Ofsted early years consultation: investment is key, sector says

Early years organisations raised concerns that without more funding early providers would struggle to improve.

They also highlighted that the Government is removing the local authority support role and the Pre-School Learning Alliance said that training support for the sector has been cut.

Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘Changing the judgement rating will do absolutely nothing to improve quality if early years settings are not given appropriate support. The Government is soon to remove the role that local authorities play in supporting their local settings and training support for the sector has been reduced by 40 per cent in the last year.

‘At the same time the Government is proposing that nursery workers look after up to 50 per cent more children – a move that parents themselves overwhelmingly oppose.

‘While we welcome the aspiration of high-quality childcare, without a rethink on policy and adequate funding from Government, we struggle to see how a real improvement will be made.’

However, the Alliance - which has lobbied for more recent inspections for satisfactory settings - welcomed the move to more frequent inspections for weaker nurseries.

But Mr Leitch added, ‘However, we are concerned that the term "requires improvement" may mean little to parents as any setting, regardless of Ofsted rating, should always be looking to improve. A recent survey of 1,000 parents has found little correlation between how they rate childcare provision and Ofsted’s own rating.’

The National Day Nurseries Association said that alternative support must be put in place if the local authorities’ improvement role is reduced.

Chief executive Purnima Tanuku warned that otherwise providers would struggle and the costs would be passed on to parents leading to higher fees.

Commenting on the proposal for good and outstanding nurseries to support weaker nurseries to improve, she said, ‘Running a high-quality nursery is time consuming and takes a high level of commitment, so good and outstanding settings may not have the time or resources to support weaker settings. This would only be a viable option if the government was prepared to offer financial and practical support – it should not be seen as a way to improve quality without making investment.

‘If the Government wants to improve the quality of early years education then funding issues must be addressed. In NDNA’s latest business performance survey 84% of nurseries said the hourly rate they receive for the three and four year old free entitlement does not cover costs, leading to losses of over £500 per year, per child. It is difficult for nurseries to invest in training and quality improvement if they are not financially sustainable businesses. This can be a particular issue in areas of disadvantage, where Sir Michael Wishaw rightly highlighted that quality of early years provision is lower. To address this issue and ensure all children receive high-quality early education, it is vital we get funding right.’

Ms Tanuku added that all inspectors should have experience of working in an early years setting and that there should be an appeals process if nurseries feel the grade they receive is unfair.

The Daycare Trust said that it welcomed a more proactive role from Ofsted on improving quality, but had concerns about Ofsted’s expanded role in the early years.

Chief executive Anand Shukla said he was concerned that Ofsted would move to become the sole arbiter of quality, without extra staffing, expertise or financial resources to take over the quality improvement role from local authorities.

He also said that Ofsted lacked the ‘local knowledge’ that local authorities have about the nurseries and childminders in their area.

There were on-going issues about inspections, with even good and outstanding providers only receiving an inspection every four years.

Mr Shukla said, ‘New guidance means that parental complaints are now not always acted upon. We are also concerned that the inspection methodology used by Ofsted fails to fully measure the breadth of quality in early years settings.’

He pointed to research by the Daycare Trust and Oxford University last year that indicated that Ofsted grades do not always correspond with internationally recognised quality grades such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale.’

Sue Robb, head of early years at 4Children, said, ‘Ofsted’s focus on the need for high quality education in the early years is welcome. We all increasingly recognise that a child’s early years are a vital period for their development, and are especially important in closing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their better off peers.

‘A significant minority of childcare providers are failing to provide adequate childcare and early education. To rectify this childcare providers in need of improvement will need support, not just more rigorous inspections. Ofsted needs to develop a clear offer of practical support, especially if they are to become the "sole arbiters of quality", as proposed by the Government.’