Ofsted has called. Here is what happens next.

The notification call

Record the date, practical arrangements, contact details and the inspector's name exactly as given. Make sure whoever normally answers the setting phone knows where to record that information.

The planning conversation

The planning discussion covers the setting's context, practical arrangements, perceived strengths and areas for development, using the inspection toolkit as a focal point. Ofsted does not require a particular self-evaluation form. Be ready to speak honestly about what is going well, what needs work and what you are doing next.

1. Tell the team calmly. Staff may speak with the inspector, so everyone should know the visit is happening and that normal, thoughtful practice is the expectation.
2. Confirm the practical basics. Check staffing and ratios, who will greet the inspector, whether you will use a nominee, and where required existing records can be accessed.
3. Check the named inspector's published-report coverage. Searching is free, and the evidence count and years covered are shown before purchase.

Every inspector works within the same framework. Published reports attributed to the named inspector can still contain recurring topics. Reviewing those report-based patterns can help a setting decide which ordinary examples and existing evidence are worth revisiting before the visit.

That is guidance, not a prediction. It does not tell you what the inspector will ask, describe them as a person or imply an inspection outcome. Every briefing point should be traceable to wording in a published Ofsted report.

• Reflect before you decorate. Revisit your real strengths, current development priorities and the action already under way.
• Make required records accessible. Confirm that safeguarding, attendance, suitability and first-aid records you already hold are current and can be found. Do not create extra packs simply to stage the visit.
• Brief themes, not scripts. Help practitioners think of their own examples. Rehearsed lines are less useful than a genuine explanation of normal practice.
• Protect the morning. Confirm opening, staffing and greeting arrangements, then stop. A rested leader who knows the setting is more useful than another late-night folder.

A full-day inspection of a group provision normally lasts about six hours and should not normally begin before 8am. The inspector observes ordinary practice, speaks with leaders and practitioners, considers the experience of children and discusses evidence relevant to the evaluation areas.

Keep the setting running. Answer directly, say when you need to locate a record, and correct factual misunderstandings promptly. The visit is a professional evidence conversation, not a memory test.

• The Ofsted framework for early years, explained
• How to find and read an Ofsted report
• Latest early years report publication activity
• Ofsted inspection records checklist