Setting

Dear Sir/Madam Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Ofsted survey: good practice in capturing the user voice

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation during my visit on Thursday 19 February to look at work on capturing the user voice.

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Ofsted survey: good practice in capturing the user voice

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions, but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text without their consent.

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Ofsted survey: good practice in capturing the user voice

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included observations of activities, discussions with children, yourself and scrutiny of records and documentation.

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Features of good practice observed

• The childminder is skilful in using children’s non verbal communication to help her respond to children when they are tired or show an interest in a particular activity. The environment contributes towards children becoming confident communicators. Their independence and decision making skills are effectively promoted as they self-select from the good range of toys and resources.

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Features of good practice observed

• The childminder informally observes children’s interactions and responds well to their interests so that they are participating in shaping the provision. For example, they are directly involved in the planning of activities during the school holidays and in what sort of pancake fillings they will use for the celebration of Shrove Tuesday.

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Features of good practice observed

• Effective systems are in place to observe how children operate in the setting. The childminder then uses these observations to involve children in the planning and organisation of resources. For example, she identified that children were not able to freely access all of the resources. A new storage unit was purchased and children played an active part in deciding where particular toys would be stored. • Good strategies are in place to observe the non-verbal communication of vulnerable and hard to reach children in order to capture and act upon their views. For example, the childminder has introduced ‘social stories’ which aid children who find it difficult to communicate. This process encourages them to develop a range of communication strategies in order to make their views heard.

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Features of good practice observed

• The childminder uses good consultative strategies to encourage children to contribute towards the resolution of conflicts. She seeks their views of appropriate ways to ensure they share with one another and take turns fairly.

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Areas for development

• Develop the system of evaluating the impact of the user voice through seeking feedback from children regarding the success of activities including the use of ICT.

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Areas for development

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop the user voice in your setting.

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Areas for development

As I explained previously, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the inspector for your next inspection.

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