Aug 17, 2026 · 11 min · 10 segments
What does "exceptional" really look like in an early years setting, and what are inspectors actually seeing when they use words like *remarkable, thriving, inspirational,* and *exceptional*? It's…
So this one, and so I've done some, a little bit of investigating, um, is what does exceptional really look like? So we're- what we're looking for is we're looking beyond outstanding practice to exceptional impact.
Now, one of the things I want to say to you is if you ever read, uh, an inspection report and thought, "How on earth did they get that written about them?" You, you, you know the type of a report.
You know, these are the ones where children are described as, um, remarkably curious or, um, maki- ma- making rapid and sustained progress, or thinking deeply or, um, a- another good one, showing exceptional resilience.
And if you're sitting there wondering, what are they actually doing that you're not? Well, actually, here's the truth.
And exceptional isn't something you do, it's something that children become because of what you do every single day.
So today, in this podcast, I want to unpick exactly what inspectors are seeing when they use the words like exceptional, because once you understand it, you realize it's completely achievable.
And one thing that jumps out from these reports is that inspectors hardly talk about activities.
Instead, they describe children listening to the language, children pro- proudly explain, children confidently solve problems, children persevere, children research.
So this one, and so I've done some, a little bit of investigating, um, is what does exceptional really look like? So we're- what we're looking for is we're looking beyond outstanding practice to exceptional impact.
Now, one of the things I want to say to you is if you ever read, uh, an inspection report and thought, "How on earth did they get that written about them?" You, you, you know the type of a report.
You know, these are the ones where children are described as, um, remarkably curious or, um, maki- ma- making rapid and sustained progress, or thinking deeply or, um, a- another good one, showing exceptional resilience.
And if you're sitting there wondering, what are they actually doing that you're not? Well, actually, here's the truth.
And exceptional isn't something you do, it's something that children become because of what you do every single day.
So today, in this podcast, I want to unpick exactly what inspectors are seeing when they use the words like exceptional, because once you understand it, you realize it's completely achievable.
And one thing that jumps out from these reports is that inspectors hardly talk about activities.
Instead, they describe children listening to the language, children pro- proudly explain, children confidently solve problems, children persevere, children research.
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