Cheryl Hadland, the founder of Tops Day Nurseries and Chair of the OBC South West, invites you to the next South West OBC open regional event on Wednesday 21st June. If you have never attended an OBC before we encourage you to come, but let Cheryl give you some background on how it all began
In 2018, the Bournemouth Local Authority approached me because they had heard about the OBC in other areas and thought it would be beneficial for our area as well.
However, they needed a provider to set it up and run it, not the Local Authority. After doing some research, I found out that the OBC was started in London by June O’Sullivan at the London Early Years Forum. So, I agreed to set it up, and we ran our first year from a Local Authority premises in Bournemouth.
As time went on, it became apparent that OBC South West wasn’t holding any meetings. So, I decided to take the initiative and started running some meetings in Taunton and Plymouth where Tops have nurseries. It was challenging due to all the traveling involved, but we persevered, providers and Ofsted wanted to have the opportunity to communicate.
Then, COVID hit us, and we went online, and we haven’t looked back since. Now, the entire South West can join the same call, where we have a presentation from Ofsted first, followed by splitting into Local Authority-based groups (not all of them attend sadly, but not through lack of asking) to discuss training opportunities, have a general Q&A, and AOB.
However, recently we’ve encountered more challenges. Outstanding judgments are dropping, and more inadequate judgments are being issued due to pedantic reasons. Many inspectors are new and inexperienced, and some may not even have any experience with younger children. With Amanda Spielman retiring soon, we need to keep the pressure on for reform.
Human errors are part of life, but failing to have an effective, open, and transparent complaints process is a continued thorn on our sides. It has to be one of the reasons for the continued aggression and incompetence of some inspectors.
However, others are absolutely fine, and the experience can even be positive. I agree with June that the best meetings follow an appreciative inquiry approach. Learning together and hearing from the SW Ofsted team about what’s happening, debugging common misunderstandings, and having our questions answered honestly can only help everyone concerned.
So, I invite you to come and catch up, bring a colleague or two, and join our Zoom meetings, which are free of charge! If you’re interested,
Click HERE to register for your free place today!
Providing happy, nurturing childcare for the hours you need, across over 30 nursery settings in: Babbacombe, Plymouth, Bournemouth, Charminster, Copnor, Fawley, Gillingham, Corfe Mullen, Havant, Lakeside, Lymington, Taunton, Newport, Poole, Portsmouth, Salisbury,
Southsea, Wareham, Wimborne, Winchester, and Yeovil.
