Lets break it down. If, for instance, a child was full of beans at doze time, he or she could go and play in the garden under supervision, rather than be made to lie down. Overall, make it a celebration of your nurserys achievements and what impact it has made. Lenders generally do not want to finance nurseries which are deemed "Inadequate" or "Require Improvement". Evaluate the practitioners knowledge of the EYFS curriculum. If you are interested in understanding the Areas of Inspection in detail, then please feel free to . Fixed pricing and personal hand-holding from transaction start to finish, and beyond, are what set Truelegal apart from the rest.. Buying an out-of-school club is a similar process to buying a nursery - and believe me, I made mistakes. If you then do hit problems as we did, at least youll have been prepared for it. It is an offence to provide childcare without being registered, or on premises that have not been approved. After you hang up, try to resist the urge to frantically make a to-do list. 142 Posts. Ofsted lost our registration forms no fewer than three times. Ofsted looks at four 'Areas of Inspection', which are as follows: Quality of Education. Its worth thinking about whether you will be able to pass on your business before you start. People have seen how resilient the sector is and lending has remained in place so while the banks, and well-funded, cash-rich investors are supportive of the sector, people will continue to invest. As you probably know, childrens day nurseries are nationally regulated by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), which inspects all childcare provision. Not paying for enough legal advice - thinking I could do it all myself. This is what the final I refers to. But, of course, this is far from an ideal start for any new nursery business. Mainly, the aims you have to help your children develop and learn. This is what your inspector will be looking for. Staff and parents were very shocked when they heard I was moving on, but Ive not stepped away just yet. This is not a change in law or practice. Separately they are: intent, implementation, and impact. The nursery confirmed its temporary closure to Nottinghamshire Live but refused to comment further. The anticipated phone call finally comes. Any concerns they may have/ areas for improvement, Receive diary updates, highlighting special moments, Be involved in their childs learning and development with Learning Journeys, Continue their childs education at home with Home Observations, Enjoy paperless billing (with automatic reminders), Communicate with the nursery instantly with 2 - way messaging (in beta testing), Vulnerable children, including those with SEND, are encouraged to attend the provision, Your procedures remain effective for supporting those at home and those attending your setting, Parents and carers are informed of any developments/ changes. Do you like hard work? OFSTED Requirements All nurseries must be registered with the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (OFSTED). The nursery was very much my baby and, rather than rush a sale, I wanted to be selective so that it went to the right person, not just for the right price. Having them in your hands allows you to examine the original documents for authenticity and make copies for your records. If you have a smaller nursery, such as a 24-place setting in a church hall, the only potential buyers will likely be from the local area, which presents risks of fishing, information leaks, problems with funding and uncertain deadlines. This adds an extra layer of protection to your nursery. Inspectors discovered some children became bored and sometimes there was a . What impact have I made as an individual to this setting and its children? Selling my nursery was the most difficult decision Ive made. Heres our one: Doing all this makes the inspection less daunting for your staff (and you). And thats not surprising. From practitioners to administrators to children. The lowest rating Ofsted hand out is Inadequate. This states that the setting does not provide proper or an acceptable quality of education and care for children. It was good that I had an honest and open relationship with the buyer and that I had a network of other owners in the sector who I could turn to along with my advisor at Redwoods. Firstly, you will need to check the terms of the lease to see whether an assignment is allowed. You have accepted additional cookies. If your nursery follows a specific pedagogy (e.g. You can expect to receive a telephone call at around midday on a working day before the start of the inspection. This guidance is for those who are registered, or want to register, with Ofsted. The Covid-19 pandemic has a very real and serious impact on children and their development. Get your parents involved in the inspection, 12. After paying for staff, rent, and resources such as toys, equipment and food, margins can be slim for all but the most successful childrens nurseries. The Charity Commission has launched a compliance case into the Abu Bakr Trust, which runs three schools and a nursery in Walsall, in the West Midlands, after staff used social media channels to . It was bought by a growing group which wanted to expand in the area and has a model of buying four nurseries in a ten-mile radius overseen by an area manager. Boosting your rating from an Ofsted Good nursery, to an Ofsted Outstanding nursery will not happen overnight but its clear that its not impossible either. They are national organisations and will typically look at any large nursery in an urban area, but a note of caution they can be very tough to deal with, so youll likely need good advice and help (which STC is happy to provide). Areas needing improvement will be identified by your inspector. Failure to comply with this may not only result in heavy legal penalties for you, but makes children vulnerable to potential risk. Things the inspector is looking to find out are: Weve made this easier for Blossom customers with our easy-to-use and modern Parent App. Of course, if you have limited budget, you may not have that luxury and have to just hope for the best. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. So, if youre interested in buying a childrens nursery, as well as giving your attention to the financials, the best thing you can do to try and avoid problems both with Ofsted and the landlord of the premises is to give them your focus early on in the transaction process. As a nursery or other daycare, you must report to Ofsted any significant events affecting your childcare within 14 days. Staff training for safeguarding practice and procedures, Make staff feel confident and calm (see what we did below! Pay your childcare or social care invoice 27 May 2020 Guidance Pay your Ofsted annual registration fee by direct debit 13. Im now working alongside the new owner for a handover period, which is giving us all time to gradually adjust. If you do not qualify to apply to register as a daycare, childminder or nanny you might be able to apply to join the Childcare Register. Think about the potential how could you improve, expand or transform the nursery youre looking to buy? Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, Parenting, childcare and children's services, Childminders and other adults working together, registered individuals as well as the registered person and the nominated individual, exemptions to the requirement to register, childminder agencies contact information and Ofsted reports, Childminders and childcare providers: register with Ofsted, Starting a nursery or other daycare and running the business, Daycare roles that must register with Ofsted, Report changes to registered people in your nursery or other daycare (EY3), someones home where 4 or more adults will be working with the children at the same time, the individual owner of a daycare organisation, one of the registered individuals of a daycare organisation owned by a company or group. Apart from the fact that the building was beautiful, what else led me to embark on this venture? If the childcare takes place in someones home, you must tell Ofsted about any changes to who is living or working there. The inspector will make sure to chat to parents and gather evidence on their opinions of your setting. They need to be continuously improving as childrens safety is of paramount importance. You may find once you start running the business that youre not completely happy with all the staff and that some of them will be less than entirely happy with you. How well you observe will relate to solutions you put forward to better the nursery and methods you put in place to continue operating at a high standard. Sign up for free, Password must contain at least 8 characters of which 1 uppercase, 1 number and 1 special character, It's been a chaotic year but Year 6 children still deserve the best ending to their primary journey, Lady Macbeth quotes Key lines for studying Shakespeares Macbeth in KS4 English, Sexual Health Week 2022 Great RSE education resources to use in school, Creative writing prompts Best activities and resources for KS1 and KS2 English, Drama games Help SEND pupils explore what makes them unique, Representation and leadership My first placement school was an eye-opener, Student inclusion How to craft PE lessons for everyone, Skills for life Preparing SEND pupils for the post-primary world, Neurodiversity in schools A letter to my ND colleagues. After the call, you will be surprised how quickly the word spreads of the anticipated inspection in your setting. Covid-19 has left the economy reeling and hit the already under-funded early years sector with many nurseries left struggling to fill places but, perhaps surprisingly, it has not dented confidence among potential investors in the market. If you are registered on the Childcare Register you must meet either or both of the voluntary or compulsory Childcare Register requirements, depending on your registration. Our Blossomers are able to link all observations to both EYFS and Montessori frameworks, as well as track observations and child development to show the inspector what the 3 Is mean at their setting. Whether you start from scratch or buy, what size of nursery should you take on? Lets talk about The Early Years Inspection Handbook, 6. When Ofsted using the word intent they are referring to your settings overall way of working. If you have a particular question relating to your sector, get in touch and well get Kate on the case. You have rejected additional cookies. Its imperative that you answer all questions with 100% honesty because sooner or later the inspector will find out. At its peak it had 140 places with a waiting list, says former owner Cheryl Connell. To avoid the possibility of your day nursery being unlicensed for any period youll need to be proactive with the seller early on in the transaction process. Make job offers conditional. Our reputation for identifying and prioritising the value-driving aspects of a business transaction and our get-it-done attitude have won us repeat clients and multiple referrals from business brokers and transfer agents. Ofsted will, in addition, carry out a check with the local authority childrens services department to see if you, or others connected with the registration, are known to them in connection with care orders or other information that might bring into doubt your suitability to work, or be in regular contact, with children. What Are The Average Solicitors Fees For Buying Or Selling A Business? This includes the evaluation schedule which specifically sets out clear criteria for each inspection judgement. For the unwary, this can have devastating consequences. For an Ofsted Requires Improvement nursery, you provide an acceptable quality of education and care for children, however, it still needs work. Nurseries have remained open during the tough times and continued to generate income obviously not as high as what it should have been but the sector has shown resilience.. So whatever particular educational approach you take (whether it be Montessori like ours or others), show how it centres around the childrens growth. Therefore, its important for you and our staff to have a good read of this handbook. Rent review frequency, repairing obligations and service charges are other key areas. Dont try to do anything on a tight budget, and dont rely on promises from Ofsted, builders, decorators or indeed anyone else, because at least one of them is bound to let you down, sadly! You need to ensure that you monitor and improve your recruitment processes. Lets get inside the mind of the inspector for a second. Cornwall, England, England. Thankfully, there is a better way to make sure that business continuity is not lost. If you are registered on both registers, you will need to meet each set of requirements. We decided, for example, that every room in the nursery setting should have one complete wall painted as a mural depicting a different scene. Registering as the wrong type of childcarer may delay when you can start work. Telling my staff when the sale was confirmed was hard, but they understood that it was time for me to move on. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Now that weve covered everything you should do on the day, what should you avoid? View Full Details. This self analysis is uncomfortable for many people until they realise the impact it has on developing and extending their knowledge and practice. (You can unsubscribe at any time.). You will need to register as a daycare organisation if you are running a childcare business where both of the following apply: This is known as providing childcare on domestic premises. Serious improvements will have to be made immediately (or at least in time for the next inspection in the following 3 years). Outstanding settings receive fewer inspections. It need not be a scary/stressful document. It need not be a scary/stressful document. We have helped many owners all over the . I therefore spent half the night before working out what I thought everyone else might bid and then bid 501 more.