Ofsted checks delay staff recruitment

Day nurseries in England can no longer employ any staff whose backgrounds have not been fully checked, unless there is an 'emergency' at the setting. Ofsted said last week that the prior understanding that a new member of staff could work at a nursery under supervision until background checks were completed was not the case. An Ofsted spokeswoman said, 'The policy has not changed - it has always been the case that a person cannot start work until we have made a decision that they are suitable, which includes doing all the necessary checks.'