It could mean the difference between making an offer or not, and save you time, money and sleepless nights. At the time, the experience was a complete nightmare. Lets get inside the mind of the inspector for a second. Critique your profit and loss account. Get the latest posts and industry insights straight to your inbox. What Are the Rules and Regulations for Setting Up A Nursery Operating a nursery can be very satisfying and rewarding, but it takes a lot of hard work. 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. 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. I get that if a child is tired then should be allowed to do so, but surely a parent has a right to request that their child is woken after a certain amount of time in . However, ensure that they are well prepared with specific points to highlight. Ogley Hay Nursery School retains Ofsted outstanding rating for third year in a row By Adam Smith Walsall Education Published: Just now Staff at Ogley Hay Nursery School, Brownhills, are. Make all events past and present shine, 17. In addition, the costs of the landlords solicitor (to be met by the seller or buyer by agreement) are often a surprise not budgeted for. Its a 40-place setting with more than eight acres of land where we run forest school sessions. And thats not surprising. However, it should be noted that your inspector will not judge them separately. Pay extra attention to part 2 of the handbook for your Ofsted nursery. Do not ignore this. This sets the tone for your setting overall. She reminds me of a younger version of myself a trained teacher, very caring and has ambitions for marketing the business. Redwoods recommended a solicitor, which made the sale smooth because they were used to working together - it was just slightly delayed because of lockdown. Nurseries have remained open during the tough times and continued to generate income obviously not as high as what it should have been but the sector has shown resilience.. The Hidden Costs Of Buying A Bed And Breakfast, Buying A Veterinary Practice? And because it had previously been a church, the building already had D1 User the essential Planning Designation anyone must have in order to run a nursery, a school or any other institutional enterprise. Yes you can gradually build up staff in a new nursery as long as you are always in line with Ofsted ratios. You have accepted additional cookies. Plus you are able to generate formative reports (such as termly/half-termly reports) to make Ofsted inspections less stressful. Our full contact details can be found on ourContact Uspage. Its good to focus on things you are doing well (rather than what needs some work). I can see that Im leaving the nursery in good hands., Smart Start Private Day Nursery in Oldham, Greater Manchester. We walk clients through how to prepare their business for sale and we can highlight their businesss unique selling points., Willowbrook Nursery in North Mymms, Hertfordshire. There was just something about the way the front door, set within a Gothic arch, welcomed you into a special, homely place. Your inspector will be looking how your intent helps children make progress across the seven areas of learning and is play-based. In these circumstances it is normal to agree and include the following provisions in the contract: a) that the seller continues to provide some form of consultancy to the new business (it may be as little as a couple of hours a week) and b) for you, the buyer, to provide an indemnity to the seller agreeing that should Ofsted make any kind of claim against the seller with regard to the Ofsted registration, you will reimburse the seller for the amount of the claim and any associated costs. Large nursery groups are currently tending to concentrate on existing operations rather than acquire new settings, which is enabling smaller and more regional nursery operators to snap up acquisitions. It helps us to think honestly and raises our self awareness. 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What do you do every day at your setting that ensures your children are making progress? At its peak it had 140 places with a waiting list, says former owner Cheryl Connell. Published by MA Education Limited, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB, a company registered in England and Wales no. Of course, if you have limited budget, you may not have that luxury and have to just hope for the best. The boss of Ark Montessori Nursery said she was "saddened" following the Ofsted rating and has vowed to improve things. If you had any safeguarding concerns about a child, what action would you take? Blossomers are able to upload and store The Early Years Inspection Handbook on the Blossom platform for continued, easy access. The inspector will make sure to chat to parents and gather evidence on their opinions of your setting. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Lets get down to the specifics. Overall effectiveness and sub-judgments of active EY registered providers. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. 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. Of course, setting up your own day nursery has a number of advantages. Kate Truman, Solicitor (Non-practising): Business Sector Research and Marketing at Truelegal Solicitors: Kate qualified as a solicitor over 25 years ago specialising in intellectual property and technology businesses. This is another matter that commonly causes problems for buyers of childrens day nurseries. As part of the negotiations, you should request a provision in the Sale and Purchase Agreement that the seller agrees to maintain their Ofsted registration after the completion date and until such time as your own registration has been confirmed. Who would you approach or contact if you had any safeguarding concerns regarding a child or adult? By doing this, you prevent employing someone who has been barred from working with children. So whatever particular educational approach you take (whether it be Montessori like ours or others), show how it centres around the childrens growth. The two most important things not to on the day are: The main rule is: Keep calm and stick to what you know and do well. The nature of these inspections covers such things as suitability of premises, staff, resources and activities, ratio of adults to children, and health and safety. To avoid the possibility of your day nursery being unlicensed for any period youll need to be proactive with the seller early on in the transaction process. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. Cover your policies and procedures in detail. SENDING your children to nursery can pull on the heart strings. You may be interested to know that the night before our own inspection, we threw a pizza party! Ofsted will grade each Area of Inspection, which will form the overall grading. I worked in a nursery & it convinced me I'd never put kids in one - I We have reported massive rises in buyer enquiries. Need help with a feature? Anyone using the service will now receive an email afterwards directing them to an overview of all the other applications connected to their organisation's, and the status of each. Apart from the fact that the building was beautiful, what else led me to embark on this venture? By signing up you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. I found Redwoods very reassuring and helpful because of all their experience in the sector. I did feel I was being deceitful when I told staff that the valuer was from an insurance company, but I did not want staff and parents to be unnecessarily worried. For some, maybe those who were on the edge of considering exit, the pandemic will be the last straw along with those at retirement age, although some will want to get back to pre-Covid levels before exiting.. Registration can be made by an individual or an organisation. Make The Early Years Inspection Handbook familiar and readily available. Fairly large registrations those with a capacity of over 60 are still predominantly of main interest to acquirers. Price: 450,000. Do you like children? 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. It was exhausting and made harder because I had to keep it secret from my staff so I did not jeopardise the sale. How well you observe will relate to solutions you put forward to better the nursery and methods you put in place to continue operating at a high standard. Make a free enquiry The sooner we become involved in the process of helping you to buy a nursery the more likely it is that your purchase will be successful, so please contact us today. Your inspector will be trained to use these grade descriptions when confirming grades. Mainly, the aims you have to help your children develop and learn. Nurseries which have strong local reputations are attractive to groups who want to grow. You will already have a full complement of staff. Make The Early Years Inspection Handbook familiar and readily available. Buying an out-of-school club is a similar process to buying a nursery - and believe me, I made mistakes. . So the first lessons here are: allow for everything to cost far more than you expect, and to take far more time than you could possibly imagine. All Rights Reserved, Guide toSelling and buying a nursery business. The more staff understand what constitutes an Ofsted Outstanding nursery, the more confident they will be on inspection day. 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. Whats more, until such time as the registration has taken effect, your new business will not be allowed to operate. Some suggestions to encourage reflective practice at your setting: At some point during your inspection, there will come a time for joint observations. 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. They will be able to oversee each aspect of the sale and give professional advice. We incorporate the 3 is into everything we do from planning to behaviour management to any change we wish to implement. Some owners are being cautious about putting their nursery on the market, but with buyers' enquiries going through the roof, now is a good time, advises Mr Yates. However, they most likely will consider your settings: When it comes to Ofsted nursery ratings, consider the 3 Is. Thinking the Ofsted registration process would be straightforward because I am already an early years The nursery went on the market in March 2019, which was exciting, and the brochure looked great. 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. 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. Even if now is not the right time, we can offer advice on what you can do to maximise your position. This, it turned out, was nothing to do with fillet steak in a plastic bag; rather, it meant you just had to make your best offer and hope for the best. 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. Ofsted Requirements: How to Take Your Nursery to Outstanding Guidance for preparing for your OFSTED visit | Stonebridge Associated Buyers are looking for deals and are prepared to work to tight timescales to secure the right opportunities.