Ofsted clearance process disputed

Early years organisations have been urged to follow Ofsted's instructions 'to the letter' when seeking security clearance for staff or else face the risk of lengthy delays. The comment was made by Rosemary Murphy, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, in response to claims by a Surrey-based charity, Disability Challengers, that Ofsted had 'shambolic' procedures and had lost paperwork relating to criminal record checks on its staff. The charity said it had sent more than 80 forms to Ofsted since the beginning of last year and that only three employees had received security clearance to work with children.