NOTE: This resource allows for a flexible / simplified approach to self-evaluation. Refer to our EYFS Service Evaluation resource for more ideas and thorough analasis of the Early years inspection handbook grade descriptors.

‘How are we doing?’, ‘How do we know?’ and ‘What are we going to do now?’

All childcare providers are required to self-evaluate in order to reflect on the quality of service provided and highlight where improvements can be made.

Ofsted’s Early years inspection handbook sets out what inspectors expect to see in high-quality care and learning and the evaluation schedule used in order to make final grade judgements.

The templates in this pack can be used to assist you in evaluating your service in relation to the inspection handbook’s Key Judgement grade descriptors.

Check Core Assurances, Brainstorm Ideas and Mind Map your way around key judgement areas and grade descriptors before putting together Improvement Plans for your service.

Make use of all template styles OR select the ones best suited to your style of working and the time you have available. 

Download, print and complete by hand OR use your device to enter information before printing, saving or sharing digitally

A perfect support tool for self-evaluation and preparing for inspection!

Includes ALL of the following:

✅Core Assurances Checklist

Work through the checklist of Core Assurances to ensure you have all the essentials covered. These are minimum assurances that need to be in place to ensure safety and wellbeing and will be looked at on inspection.

🗺️Evaluation Mind Maps

Refer to the Evaluation Mind Maps to gather your thoughts for each key judgement and aspect of your service. Think about the ideas provided or add your own.

🧠Key Judgement Brainstorms

Use the Key Judgement Brainstorm sheets to evaluate grade descriptors for each key judgement area and note down ideas using the popular self-evaluation format of ‘How are we doing?’, ‘How do we know?’ and ‘What are we going to do now?’ Choose to select, think about and evaluate one statement (grade descriptor) at a time or review them all together on one worksheet.

🌟Improvement Plans

Put together Improvement Plans for core assurances and for each of the key judgement areas. Include the outcome of your evaluations, the actions you are going to take and the timeframe for which you aim to complete them.

🎬Action Summary

Summarise everything you plan to achieve in an Action Summary. Display in your setting or share with your service users, keeping everyone informed and including them with your plans for improvement.

Also Included:

✔️(General) Self-Evaluation Assessment and Improvement Plan Review Sheets

Should you prefer a more generalised format which does not focus specifically on the Quality Framework Key Questions and Indicators, you may wish to use these general evaluation and improvement plan sheets.

✔️Self-Evaluation and Improvement Cover

A cover sheet is also supplied should you wish to keep an organised folder of your self-evaluation and improvement plan work.

✔️Completed Examples

Please Note: The examples included are EXAMPLES and should be used only as guidance to help you with ideas on how you can use this pack. You will need to conduct your own evaluation which is unique to your setting and circumstances.

Whilst this resource has been written from a childminders perspective it may be easily adapted for use in larger childcare settings.

IMPORTANT: You do not need to use every template included in this resource pack. The options you choose may depend on your preferred format and the time you have available to dedicate to your evaluation process. For example, you may wish to use only the Mind Maps first to gather ideas and discuss with your staff / service users before completing the Improvement Plans, OR you may prefer to work through the Brainstorm sheets to assess in further detail ‘How are we doing?’, ‘How do we know?’ and ‘What are we going to do now?’ Complete with sentences or use simple phrases to quickly record important information and plan what you would like to achieve.

Please see the Further Details tab above for file format and supply information.

👀Find more Self-Evaluation and CPD Support Resources HERE!

or…become a MindingKids member for UNLIMITED ACCESS to ALL our OUTSTANDING Resources!