Both the National Early Years Network (NEYN) and the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) welcomed the Government's attempt to do away with regional anomalies which had blighted the regulation of daycare provision. But they criticised the standards because they apply only to the private, voluntary and maintained sectors, and not to the independent schools sector.
This omission comes despite a pledge in Labour's orginal consultation paper, published in March 1998, which said, 'The Government intends to promote child protection and child welfare as well as high standards of early education and daycare through regulation; to encourage consistency of regulatory standards across all sectors (and) where practicable, to close all loopholes.'
Rosemary Murphy, NDNA chief executive, said, 'We are very disappointed that the Government has made no move toward regulating daycare in the independent sector. The Government has promised this for two years and in the meantime, the number of young children in that sector has risen.' Figures published last month by the Independent Schools Information Service have shown a 5 per cent and 6.7 per cent rise respectively in the number of two-and three-year-olds attending independent schools over the past year.
Mrs Murphy said, 'These are only truly national standards for those settings the Government chooses to regulate, but they are not national standards for all children, because some of them are unprotected. To call these national standards leads parents to expect that they apply to all children in all settings - and they are right to expect this.
'While we recognise the big step the Government has taken with these standards, it has to be said that the same anomalies exist as when Labour came to power four years ago.'
The 1998 consultation paper also stressed that the Government did not intend to 'erode the child protection and promotion of child welfare afforded by the Children Act 1989' and that 'the well-being of children is the central concern'.
However, Eva Lloyd, NEYN chief executive, said the new standards fell short in both respects. 'The standards must start with the child, so that any child is offered the same protection and quality criteria in whatever setting - which is not the case, because independent schools are not covered by them.'
She added, 'The best interests of the child are not at the heart of these standards, as is shown by the stance taken regarding childminders smacking and smoking.'
Scotland is developing its own daycare standards and they are expected to be out for consultation shortly.
