What makes a nursery ‘Outstanding’? A study of inspection reports of Early Years settings and children’s reported outcomes in England

The evaluation of schools and educational settings has been the focus of scholarly debate for decades, with systems around the world varying to a certain extent on the continuum between high stakes (with schools being heavily accountable for outcomes) and low stakes approaches. In England, an independent high-stakes system is in place, with the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) as the responsible body for conducting evaluations of all educational settings. However, considerable controversy has surrounded the efficacy of Ofsted’s inspections, with lack of transparency regarding individual judgements by inspectors often being highlighted. Given the widely recognised importance of high-quality early education for the future of children and economies, evaluation of early years settings is key. This study examines and identifies patterns in Ofsted inspection reports for early years settings in England, helping to distinguish between Outstanding-rated settings and others, from a potentially unconscious perspective, through in-depth document analysis of Ofsted reports. Children’s progress reports were also analysed against Ofsted ratings, the specific content of the Ofsted reports and deprivation levels of the postcode. Results show a very limited link between children’s scores in progress checks and official Ofsted ratings of the settings, and that it is possible to identify a group of variables that most clearly distinguish Outstanding-rated nurseries from others. Implications for future practice and research are discussed considering potential challenges and opportunities of the current inspection system versus a more self-evaluative system mirroring that of other nations.