buying a nursery: ofsted

They will be able to oversee each aspect of the sale and give professional advice. My main mistakes were: Thinking the best of people. It will also have a link to an overview page where you can check the progress of all these connected applications. (You can unsubscribe at any time.). 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.. Plus you are able to generate formative reports (such as termly/half-termly reports) to make Ofsted inspections less stressful. Buying a Nursery Franchise. A typical price with freehold is more likely to be in the hundreds of thousands range though. Weve never done this before, Ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of the Early Years inspection handbook, Audit your setting against the grade descriptors in the Early Years, Ready all documents and tidy anything necessary during the 24 hours notice period, Notify parents immediately and encourage them to be a part of the inspection process, Establish an open and honest dialogue with the inspector from the outset, Be able to provide evidence of the high quality care being provided at your setting, Be ready to demonstrate that all children's needs have been assessed in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, Be prepared to discuss policies and procedures at your setting - and how they place paramount importance on children's well being, Ensure that your learning walk is well-prepared and highlights the positives at your nursery, Also provide evidence of reflective practice - with relevant examples, Encourage staff to focus on their valuable contributions and achievements during the inspection, Help prepare staff by familiarising them with expected questions and encouraging calmness with open discussions on previous inspection experiences, Try not to panic and remember not to attempt anything new or untested on the day. MA Education is part of the Mark Allen Group. Buying a Nursery Or Pre-School? Avoid Costly Mistakes - True Legal However, ensure that they are well prepared with specific points to highlight. Where a day nursery changes hands, or a new business is set up, the new owner must go through the registration process. They will conduct sufficient research on you and your setting. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. (unless concerns are raised). Ensure that your nursery is bright, smart and welcoming and that staff are friendly and children engaged. Thankfully, there is a better way to make sure that business continuity is not lost. Telling my staff when the sale was confirmed was hard, but they understood that it was time for me to move on. Although inspectors will not provide a separate grade for this crucial aspect of a providers work, they will always make a written judgement in the report about whether the arrangements for safeguarding children are effective. The inspector will make sure to chat to parents and gather evidence on their opinions of your setting. 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. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Nursery rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted inspectors | Shropshire Star It acts carefully and confidentially, gets to know its sellers and buyers well and ensures that the best prices are paid while minimising the amount of disruption caused. I can also see commuter areas being far more in demand, but central London may become quieter. Why the property market remains resilient in the current climate, Case study: How it was worth the wait for the right buyer to come along, Case study: What made a growing group snap up a nursery in Oldham, Steps to buying and selling a ten-point guide to help buyers and sellers ensure their transaction goes smoothly. 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. If you are interested in understanding the Areas of Inspection in detail, then please feel free to . And thats not surprising. 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. In that case, this will trigger a surprise inspection. To achieve an Outstanding, The Early Years Inspection Handbook needs to be studied and its principles put into practice at your setting. Childminders and childcare providers: register with Ofsted Selling my nursery was the most difficult decision Ive made. Applicants for registration must be aged 18 or over and have the right to work in the United Kingdom. The lowest rating Ofsted hand out is Inadequate. This states that the setting does not provide proper or an acceptable quality of education and care for children. Nursery and Garden Centers For Sale - BizBuySell How to avoid 2 common problems when buying a children's nursery If youre thinking about buying a childrens day nursery, or have already found the business of your dreams, chances are your head is swimming with numbers. How involved are the parents at the setting? 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. Step 3. Buying a business: Nurseries | Startups.co.uk I was surprised to be told how unique my nursery was. Behaviours and Attitudes. Often when nurseries are expanding, under advice from financial advisors, they will change their company structure. If you then do hit problems as we did, at least youll have been prepared for it. You may find once you start running the business that youre not completely happy with all the staff and that some of them will be less than entirely happy with you. We designed our own logo and adopted the strapline Intelligent Daycare, based on the way our focus was on the child, not merely the convenience of the staff. Combine All property for $1,200,000 and I'll throw in the trucks and bobcats. Who would you approach or contact if you had any safeguarding concerns regarding a child or adult? This may be for no other reason than the fact that youre simply not the old owner and have no relationship with them! Despite the many government grants currently available to those engaged in providing early years education, looking after children is a costly business. Therefore, its important for you and our staff to have a good read of this handbook. Having the Right Finance is Key when looking to buy a Nursery for sale. And most important of all, you will have money coming in from the very day you become the owner. 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. When business owners looking to sell their business need practical legal advice, delivered by sector experts, they turn to Truelegal. These should prioritise childrens safety and wellbeing. I thought the sale would be a slow process because of Brexit, but all the interest took me by surprise and made it feel very real. 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. OFSTED's report history is another important consideration. Before you begin the registration process, you need to complete two preliminary stages - a DBS check and a health declaration booklet. This guidance is for those who are registered, or want to register, with Ofsted. The necessary planning permission will have been secured. If you are looking after children in your own home with fewer than 3 other childminders or assistants, you only need to register as a childminder. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. 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. I can see that Im leaving the nursery in good hands., Smart Start Private Day Nursery in Oldham, Greater Manchester. 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. If you know what the inspector is looking for, you can ensure that your setting meets those requirements. 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 found Redwoods very reassuring and helpful because of all their experience in the sector. One of the co-founders of The School Transfer Company recalls his experience of setting up a new nursery from scratch, and offers some advice for those looking to do the same. This excited and relaxed energy carried into the inspection the next day which the inspector immediately picked up on. The right buyer came along in December. You may also find that you dont like the way the nursery is run, that its inefficient in terms of its budgeting or cash flow, and perhaps wasteful when it comes to resources. In practice (assuming you are taking your responsibilities seriously), it is highly unlikely that the indemnity provision will ever be invoked; but it gives your seller some comfort. You can change your cookie settings at any time. You need to be confident that the numbers stack up. Early years settings should be safe environments where children can learn and develop without the threat of abuse or harm. How To Buy A Nursery - Teachwire By then we were committed, having already spent a lot of money on converting the building to nursery use and hiring a full staff ready to take in small children all without being allowed to open and actually get any fees in. Thinking the Ofsted registration process would be straightforward because I am already an early years Talk about their likes and dislikes (as well as any milestones hit since joining your nursery). The companys founders, Peers and Susan Carter, ran their own school and day nursery in Kent for many years. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We incorporate the 3 is into everything we do from planning to behaviour management to any change we wish to implement. If your nursery follows a specific pedagogy (e.g. As an applicant for the Early Years Register youll have to jump through a number of potentially time-consuming hoops. You can create your own image and ethos for the business, and market it in the way you wish. Mystery as Nottinghamshire nursery announces temporary closure Apply to register your nursery or other daycare organisation (EYO You need to ensure that you monitor and improve your recruitment processes. Get what you need to become a better teacher with unlimited access to exclusive free classroom resources and expert CPD downloads. Summary of how to go from Good to Outstanding. If, during the course of these checks, Ofsted has concerns about your suitability, registration will be refused unless those concerns can be resolved to Ofsteds satisfaction. Remember, these are people who have been Ofsted Outstanding nursery teachers and leaders themselves. Most childcare providers looking after children under the age of 8 must register with Ofsted (or a childminder agency). The 3 Is: (Intent, Implementation, Impact), 15. So send out a notification email or text so that theyre not caught off guard. Operating a nursery can be very satisfying and rewarding, but it takes a lot of hard work. With advice valuable for staff, children and parents. By doing this, you prevent employing someone who has been barred from working with children. If the childcare takes place in someones home, you must tell Ofsted about any changes to who is living or working there. All Rights Reserved, Guide toSelling and buying a nursery business. Here are the documents that need to be readied according to page 9 of The Early Years Inspection Handbook: Blossom customers are able to find nursery, staff, and child files instantly. Not registered with Teachwire? Remember, Ofsted nursery ratings are important to your parents as well. Not only is it illegal, but you want to create a recruitment process that focuses on respect, equality, inclusivity, and diversity. You can create your own image and ethos for the business, and market it in the way you wish. If you have certain activities planned, again inform your inspector so that they can make time to observe this. We have reported massive rises in buyer enquiries. It is an offence to provide childcare without being registered, or on premises that have not been approved. 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. Ogley Hay Nursery School retains Ofsted outstanding rating for third 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.. It was 15 wonderful years, but my daughters are now grown up, and I turn 50 next year so it felt the right time, says Bambi Nicolas, whose nursery sale went through in July. 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 sensible to think about your eventual exit before you enter into a purchase. Advice about buying a preschool please? | Mumsnet To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. What are the different Ofsted nursery ratings, 2. Unfortunately the actual sale was not easy and it was not completed until December. Manage your staffing requirements from a centralized system. You will need to maintain your Ofsted registration with an annual fee. Check out these examples of inspection questions: The inspector will most likely ask several staff members about one of their key children and their development questions such as: Your inspector only sees a snapshot of your setting on inspection day. But there are a few disadvantages too. However, they most likely will consider your settings: When it comes to Ofsted nursery ratings, consider the 3 Is. Covid-19 has left the economy reeling and hit the already under-funded early years sector with many nurseries left struggling to fill places but, perhaps surprisingly, it has not dented confidence among potential investors in the market.