How Giiguy Gamambi Preschool turned a 5-day A&R notice into a lesson in everyday quality

Giiguy Gamambi Preschool, located on Gumbaynggirr Country, has shared its first experience of undergoing assessment and rating (A&R) under New South Wales' five-business-day notice period, offering practical insights for services preparing for their own assessment visits.

Despite the shorter notification timeframe, the preschool achieved an Exceeding National Quality Standard (NQS)rating, demonstrating that embedded quality practice, ongoing critical reflection and a well-maintained Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) can be far more valuable than last-minute preparation.

Director Beck Graham said the team's confidence came from a culture of continuous improvement rather than preparing specifically for assessment.

"Our team engages in regular, meaningful discussions about practice, and we collectively determine whether reflections should be recognised as strengths or developed further within the quality improvement plan."

Rather than leaving reflection to leadership alone, educators work collaboratively to identify priorities, develop strategies, establish timelines and review progress. As a result, the service's QIP reflects the thinking of the whole team rather than becoming a document updated only when assessment is approaching.

The preschool also uses the NSW Early Learning Commission's Self-Assessment and Quality Improvement Planning Portal throughout the year, ensuring documentation remains current and accurately reflects the service's ongoing practice.

Beck said maintaining current documentation significantly reduced the pressure associated with receiving only five days' notice.

Because the service's self-assessment and QIP were already comprehensive, educators could focus on sharing their practice rather than gathering evidence or updating documentation at the last minute.

"Sustained, consistent effort in quality practice positioned us well to confidently and successfully engage in A&R, even with only five days' notice."

The preschool also made a deliberate effort to provide authorised officers with a deeper understanding of its unique context and community.

This included:

• providing information about cultural programs occurring during the visit
• inviting an authorised officer to join the morning transport run to better understand how the service supports children and families
• ensuring Elders participating in the service felt culturally safe and respected throughout the assessment.

Beck said the authorised officers maintained a visible but unobtrusive presence, helping create an environment where educators, children and families could continue their day naturally.

Like many assessment visits, not everything went according to plan.

The visit occurred during the second week of Term 1 while children were still settling back into routines. Two members of the leadership team had only returned to work the previous day, and a cyclone event began unfolding during the assessment.

Rather than seeing these circumstances as setbacks, the preschool viewed them as opportunities to demonstrate its everyday practice.

Authorised officers observed educators supporting children's transitions, implementing co-regulation strategies, responding to changing circumstances and activating emergency preparedness processes, all in real time.

The experience reinforced that authentic practice often provides stronger evidence than carefully staged assessment days.

Giiguy Gamambi Preschool's experience reflects the intention behind the NSW move to five-business-day notification periods introduced in July 2024.

The shorter timeframe encourages services to focus less on preparing for assessment and more on maintaining high-quality practice every day.

For many providers, this means ensuring reflective practice is ongoing, documentation remains current, educators understand the "why" behind their practice and the QIP is used as a genuine improvement tool rather than an assessment checklist.

The preschool's experience offers several practical reminders for services preparing for assessment and rating:

• Keep your QIP current throughout the year.
• Embed critical reflection into everyday practice.
• Ensure the whole team contributes to quality improvement.
• Help authorised officers understand your service's unique community context.
• Trust your everyday practice rather than trying to create a "perfect" assessment day.

Giiguy Gamambi Preschool's Exceeding NQS result demonstrates that when quality improvement is embedded into daily practice, assessment and rating becomes less about preparation and more about confidently demonstrating what children experience every day.

Read the service’s experience here.