Editor's view - 30 months that count

Last week, Ofsted early years director Nick Hudson wrote an exclusive comment article for Nursery World, which had within it news of significant changes to the inspection process.

There was relief all round that Ofsted is to take some inspections in house and away from contractors - for those with 'requires improvement' and for 'inadequate' where there is enforcement action. Given the level of the sector's unhappiness with contracted-out inspections, this is very welcome and seems to be an admission that all has not been right. It does beg the question of why all early years work is not brought into Ofsted. Perhaps this will be resolved when the current contracts end next year.

More difficult to understand is the change to inspections of new providers (see News, pages 4-5). Up to now, these have been undertaken within seven months of a setting opening, but this moves to within 30 months - that is two-and-half years! This is justified on the grounds of freeing up 10,000 days to spend on inspecting those who are less than good, and to let new providers 'embed good practice'.

But what if it is bad practice that is being embedded? Local authorities are being told to prioritise support for settings already judged to be less than good, and to fund new settings to take two-, three-, and four-year-olds before their first inspection visit. This could leave a new setting unsupported, and vulnerable two-year-olds in ungraded, possibly low-quality provision until they go to school. And how does a new nursery or childminder promote their services to parents if they have no Ofsted grade to display for 30 months?

• Nick Hudson will be speaking at Nursery World's Business Summit on 12 November www.nurserybusiness-summit.com.