home> Ofsted Guidance: How to Be Outstanding
under5s - Ofsted Guidance: How to be Outstanding
Ofsted has released a best practice resource Getting on Well to support early year and childcare providers in delivering first-rate services.
Getting on well is an online resource to help early years and childcare providers develop and improve their work in relation to two of the Every Child Matters outcomes: enjoying and achieving and making a positive contribution. 

A small number of printed copies are available for providers who do not have access to the Internet.

Getting on well provides evidence that childcare providers are maintaining high standards overall for children, but also shows how provision could be even better.

Getting on well includes:
 

  • examples of best practice from outstanding settings
  • recommendations and actions set by inspectors to help providers improve
  • questions for providers to use to examine their practice
  • resources to share with colleagues, staff and parents.


Enjoying and achieving
 

In outstanding settings, providers :
 

  • develop children’s confidence in play and learning
  • engage children enthusiastically in challenging activities that promote their development
  • understand how children learn.


 
Improvements in helping children enjoy and achieve include more opportunities to:
  • promote physical development through play
  • be creative and imaginative
  • explore mathematical language in everyday activities.
Making a positive contribution

In outstanding settings, children:
 

  • show respect for each other and behave very well
  • learn to appreciate similarities and differences in others 
  • develop a strong sense of belonging.


Improvements in helping children to make a positive contribution include:
 

  • working more closely with parents to meet children’s individual needs
  • managing behaviour better so children show respect for others
  • providing a wider range of activities that help children to understand more about the world.
You can use Getting on well to help you take stock of how well you are doing, see how your own practice compares, and consider how you might apply or adapt the examples of best practice in your own setting. You can use it to stimulate discussion on how to improve your practice, think up new ideas and activities, and set priorities for future development. Questions are included to stimulate discussion. There are some questions particularly designed for you to use with children. Getting on well will also help with your staff training and development activities, with new staff induction, or when starting up a new setting. 

You can order a copy by telephoning 07002 637 833 or emailing freepublications@ofsted.gov.uk.

Or visit the online micro-site at http://live.ofsted.gov.uk/gettingonwell/

 
under5s - Ofsted Guidance: How to be Outstanding
home> Ofsted Guidance: How to Be Outstanding