I wholeheartedly agree with Beatrix Campbell when she comments, 'How many more inquiries into an avoidable death of a child, before the majority, rather than the minority, have their knowledge rated "good?"' But I do wonder how reliable the Ofsted figures are?
At my last inspection in August 2003 I received a good rating in every area except child protection and my special needs provision. I queried my satisfactory grades in these areas with the inspector. To my surprise, I was told that no matter how extensive my knowledge of child protection issues and procedures or special needs issues, I was unable to receive a good rating in these areas because I have not been personally involved in a child protection case (and God willing I never will be) or in caring for a child with an identified special need at the time of my inspection.
If this is the criteria for receiving a good rating in the area of child protection, I would rather continue to receive a satisfactory grading.
Surely the fact that only 35 per cent of all early years settings are graded as good in this area does not necessarily reflect their true understanding of or established procedures for dealing with child protection issues. I am sure the majority of the settings involved would not hesitate to implement these procedures if the need arose.
Alison Lodge, childminder, Horsham, West Sussex
