Providing childcare services in England - GOV.UK In England, you can go a step further and check qualifications with the Department for Education on the website. This is not a change in law or practice. You have accepted additional cookies. 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. For further information about buying this book or joining the NDNA, visit the website. You will always get 24 hours notice unless Ofsted has received a concern about your nursery. Cover your policies and procedures in detail. This may be for no other reason than the fact that youre simply not the old owner and have no relationship with them! By 501. Fiddling around at the eleventh hour to find papers is the last thing you want on the day (and it is avoidable stress). I was surprised to be told how unique my nursery was. By doing this, you prevent employing someone who has been barred from working with children. You will need to maintain your Ofsted registration with an annual fee. Registration can be made by an individual or an organisation. If a teacher is reading a story very badly, what would you do? 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. Early years services must have clear and current policies which set out proper disclosure and barring checks for potential recruits. For more information, visit schooltransfer.co.uk, You'll also receive regular updates from Teachwire with free lesson plans, great new teaching ideas, offers and more. They need to be continuously improving as childrens safety is of paramount importance. Blossomers are able to upload and store The Early Years Inspection Handbook on the Blossom platform for continued, easy access. 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. This process, while sounding simple enough, can be tedious and costly if not done. Active Early Years registered providers at their most recent inspections, by year. 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. Pay extra attention to part 2 of the handbook for your Ofsted nursery. This makes sure that you carry out thorough and legal policies and procedures. You should read this guide if you will be looking after children aged between birth and the 31 August following their fifth birthday and you will be doing this in: If you want to look after children in this way, you will need to register your daycare. But if you are determined to run your own nursery and have a clear vision for how it will work, then good on you and the very best of good fortune! If EY providers make use of any modifications and disapplicatons, details on where to apply reasonable endeavours and best endeavours are included. As you probably know, childrens day nurseries are nationally regulated by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), which inspects all childcare provision. A dozen or so years ago, I saw a building in Gravesend that had once been an old farmhouse and thought it would make a perfect day nursery. 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. My nurserys reputation and close proximity to the other three settings influenced the sale, along with the potential for growth. If you are registered on both registers, you will need to meet each set of requirements. You will need to pay 2 fees and have separate inspections. MA Education is part of the Mark Allen Group. Failure to comply with this may not only result in heavy legal penalties for you, but makes children vulnerable to potential risk. Your inspection day is not the time to try anything new. All Rights Reserved, Guide toSelling and buying a nursery business. PDF Setting up a nursery - guidance 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. Jenna Caldwellfor buying advice on01772 775763/, 07525 592988 / jenna.caldwell@redwoodsdk.com, Robert Yatesfor sales advice on01772 775759/ 07812 366958/ robert.yates@redwoodsdk.com, MA Education 2023. 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. How buying a nursery with us works. When something catches your eye, call the consultant directly and ask lots of questions. Easily shared with your team. Remember, these are people who have been Ofsted Outstanding nursery teachers and leaders themselves. The nursery went on the market in March 2019, which was exciting, and the brochure looked great. We have helped many owners all over the . 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. Blossom will be updating its platform to include both the Birth to 5 Matters and Developments Matters documents to comply with the new EYFS framework starting in September this year. Section 4: The contribution of the Early Years provision to children's well-being. Mainly, the aims you have to help your children develop and learn. Inspection outcomes where there were no children on roll. Outstanding settings receive fewer inspections. 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. 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. buying a nursery: ofsted. Two approaches. Setting up a holding organisation above their existing structure and/or create new subsidiaries below; this, of course, makes perfect business sense. 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. There was just something about the way the front door, set within a Gothic arch, welcomed you into a special, homely place. Rest assured, whether you are buying your first nursery or a second or third setting our knowledge and expertise within this sector will ensure the process is smooth and stress free. Published by MA Education Limited, St Jude's Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB, a company registered in England and Wales no. Gain an insight into the effectiveness of the provisions professional development programme for practitioners, Learn about the providers view of staffs interactions with children, See the quality of the implementation of the curriculum/educational programmes. Check benefits and financial support you can get, Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, Parenting, childcare and children's services, Childminders and other adults working together, registered individuals as well as the registered person and the nominated individual, exemptions to the requirement to register, childminder agencies contact information and Ofsted reports, Childminders and childcare providers: register with Ofsted, Starting a nursery or other daycare and running the business, Daycare roles that must register with Ofsted, Report changes to registered people in your nursery or other daycare (EY3), someones home where 4 or more adults will be working with the children at the same time, the individual owner of a daycare organisation, one of the registered individuals of a daycare organisation owned by a company or group. And this is the time to let the nursery shine! Overall, make it a celebration of your nurserys achievements and what impact it has made. This self analysis is uncomfortable for many people until they realise the impact it has on developing and extending their knowledge and practice. The law states that under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, as amended by the 2016 Immigration Act, employers need to check this. One mai It is no secret that your Ofsted nursery inspector will need to review certain important documentation during their visit. Buying a Day Nursery: Ofsted registration As you probably know, children's day nurseries are nationally regulated by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), which inspects all childcare provision. 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. With advice valuable for staff, children and parents. Ofsted looks at four 'Areas of Inspection', which are as follows: Quality of Education. It is a continuous process that guides our decision making and drives our individual and collective practice forward. Ive always only run the nursery during term time from 8.30am to 3pm, so there is scope for extra hours and its in an affluent area. 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. 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. 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.. Here are some policies that you should implement: Write out the approach that you take to recruiting staff or volunteers to work with your children. To help us improve GOV.UK, wed like to know more about your visit today. When business owners looking to sell their business need practical legal advice, delivered by sector experts, they turn to Truelegal. 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. Summary of how to go from Good to Outstanding. Make all events past and present shine, 17. The Covid-19 pandemic has a very real and serious impact on children and their development. We have reported massive rises in buyer enquiries. In order to gain the best price, ensure you keep your standards high even when you have decided to sell the business. Whats The Difference Between An Asset Sale And A Share Sale? 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. 381 Childrens Day Nurseries for Sale from Daltons Business 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. Thinking the Ofsted registration process would be straightforward because I am already an early years The necessary planning permission will have been secured. The African veldt; The Lake District; the seaside at Broadstairs; the sky at night, complete with little green spacemen for the Baby Sleep room all charming scenes with lots of things for children to discover and help them exercise their imaginations. Buying an out-of-school club is a similar process to buying a nursery - and believe me, I made mistakes. For guidance on how to register with a childminder agency, or if you are already with an agency, contact the agency directly. Youll probably have to be prepared to make changes, some of which may be unpopular. Price: 450,000. 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. Section 6: The overall quality and standards of the Early Years provision. If you have a smaller nursery, such as a 24-place setting in a church hall, the only potential buyers will likely be from the local area, which presents risks of fishing, information leaks, problems with funding and uncertain deadlines. This excited and relaxed energy carried into the inspection the next day which the inspector immediately picked up on. (And rest assured that lying wont work in your favour to bump up your rating). This is what your inspector will be looking for. Any concerns they may have/ areas for improvement, Receive diary updates, highlighting special moments, Be involved in their childs learning and development with Learning Journeys, Continue their childs education at home with Home Observations, Enjoy paperless billing (with automatic reminders), Communicate with the nursery instantly with 2 - way messaging (in beta testing), Vulnerable children, including those with SEND, are encouraged to attend the provision, Your procedures remain effective for supporting those at home and those attending your setting, Parents and carers are informed of any developments/ changes. What impact have I made as an individual to this setting and its children? The backers wanted an additional report from a structural engineer and conducted an Ofsted-style inspection to check the standard of care and education. Beware The Elephant In The Room. However, some businesses forget to tell their insurance provider about the changes. This includes audited accounts for the past three years, projections for the current and following years, registration documents, Ofsted reports and property valuations. There are 4 ratings Ofsted assigns. Take note of your policies and procedures. One thing becoming more of a necessity for future acquisitions will be outdoor space, says Ms Caldwell. This may be obvious but be sure to contact previous employers directly to verify their credibility. An example of this happening is where a childminder expands their business to join with other childminders or assistants. Pay your childcare or social care invoice 27 May 2020 Guidance Pay your Ofsted annual registration fee by direct debit 13. Our Staff Rota lets employees know who will be present on the day of inspection, and our child attendance tracking features make it simple to see which children (and therefore parents) will be participating. Day Nurseries For Sale UK & Nursery Schools For Sale UK Evaluate the practitioners knowledge of the EYFS curriculum. Nursery regulations: what you need to know before starting In particular, s/he will be able to get a copy of the lease and help you understand the significance of its provisions. Certain. 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. It helps us to think honestly and raises our self awareness. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. I also knew that the building had a big back garden, which is unusual in a town. While demand for nurseries remains strong, Ms Caldwell has seen a slight shift in those wishing to purchase. However, ensure that they are well prepared with specific points to highlight. Tips to help staff prepare. Your inspector will be trained to use these grade descriptions when confirming grades. And, of course, do not add to the pressure theyre already aware of the importance. 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. Documents can be uploaded to the system for cloud-based storage and quick, stress-free access. The assignment will also require the consent of the landlord. However, it should be noted that your inspector will not judge them separately. And you need to be ready. Ofsted Sleep Rules | BabyCentre The value to be gained from using the services of a solicitor experienced in buying and selling businesses at this early stage is immeasurable. The more staff understand what constitutes an Ofsted Outstanding nursery, the more confident they will be on inspection day. You will need your schools unique reference number if you want to register a that will be in a school. Make The Early Years Inspection Handbook familiar and readily available. So send out a notification email or text so that theyre not caught off guard. 65% occupancy To avoid. Unfortunately the actual sale was not easy and it was not completed until December. Choose a broker on their experience, references and whether you feel you can have a good working relationship with them. 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. Section 5: The leadership and management of the Early Years provision. If you have certain activities planned, again inform your inspector so that they can make time to observe this. Well, a lot will obviously depend upon your budget and the amount of energy you have but with one eye on selling the nursery on at some point in the future, I would advise investing in the biggest nursery you can afford. Guide toSelling and buying a nursery business Not paying for enough legal advice - thinking I could do it all myself. You must tell Ofsted about changes to those responsible for your daycare organisation. If the childcare takes place in someones home, you must tell Ofsted about any changes to who is living or working there. Parents overall satisfaction with the service and care provided to their child (ren). Those nurseries that have plenty of outdoor space have found the bubbles and social distancing easier than those that dont. However, to ensure that you can do so, you will also need to make sure that you have the right to occupy the business premises and that, in most cases, will depend on an assignment of the sellers lease. You must register with Ofsted unless you plan to work with 3 or more people in someone's home. For the unwary, this can have devastating consequences. Please either call us now on 01392 879414 or complete our Free Online Enquiry and we will soon be in touch. Nurseries can be bought from anything from 20,000 for one that has been run in a rented hall, where you're buying the name and goodwill, and up to millions for a purpose-built freehold property with staff and a list of names waiting for places. Nursery and Garden Centers For Sale - BizBuySell Dont try to do anything on a tight budget, and dont rely on promises from Ofsted, builders, decorators or indeed anyone else, because at least one of them is bound to let you down, sadly! 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. Specialist Software Built for Preschool Businesses. 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. To achieve an Outstanding, The Early Years Inspection Handbook needs to be studied and its principles put into practice at your setting. How To Value A Care Home Or Nursing Home Business. After spending every moment with them since birth, having them go off for days at a time can be strange, and stressful. Operational reports to give you the data you need. This is where youre most likely sitting. Of course, setting up your own day nursery has a number of advantages. Especially if there is pressure to boost the rating. Not registered with Teachwire? If you decide to go forward with an interview, ask them to bring along their certificates and other evidence of qualifications. Telling my staff when the sale was confirmed was hard, but they understood that it was time for me to move on. Paul Edwards, managing director at . 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.. This is what the final I refers to. Make The Early Years Inspection Handbook familiar and readily available. The anticipated phone call finally comes. Manage your staffing requirements from a centralized system. OFSTED's report history is another important consideration. She reminds me of a younger version of myself a trained teacher, very caring and has ambitions for marketing the business. Anyone you have to tell us about must also apply to join your registration. You will already have a full complement of staff. 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 . Nursery groups are the quickest, best-resourced and easiest people to sell to, but will not normally look at anything with fewer than 50 places 70 or more is usually preferable. Leadership and Management. Buying a Nursery Franchise. Next, as part of your online application, you will be required to consent to Ofsted carrying out further checks on both you and any other connected individuals, including a health check and checks on premises and equipment. 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.. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. This one should be obvious, but you always need to check that any prospective early years employee is actually qualified to work with children. . But, of course, this is far from an ideal start for any new nursery business. With around 90% of day nurseries still small and held in private hands, all this represents something of a threat to the livelihoods of thousands of less-than-hard-nosed nursery practitioners. Look critically at your nursery through the eyes of a buyer to decide what needs improving before you put it on the market. Ofsted will, in addition, carry out a check with the local authority childrens services department to see if you, or others connected with the registration, are known to them in connection with care orders or other information that might bring into doubt your suitability to work, or be in regular contact, with children. If you then do hit problems as we did, at least youll have been prepared for it. 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. It may not be the case for them, but its worth being one step ahead than one step behind. Heres our one: Doing all this makes the inspection less daunting for your staff (and you). Nurseries are Booming - Daltons Business Early years settings should be safe environments where children can learn and develop without the threat of abuse or harm. Unsurprisingly, you can expect to be asked a variety of questions on inspection day. Therefore, its important for you and our staff to have a good read of this handbook.