inspector will also want to look at children’s assessment records. This will include;

• Examples of children’s tracking record – these must show children’s starting points, as well as any concerns about the children’s development within the prime and specific areas
• Progress checks for any two-year-olds
• Evidence to show the Impact the pupil premium has had on children’s learning and development, How in your setting do you evidence this?
• Sample of planning to identify how children next steps are incorporated

It is important that everyone is made aware of what documentation Ofsted will request to see; this ensures that all documentation is being implemented and is up to date.