Letters

As the leader of a small group of day nurseries and out-of-school clubs, I believe the EYFS Review has not adequately tackled the issues facing out-of-school and holiday provision in relation to inspection outcomes, nor made appropriate recommendations for improving the situation. Because we provide care for children under five in the out-of-school clubs we have to be inspected against the statutory framework of the EYFS, including the learning and development requirements. Our out-of-school provision is run along the same lines as our nurseries, with the same policies and procedures but a greater emphasis on playwork principles.

Three clubs have been inspected in the last two months and achieved pleasing reports. However, the inspection outcomes were not totally as expected. The reason? We were told that because there were no children in the EYFS age range attending on the day of the inspection (although they did attend on other days), we could not get more than satisfactory for the 'Outcomes for children in the EYFS' section, despite the fact that the report itself suggests the clubs are good in helping children meet the Every Child Matters outcomes. The inspection reports all state that they do not include an evaluation of the provision for children older than the early years, but there are no other formal means for parents to judge an out-of-school setting's effectiveness.