Memorandum submitted by the Pre-school
Learning Alliance
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Pre-school Learning Alliance welcomes
this opportunity to submit comments on the Work of Ofsted. We
are a leading educational charity specialising in early years,
with over forty years experience of working with children and
families. The Alliance provides practical support to over 15,000
early years settings and makes a positive contribution to the
care and education of over 500,000 young children and their families
each year. We encourage and actively promote parental involvement
and partnership-working in all aspects of our work.
1.2 The Alliance is the largest voluntary
sector provider of Neighbourhood Nurseries and Children's Centres,
having opened 29 new nurseries in the last two years, of which
22 are designated as Children's Centres. The charity is a major
employer of early years professionals within the sector and aims
to be involved in 100 Children's Centres by 2008.
1.3 Since Ofsted assumed responsibility
for the regulation of daycare services in 2001, the charity has
worked closely with the inspectorate through the National Consultative
Forum to develop a framework that helps to ensure high quality
childcare services. We welcomed the introduction of the National
Standards in 2001 as a tool for providing reassurance for parents
that their children are being looked after in safe and stimulating
environment.
2. NEW FRAMEWORKS
FOR INSPECTION
2.1 Changes to the inspection framework
introduced in April 2004 were welcomed by the Pre-school Learning
Alliance. We believe that no notice inspections can act as a means
of maintaining and improving quality standards in childcare. We
are encouraged that the inspection regime is subject to ongoing
scrutiny to ensure it provides the necessary reassurance to parents
that their children are being cared for in safe, stimulating environments.
2.2 The Alliance has also supported changes
to the grading scale to strengthen integration. We are keen to
establish how quality assurance schemes can support the inspection
process. The Alliance's accreditation scheme Aiming for Quality,
endorsed by Investors in Children, helps settings to improve the
quality of provision beyond the minimum standards required by
Ofsted. It is important that these schemes remain distinct from
the inspection regime and that the Government continues to use
Investors in Children as a badge of quality.
2.3 The charity broadly supports a more
efficient system of inspections as outlined in the proposals for
a single inspection body. The proposal would mean that Ofsted
would join with the Adult Learning Inspectorate to make a single
inspectorate and a more streamlined system of inspections. We
would express some concern over the particular expertise of the
inspectors, who will need to have specialist knowledge of the
early years. A more generalised inspectorate could mean a move
away from sector specific inspections, with inspectors lacking
the appropriate training to accurately appraise early years settings.
We await the consultation responses with interest.
3. THE CHILDCARE
BILL AND
PROPOSED CHANGES
TO INSPECTION
3.1 The recent consultation on the forthcoming
Childcare Bill proposes a series of changes to early years settings.
We support the proposal to develop the Early Development and Learning
Framework (EDLF) to bring together the care and education elements
of the existing regime. In particular, we are encouraged by the
commitment to consult with strategic partners to develop the new
framework.
3.2 It is important that the EDLF is applied
consistently across early years settings and that standards are
not relaxed for school settings. With increasing numbers of young
children attending school before statutory school starting age,
it is important that those schools offering early years services
are inspected using the same criteria as pre-schools, nurseries
and childminders. Any perception of a different regime would risk
undermining parental confidence and eroding quality.
3.3 In implementing the proposed EDLF, it
is crucial that the Government and Ofsted adopt a phased approach
to ensure that providers plan and prepare effectively for the
new regime. The early years and childcare sector is subject to
change and providers would welcome the opportunity to contribute
to the development of the new regime and access sufficient information
and support to prepare them for the new framework.
3.4 The Alliance has a number of concerns
around the proposed de-regulation of childcare services for 5-8-year-olds
and the voluntary Ofsted Childcare Register. In particular, we
are concerned that the proposals will undermine improved outcomes
for children and generate confusion for parents, practitioners
and providers. To deregulate care for children attending extended
care undermines the objective of appropriately safeguarding children.
3.5 There is a lack of information within
the proposals as to how the new regime will work in practice.
It is unclear how a provider's suitability to be on the register
will be assessed, whether staff working with children will require
minimum qualification levels and what action Ofsted can take to
support inadequate providers to improve practice. While standards
in settings are improving, the proposed register will do little
to improve practice and meet the long-term objective of high-quality
childcare in all settings.
3.6 We are also concerned about the `softer'
issues relating to the proposed changes. In particular, they raise
the possibility of generating confusion among parents as to how
their chosen childcare setting is inspected, when and by whom.
Moreover, settings consider inspection to be an important part
of the service they offer, as a means of ensuring continual professional
development and demonstrating good practice to parents. The introduction
of the voluntary register risks eroding confidence in inspection
among parents and practitioners.
4. EARLY YEARS
INSPECTION REPORTS
4.1 Evidence from Ofsted's Annual Review
of Inspections in August, following the revised inspection framework
was broadly positive, particularly for sessional early years settings.
The Alliance was encouraged by this, as sessional care provides
parents with a variety of childcare options.
4.2 We would welcome a further clarification
on the grading system for childcare settings. For example, the
`satisfactory' rating is a broad category and will include settings
that offer higher quality than others. In providing a sliding
scale or greater detail in the report, it may be possible to distinguish
still further between settings that are nearer to a `good' or
`unsatisfactory' rating.
4.3 We would stress that parents should be considered
a crucial part of the inspection process. As first and primary
educators of their children, parents can be an integral part of
the service a setting delivers. They also look to Ofsted to provide
additional reassurance that their children are being cared for.
We would welcome a more `user friendly' reporting system for parents
with a detailed and clear breakdown of the inspection.
5. ANNUAL REPORT
2004-05
5.1 The Chief Inspector's Annual Report
shows a broadly positive picture of quality in early years settings.
Ofsted's Firm Foundations report, published earlier this
year, showed that 99% of settings were rated satisfactory or above
and the Annual Report highlighted 40% fewer actions taken against
childcare settings. Despite these improvements, the Alliance believes
that there is more to be done to ensure that all settings deliver
care and education of the highest quality.
5.2 We agree that Ofsted has, in conjunction
with other agencies such as local authorities, had an impact in
securing quality improvements in the childcare sector. However,
charities such as the Alliance have also contributed to this improvement.
Our network of support on the ground, coupled with relevant publications,
provide information and resources for early years settings to
help continuing development. Quality assurance schemes, such as
Aiming for Quality, also help to drive up the standards.
5.3 Good leadership is important in maintaining
quality, as the report rightly mentions. There is sufficient evidence
across all sectors to suggest that effective leaders and managers
are integral to ensuring quality provision. On-going training
beyond Level 3 is necessary to maintain effective management skills,
including self-evaluation. The Alliance is currently delivering
a CACHE Level 4 certificate in Managing Quality Services in the
Early Years. Such tailored training will make a major contribution
to the role managers can play in the success of the setting.
5.4 The priority being given to self-evaluation
is a step forward in that it demonstrates that quality improvement
is an on-going process. The Alliance is encouraged by the admission
that self-evaluation will not replace a formal inspection process.
We would ask Ofsted to look at the way self-evaluation can be
more effective. Critical self reflection is not an innate skill.
Rather, it has to be learned. The adult learning sector, which
successfully adopted this technique, took a long time to develop
the skill of self-evaluation amongst staff. The Alliance would
like to see Ofsted providing further guidance and support to managers
and staff in this area.
5.5 The improved use of data from inspection
outcomes is welcome. The Alliance recognises the need for parents
to be given the information they need in order to make choices
about which childcare setting they choose. Parents are key to
many childcare setting's success and without their support groups
would find it extremely difficult to survive. However, we believe
that putting the complaints history of settings on the Ofsted
website may have a negative effect. A setting which may have had
a complaint made against them in the past should have addressed
these issues. The group may be of a higher quality than it appears
on the website and this could give a distorted picture to parents
and undermine their long-term sustainability.
5.6 Foundation stage unit reports demonstrate
that quality is better with Investors in Children endorsed quality
assurance schemes than without. We disagree with the Government's
implicit proposals in the Childcare Bill to remove the Investors
in Children scheme. With Ofsted moving to a three-year inspection
cycle, quality assurance schemes can continue to be key drivers
in improving standards of provision. Having established Investors
in Children, the Government should aspire to establishing it as
a widely recognised brand synonymous with high-quality childcare.
5.7 Reducing the inspection cycle to 3 years
is a welcome development as settings will be able to see their
improvements on a more regular basis. The effective use of triggers,
such as management changes, staff turnover etc, would improve
standards, as the inspector will see the setting more often and
be able to inform any new managers of their expectations.
October 2005
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