buying a nursery: ofsted buying a nursery: ofsted

Applicants for registration must be aged 18 or over and have the right to work in the United Kingdom. Heres what you can expect from this guide: 1. Running a nursery takes lots of energy and enthusiasm and I felt that I had reached my peak, so it was time to sell the business. Well, we already owned a small independent school just up the road, and both it and soon-to-be nursery were situated quite near to the town centre and railway station ideal for working mums and dads dropping off their children for the day. Show your inspector the impact your setting has on your observations and assessments for each child. Redwoods recommended a solicitor, which made the sale smooth because they were used to working together - it was just slightly delayed because of lockdown. Your inspector will be looking how your intent helps children make progress across the seven areas of learning and is play-based. When business owners need practical legal advice, delivered by sector experts, they turn to Truelegal. You may find that actually coming to market now will put you in a better position because there may be a flurry of nurseries coming to market next year., For anyone considering putting their nursery on the market, Redwoods offers free consultations with no obligation to sell. This 'Guide to' has been produced by Nursery World in partnershipwith Redwoods Dowling Kerr. This is what the final I refers to. ), Encourage staff to share previous inspection experiences, List of current staff and their qualifications, including in paediatric first aid, Register/list showing the date of birth of all children on roll and routine staffing arrangements, List of children present at the setting during the inspection (if not shown on the register), Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) records and any other documents summarising the checks on, and the vetting and employment arrangements of, all staff working at the setting, All logs that record accidents, exclusions, children taken off roll, and incidents of poor behaviour, All logs of incidents of discrimination, including racist incidents, Complaints log and/or evidence of any complaints and their resolutions, Safeguarding and child protection policies, Fire-safety arrangements and other statutory policies relating to health and safety, List of any referrals made to the local authority designated person for safeguarding, with brief details of the resolutions. Two approaches. A Thornton Heath nursery was rated 'inadequate' after inspectors found children became bored and disruptive after being made to sit for long periods. Failure to comply with this may not only result in heavy legal penalties for you, but makes children vulnerable to potential risk. Audit your setting against these criteria. If you are interested in understanding the Areas of Inspection in detail, then please feel free to . The necessary planning permission will have been secured. If you are registered on the Early Years register, you must meet the early years foundation stage framework standards. Maximise efficiency in your childcare business. Who would you approach or contact if you had any safeguarding concerns regarding a child or adult? Our Blossomers are able to link all observations to both EYFS and Montessori frameworks, as well as track observations and child development to show the inspector what the 3 Is mean at their setting. The government is planning to increase this from 15 hours per week to 30 for all nurseries as of September 2017, but many providers feel that the money the government intends to pay settings to finance these hours barely meet their costs, let alone generate any profit. You get to select all your own staff. How do you get your point across? I think they are currently trying to sort out the operations of their business the staff who have been furloughed and the logistics of children returning and social distancing, she says. We heard of one quick-thinking individual in this unfortunate situation who was able to mitigate some of the damage by persuading a number of neighbouring nurseries to take the children until his registration came through. Selling my nursery was the most difficult decision Ive made. And thats not surprising. Fixed pricing and personal hand-holding from transaction start to finish, and beyond, are what set Truelegal apart from the rest.. So, if youre not on the ball, you could find yourself in a position where the seller terminates their Ofsted registration to coincide with the sale before your new nursery business is registered, leaving you in the desperate situation of having children on your books with you unable to provide them with day care. The alternative buying a business that someone else has already established and run for a number of years also has a number of advantages. And it can get those nerves down and your confidence up. I found Redwoods very reassuring and helpful because of all their experience in the sector. It helps us to think honestly and raises our self awareness. They will be able to oversee each aspect of the sale and give professional advice. Plus you are able to generate formative reports (such as termly/half-termly reports) to make Ofsted inspections less stressful. If, for instance, a child was full of beans at doze time, he or she could go and play in the garden under supervision, rather than be made to lie down. I decided to put the nursery on the market with RDK in November 2019 and was reassured that they would keep it confidential, which they did. London (Day Nursery / Nursery School For Sale) Established in 1995 by the current owner Fees income for year-end 2021 of 169,381 with an EBITDA of 51,107 Rated 'Good' by Ofsted on its last inspection Brand new 5-year lease Places for 32 children. Step 1. After paying for staff, rent, and resources such as toys, equipment and food, margins can be slim for all but the most successful childrens nurseries. Inspectors must spend as much time as possible gathering evidence about the quality of care, teaching, and learning. This is not a change in law or practice. This makes sure that you carry out thorough and legal policies and procedures. The value to be gained from using the services of a solicitor experienced in buying and selling businesses at this early stage is immeasurable. You can create your own image and ethos for the business, and market it in the way you wish. Cornwall, England, England. Gather all the essential paperwork that buyers will want to see. Its imperative that you answer all questions with 100% honesty because sooner or later the inspector will find out. Another thing to consider before embarking upon any new nursery project is the amount of free time the government claims it will give to parents. When setting up a nursery the size of the group of children within your setting will also be investigated to ensure you are following the staff-per-child and space-per child ratios. By 501. They will pick up information from a variety of sources such as word of mouth, and of course your website. It was good that I had an honest and open relationship with the buyer and that I had a network of other owners in the sector who I could turn to along with my advisor at Redwoods. As you might imagine, all of this checking takes time. Staff can ask themselves: Understandably, some of your staff may experience anxiety around the inspection. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. If you then do hit problems as we did, at least youll have been prepared for it. For an Ofsted Requires Improvement nursery, you provide an acceptable quality of education and care for children, however, it still needs work. The NDNA can also help individuals looking to buy or set up a nursery, and has a resource pack called Developing a Day Nursery priced at 25 plus postage and packing. How do practitioners interact with children, What opportunities for progress and growth you provide. It is an offence to provide childcare without being registered, or on premises that have not been approved. A person might purchase a nursery franchise for a variety of reasons. If youre sitting with an Ofsted Good nursery, conducting a mock learning walk is excellent preparation to hit your learning walk out of the park. No longer practising as a solicitor, she now applies her legal research and writing skills to keep Truelegals team and clients updated with the latest know-how across our specialist business sectors. And you need to be ready. Registration can be made by an individual or an organisation. Evaluate the practitioners knowledge of the EYFS curriculum. They dont know you had a potato planting session a couple months ago, or about that parent picnicTherefore you need to show them. It may be your pride and joy, but listen to the brokers advice on a realistic selling price or be prepared for a slow sale. Look critically at your nursery through the eyes of a buyer to decide what needs improving before you put it on the market. In particular, you need to carefully check the remaining term of the lease; it may be there is only a few months tenure remaining, which is clearly unsatisfactory for the future stability and saleability of your business. The sooner we become involved in the process of helping you to buy your childrens nursery the more likely it is that your purchase will be successful, so please contact us today. These should prioritise childrens safety and wellbeing. Especially if there is pressure to boost the rating. The impact of this self reflective practice takes us [children, staff and parents] from strength to strength.. it is currently very much a landlords market; there is little incentive for the landlord to agree a speedy assignment if s/he is perfectly happy with the existing tenant and there is no rent payment default; negotiations relating to the assignment of the lease are usually conducted through the landlords solicitor, not just the sellers solicitor this can significantly lengthen the process if not managed proactively by your adviser. However, in these exciting early days its also crucial that you dont overlook two other matters which commonly cause problems and costly delay for first-time buyers of childrens nurseries: namely, registration with Ofsted and the legal transfer of premises. Remind them that its alright to acknowledge mistakes, and emphasis that the inspection is a celebration of accomplishments that your staff should be proud of. Most childcare providers looking after children under the age of 8 must register with Ofsted (or a childminder agency). As a nursery or other daycare, you must report to Ofsted any significant events affecting your childcare within 14 days. But there are a few disadvantages too. Therefore we are hoping you wouldbe able to offer us some advise on general start up costs for any business. Think about the potential how could you improve, expand or transform the nursery youre looking to buy? Staff training for safeguarding practice and procedures, Make staff feel confident and calm (see what we did below! SENDING your children to nursery can pull on the heart strings. To standardise this process, all children's nurseries must be registered on Ofsted' Early Years Register. It is important to consider the positives as well as considering things that dont always go well. If you have certain activities planned, again inform your inspector so that they can make time to observe this. If you are only looking after someone elses children in their home, you must read the guidance on becoming a nanny instead, as you may not need to register with Ofsted. New entrants and people who have registered with us say that this was always going to be their year to enter the sector, and Covid hasnt changed that, says director of childcare and education, Jenna Caldwell. Not only is it illegal, but you want to create a recruitment process that focuses on respect, equality, inclusivity, and diversity. I think there was additional interest because there is lots of business potential. Well established family owned children's day nursery registered for 52 childrenFee Income 371,408 per annum (y/e 31.08.21) with an EBITDA of 107kLocated in the highly desirable town of Wadebridge in a convenient and accessible setting. Price: 450,000. The building belonged to the Mormon Church, and they wanted to sell it in order to expand. Our reputation for identifying and prioritising the value-driving aspects of a business transaction and our get-it-done attitude have won us repeat clients and multiple referrals from business brokers and transfer agents. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. This chapter explains when you cannot register, and when you do not have. They are national organisations and will typically look at any large nursery in an urban area, but a note of caution they can be very tough to deal with, so youll likely need good advice and help (which STC is happy to provide). I therefore spent half the night before working out what I thought everyone else might bid and then bid 501 more. Section 3: How well the Early Years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend. It is a continuous process that guides our decision making and drives our individual and collective practice forward. Operational reports to give you the data you need. Starting from scratch Of course, setting up your own day nursery has a number of advantages. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. And, of course, do not add to the pressure theyre already aware of the importance. With advice valuable for staff, children and parents. Starting from scratch If youre purchasing an existing nursery, why is the setting doing badly or well? There are several ways to grow your business by adding staff members, expanding services, or opening more locations. Do you like children? Currently there is not a rise in people wanting to exit the sector, but Ms Caldwell predicts it will happen. Need help with Blossom? There are 4 ratings Ofsted assigns. This includes the evaluation schedule which specifically sets out clear criteria for each inspection judgement. Save Time & Money with Blossoms Nursery Management Software. The assignment will also require the consent of the landlord. Weve tackled the Ofsted inspection ourselves with our very own Blossom Tree setting and came out the other side with an Outstanding! Section 4: The contribution of the Early Years provision to children's well-being. Although the lease will usually state that such consent is not to be unreasonably withheld, in practice, it is rarely a speedy process for the following reasons: Its important to make sure that you are aware of the terms of the lease to be assigned. What buyers are looking for in a nursery is very personal. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. And finally, Outstanding. To receive this rating, your nursery needs to be exceeding expectations on every level and stand out from the average. A solicitor or business transfer agent with experience of managing acquisitions of nurseries or other educational businesses can help you scrutinise childcare nurseries for sale, obtain and scrutinise relevant paperwork, and conduct productive negotiations and detailed due diligence. Working on the assumption that your application is successful, you will need to be one of the following: You can find out more information on registered individuals as well as the registered person and the nominated individual of a daycare. What are the different Ofsted nursery ratings, 2. People have seen how resilient the sector is and lending has remained in place so while the banks, and well-funded, cash-rich investors are supportive of the sector, people will continue to invest. Serious improvements will have to be made immediately (or at least in time for the next inspection in the following 3 years). Other than that, people want much the same as before. Nurseries across the UK use Blossom to increase efficiency across their finance, learning journeys, operations & occupancy. So, for the sake of committing to a consultancy fee for your sellers continued involvement in your business for a limited period, these extra provisions in your sale agreement make sound commercial sense and will ensure that your business remains licensed to operate from day one. Blossoms diary feature sends parents daily updates of their childs activities (photos and videos), as well as highlights golden moments, making it much faster and easier to show off. We get an equal split of enquiries for leasehold as we do for freehold as long as the leasehold has a secure lease in place.. The legal forms you need to complete before registering to open a nursery. The Charity Commission has launched a compliance case into the Abu Bakr Trust, which runs three schools and a nursery in Walsall, in the West Midlands, after staff used social media channels to . From practitioners to administrators to children. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Beware The Elephant In The Room. Cover your policies and procedures in detail. While some want a profitable and cash generative business, Robert Yates, head of sales at Redwoods, says others are looking to turn around closed or underperformingsettings to gain healthy adjusted profit levels. Make The Early Years Inspection Handbook familiar and readily available. Your application to register as a nursery or other daycare will not be reviewed by Ofsted until these 2 steps are also completed. One mai While demand for nurseries remains strong, Ms Caldwell has seen a slight shift in those wishing to purchase. Registering as the wrong type of childcarer may delay when you can start work. If you decide to go forward with an interview, ask them to bring along their certificates and other evidence of qualifications. And this is the time to let the nursery shine! Specifically, your inspector will examine: How do you know that what youre doing at your setting is making a difference?