Editor's view

It's good news that Ofsted's annual report into childcare and early education has found standards improving as the number of places grows (see News, page 4). There is no room for complacency, however. Nearly half the settings were judged satisfactory rather than good, and these providers, in common with the few deemed unsatisfactory, tended to have shortfalls in how provision was organised, with inadequately trained staff in the worst cases giving poor levels of care. Health and safety, hygiene and record-keeping were also commonly-found problems.