Administrative support for early years and education inspections will merge and there will be regional centres in Bristol, Nottingham and Manchester.
Early years centres in Leeds, Birmingham, Harlow, Woking and south London, along with support centres in Preston, Manchester and Pudsey, West Yorkshire, will close between September 2005 and March 2006.
The number of employees at Ofsted's London head office will also be reduced by 30 per cent.
The job cuts are a result of the Chancellor's Comprehensive Spending Review, attempting to save 20 per cent of its annual budget by 2008.
Chief Inspector of Schools David Bell said last week that he deeply regretted that it was necessary to close some offices, but that changes were 'essential for Ofsted to continue to deliver high-quality, good-value services to the taxpayer'.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here