Editor's view

As the countdown to the general election begins, Government initiatives are coming fast and thick. This week, the prime minister himself launched a new star rating system for childcare providers, with his wife Cherie Blair as patron. Fine details such as who will administer the scheme and what it will involve are yet to be worked out. Apparently, there will be consultation - a word to strike fear into the hearts of most early years representatives! Monday's 'Today' programme on Radio 4 proclaimed that nurseries are currently inspected, but only on the most basic of standards. This may come as...