How to Respond to your Assessment and Rating Report

  1. Start here: Centre Support’s Step by Step Guide to Assessment and Rating.

Or copy this address into your browser:

  1. Write a Cover Letter (sample template provided).
  1. Write your response to each of the NQS Elements you want to question (sample template provided).
  1. Attach evidence (sample evidence appendices provided).
  1. Ensure you’re aware of the different timeframes for responding:

DRAFT: 10 working days (may differ – refer to your letter from the Regulator).

FIRST TIER REVIEW: Within 14 days of receiving your Final Report.
SECOND TIER REVIEW: within 14 days of receiving the decision of first tier review.

CHECKLIST BEFORE SUBMITTING

Cover letter included
NQS Elements included
Evidence attached
Within timeframe

SAMPLE COVER LETTER

First Name / Last Name
Regional Office
Department
Address

Dear ______,

BACKGROUND

Add the detail the reader needs in order to understand what follows later in your letter (how a situation arose, previous decisions/problems, actions leading up to the current situation). Typically this section gives a brief summary of the history of the topic and other background information. What led up to this problem or issue? How has it evolved?

Provide an explanation of the current status of the matter.

I write in response to______Draft Assessment and Rating Report and Proposed Ratings dated __/__/__following our site visit conducted by the Department’s Assessment and Compliance Officer (Assessor’s Name). Our service approval number is ______.

ISSUES

Evidence available to the assessor on the day was missed. We understand it is a huge job for the assessor to see everything in a day.We are committed to the highest standards at our service. Our practices have been implemented consistently before, during and following our assessment and rating visit.

You will note that our response includes a number of dates where we have completed tasks to meet the National Quality Standard in our unique and individual manner. We are happy to assist with your immediate review of our proposed rating by providing sound evidence of our everyday practices.

In the following pages we’ve clearly outlined how and why we meet and exceed the NQS Elements. Detailed evidence and photos also accompanies our comments. These are attached as appendices at the end of this document.

I look forward to receiving your feedback and evidence alongside our reviewed ratings.

Kind regards,

Your Full Name and Contact Details

SAMPLE NQS ELEMENT COMMENTS

Here is a sample. You can fill in the blank template provided on page nine onwards for as many NQS Elements that you wish to have reviewed. You do not have to use the Department’s reply template. You can use this document to write as much as you need to.

NQS Element: / 3.3.1
Regulatory Authority’s Proposed Rating / Working Towards
Our Proposed Rating: / Exceeding (evidence provided below)

ISSUE WITH THIS NQS ELEMENT

Provide a concise statement of the issue, proposal or problem. This section should explain in one or two lines why the report matters to the reader. It sets out in the form of a question or a statement what the rest of the section is about. Here are some sample issues:

Evidence was missed because the assessor didn’t have time the view all of the evidence.

Evidence was missed because the assessor refused to look at evidence we provided.

Evidence was missed because the assessor only sighted information and didn’t discuss it with us.

Evidence has been misinterpreted by the assessor.

The assessor used personal opinion and preferencesinstead of using the NQF/Regs/Law to rate our service.

Information in our report is not accurate / we disagree with the assessor.

Comments in our report use words aligned with a rating different to that proposed by the assessor.

Other ______

COMMENTS

Summarise the important facts, considerations, developments; everything that needs to be considered now. While you will have to decide what to include and what to leave out, this section should be as unbiased as possible. Your aim is to present all the details required for the reader to be informed or to make an informed decision. Keep the reader's needs uppermost in your mind when selecting and presenting the facts. Remember to substantiate any statements with evidence (attach appendices of evidence that are clearly labelled. Double check your facts. Additional details may be attached as appendices.

ITEM / COMMENTS / REFER TO EVIDENCE IN APPENDIX
Committee Meeting Decisions / Committee meeting decisions are documented in committee meeting minutes and these demonstrate embedded sustainable practices. / 1. Committee meeting decisions.
Vegetable Garden / Our service created a vegetable garden in May 2012. The garden is embedded into our curriculum. / 2. Photos of vegetable garden and children using garden.
3. Learning stories engaging children in learning about the food cycle by growing, harvesting, and cooking food for our service kitchen.
4. Evidence of families helping with our garden at our Working Bee in July 2013.
Chickens / Our 6 chickens lay eggs that are used in our kitchen, cooking experiences with children, and extra eggs are provided to families. / 5. Recipes from the kitchen using our eggs.
6. Learning stories.
Recycling / All of our waste is sorted into categories (food scraps, paper/cardboard, plastics) and recycled. / 7. Photos of recycling stations.
8. Learning stories.
Natural materials / We embed the natural environment into our curriculum through natural materials like wood, stone sand and recycled materials, plants including native vegetation, trickle streams or ponds, nesting boxes, a potting bench with gardening tools and watering cans. / 9. Photos of natural materials.
Community / We invited Land Care members from a nearby bush reserve to conduct a presentation for our Koala (3-4 and Joey (Preschool) rooms. / 10. Learning stories.
Environmentally conscious / Our equipment and resources are sourced from environmentally sustainable providers where possible. / 11. Evidence of environmentally friendly cleaning products and equipment.

EVIDENCE

The person/people conducting the review of your rating will not be your original assessor. They need to be able to see the evidence first hand to back-up everything you are putting forward in the comments section.

Clearly label each appendix so that it corresponds with the comments section.

Below you’ll find four sample appendices. Add as many as you need to.

Appendix 1

Committee Meeting Decisions

Appendix 2

Photos of vegetable garden

Appendix 3

Learning story example

Appendix 4

Photos of families helping at our Working Bee

NQS ELEMENT COMMENTS

NQS Element:
Regulatory Authority’s Proposed Rating
Our Proposed Rating:

ISSUE WITH THIS NQS ELEMENT

Evidence was missed because the assessor didn’t have time the view all of the evidence.

COMMENTS

ITEM / COMMENTS / REFER TO EVIDENCE IN APPENDIX
1.

EVIDENCE

Appendix 1

Committee Meeting Decisions

Page 1