Ofsted reports. Are they accurate? And forest schools? Are they just a fad?ols? Are they just

[Jannt86]

So I explained in an earlier post that I've been tasked with the job of finding my 22MO adopted daughter a nursery at super short notice before I start back at work after initial childcare plans fell through. Basically I've found 2. One is a forest school. The outdoors bit was amazing. The other njrsery was a bit more generic but also had wonderful facilities (lots of different areas for different activities, lots of wooden and natural toys etc) and a decent enough outdoors bit with climbing frame and gardening patch etc and even a pet (not going to say what in case it's too identifying). I LOVE the idea of forest school. However tbh I got a better vibe from the other nursery and the other nursery is rated outstanding by ofsted and tbh reading between the lines on the inspection reports is a higher standard ITO the actual education provision. Both I thought were very warm and welcoming and I'm equally reassured that they'd help my LO settle in (particularly important as she's had a really hard time at her previous CM sessions) The outstanding nursery also seemed to know a little about attachment theory and LAC too whereas the forest school just kindof looked at me a bit blank when I asked about that tbh. My gut is telling me to go with the outstanding nursery but I guess my questions are can I trust the ofsted report? Is there really anything in it? And does anyone actually have any experiences with forest schools and are there any massive benefits? Thanks xx

@Jannt86 Ofsted reports unfortunately offer no indication that staff are aware of trauma/attachment/ needs of adopted child. I would urge you to go with your gut instinct. The forest school do not sound up to speed at all. If you get a better feeling about the other option then trust your instincts! ☺

Ofsted offer you an insight into what was going on when they visited and whether paperwork was up to date. All schools are dependent on the quality of their staff - so when staff leave a school can change very quickly. Personally I like forest schools and the ethos behind it. Go with where you think your child will be happiest and learn through play.

I am so pleased you've found some other options.

If you've managed to find a nursery with some knowledge of attachment and lac that does sound like a bonus as that's by no means a given in an early years setting.

Yes Ofsted reports do come down to what was observed on the day and paperwork and policies being in order. Any school or nursery will attempt to showcase the best they can offer so it's not necessarily representative of a typical day. But there is no way that a rubbish setting could fudge their way through to an outstanding rating and then go back to being rubbish. At the very least they've got the knowledge and skills somewhere in the setting to tick enough of Ofsted's boxes for it to be deemed outstanding, which is by no means easy.

I think from what you've said, it all points in favour of the outstanding nursery, especially since that's what your gut seems to be telling you.

Did you take your daughter with you? If not you could ask to go back for a visit with her and see how they are with her and whether she likes the look of it.

To be honest I’d go with your gut, inspection reports are just an indication and tbh I’d not necessarily want an nursery/school graded outstanding because I don’t think that’s any reflection on the important stuff tbh because they represent achievement against tick box measures which don’t necessarily reflect the way in which they meet the child’s needs.

I’d be looking at how nurturing they are, how they understand behaviour and distress, I’d want my child to be able to go at their own pace and for any preschool learning to be unstructured and wholly play based. I’d want staff who were warm, adaptable and caring of my child.

I’d worry less about theoretical knowledge and more about value base and school ethos, the former can be taught, the latter can’t be.

I agree you can't go on ofsted reports or the facilities or the bumph unfortunately. Have a few looks and watch how staff interact with the children and just be eagle eyed. One year we went through both a forest school nursery and another outstanding one before finding the right setting which had neither the amazing facilities nor the report but was just completely amazing in every other way due to the dedication and personal qualities of the person in charge.

The forest school one didn't remember a single thing I said about health, and lost my dc's inhaler several times and once gave me someone else's. Lots of bank staff. And more. The other, I walked in once to find a staff member bawling out a poor 3 year old. And more. Some parents singing their praises so that was confusing too.

It is jungle out there!

Not to say one of the ones you have found won't be perfect. Agree with others, trust your gut and your judgement.

Another thing is that rather than talk in general about trauma and attachment, be specific about how it affects your dc, and specific strategies that work well for your dc.

We see from here that there are many different interpretations of them both amongst people who have had a little training.

My 3yr old birth son goes to forest nursery and I love it! He has the best time, I love picking him up at the end of the day, smelling like the fresh air and rosy cheeked and grubby! It reminds me of when I was a kid, proper old fashioned playing out. I think a lit of kids miss out on that these days. I literally couldn't sing their praises more! His imagination and physical skills have come on leaps and bounds since he started there.

I would avoid the forest school because it tends to be centred on unstructured imaginative free play - and that can be something our children find really difficult, and need much more time to learn how to do. Structure can help them feel safer. Outdoor play is fab, but if there's any chance being out all day triggers sensory fears (such as being cold/wet triggering fear of not being cared for) it's going to be scary for the child. The other nursery sounds a better bet, and let's face it, it's much easier to give lots of extra cuddles to a child who needs them, when there's somewhere soft and calm to sit down

I am going with the other nursery. The forest school were lovely and I had no doubt that they would give lots of cuddles and reassurance etc but I just felt that the other were more on the ball and more likely to individualise both her care and education effectively. She may need cuddles etc but she's also a smart little cookie and full of herself and she needs somewhere that'll nurture that too. She will have no trouble with imaginitive play either way I don't think. She is amazing with her dolls and teaset etc and this morning she played 'round and round the garden' with her doll We're registering her tomorrow and I just hope she settles in eventually and that I made the right choice.... eek! Our little beauties especially have it stacked against them so it's such pressure making the right choices x

You have to go with your gut, and be prepared to change plans if it’s not working out, it’s all any of us can do. Good luck with it!

@Jannt86 Absolute best of luck. Let us know how you get on! 😉

I think you've made the right choice. I work in early years classes and we have children coming up from forest schools and from traditional pre schools. I love forest schools but a good pre school is also fantastic and can offer a mixture of imaginative free play which is well known for developing learning and an introduction in to the structure that children get in more traditional settings. We've had a few children go to a traditional pre school but then their parents have held them back a year before starting school and they've had an extra year at the forest school. They get the best of both worlds but they do then struggle to adapt to school life when the time comes.

Thanks all. It was really down to which school I thought would perform best and I just thought the more traditional school was that bit more on the ball and clearly ofsted did too. I love forest schools but at the end of the day they are more of a 'trend' than a necessity and I am still going to be with her 4 days a week so we will fill it with lots of outdoors time and forest school of our own xx