Ofsted report in outstanding but what else do i need to consider?

[littlesez]

as title suggests really!

My daughter is only 18 months but me and hubby are trying to come to a big decision about moving house. We want to only move once or not at all before nursery or school so thats why i am looking into nursery and schools now.

We live in a bit of a rough area and were considering moving but then when i looked at our local school (and nursery) it has outstanding report with ofsted.

What else do i need to consider?

oops is not in!

I went round a few nurseries with DH and DD before making a decision. Although the OFSTED report is important, it isn't the only criteria for chosing a nursery. Only by visiting them do you get an idea of how they operate and whether you would feel comfortable sending your child there.

Actually, we went with a pre-school which was rated as outstanding to good, but had a quite a few less 1's than another couple we looked at. The staff and general atmosphere just felt warmer and I was happier to send our DD there.

I worked in a terrible nursery that got outstanding. You only have to do things right for a day. It is a good sign but it's not everything.

Are the staff perky and full of life? Do the staff put tidiness above the children? Is the equipment old and tired? Etc?

I don't really take too much notice of OFSTED reports. It is just a snapshot on one day.

The best thing to do is visit a nursery/school and get a feel for it yourself.

Agree with cece - Ofsted reports dont give you the full picture.

Visit a few, watch how the staff interract with the children, how the children react to the staff, and go with your 'gut feeling'. Ofsted inspectors are a law unto themselves, don't always know the rules themselves (I'm a childminder and my last inspector had to 'look up' something during my inspection ), and no 2 inspectors will give the same report on the setting!!!

HTH