Jackie Nunns, chief executive of the Trojans scheme, which runs out-of-school and holiday play schemes in London, summed up the views of many in the sector.
She said, 'The Childcare Bill consultation proposes that only services for children aged five and under should be legally required to register, in which case children as young as six can be cared for in an uninspected out-of-school club or play scheme.'
The deregulation will only affect childcare that is not based on a school site. Settings within a school fall within the school's normal Ofsted inspection.
While Anne Longfield, chief executive of charity 4Children, supported the incorporation of inspection of out-of-school childcare within the overall school inspection 'to streamline and mainstream provision', she argued that this must not be at the expense of quality.
Adrian Voce, director of the Play Council, said its membership was still being consulted on the Childcare Bill proposals. However, he voiced concerns about deregulation.
'There are concerns in the sector that deregulation may affect the quality of provision and we are particularly worried about the future of Investors in Children, which we thought was a way of ensuring quality standards were the norm within the out of school sector,' he said. 'Getting rid of them would be a regressive step.'
Wendy Russell, senior lecturer in playwork at the University of Gloucestershire, said that for out-of-school clubs to get on the proposed Ofsted childcare register, staff must be qualified. 'A substantial proportion of those working there should have qualifications in playwork and understand the importance of play,' she said.
* See feature in Out of School
