The schools inspectorate found the Haringey Early Excellence Network to be 'operating at an unsatisfactory level and was not yet effective'. It said the Network had some strengths, including offering good support to families from a wide range of cultures, delivering effective Foundation Stage support and training for local providers and integrating children with special needs.
However, these were outweighed by weaknesses relating to 'the lack of an agreed vision and the absence of clear structures to lead, manage and support the Network's development'.
The Ofsted report continued, 'Over the past three years the local education authority has gone through a turbulent period and this has affected the development of the Network. The LEA and heads of centre have identified many of the weaknesses and they are beginning to devise strategies to address them.'
The Haringey Early Excellence Network was awarded its early excellence status for Woodlands Park and Pembury House in 1998, and for Rowland Hill in 1999 by the then Department for Education and Employment. The Ofsted report said that when the Network was first proposed, a steering group was intended to oversee, monitor and review its work. But, it said, 'Because of ongoing staffing changes and a number of re-organisations within LEA departments, this has not been followed through.
'Consequently there is no overall co-ordinator for the Network and no shared view of how the Network should function by the LEA, the centres and their governing bodies and parents. There are different views about what the Network is, what it could be, and what it should not be.
'The difficulties within the LEA, coupled with a lack of direction and agreed structure for the Network, has resulted in each centre concentrating mainly on its own work.'
Ofsted recommended that all parties involved urgently needed to draft and agree a statement defining the Network's remit and that Haringey LEA should identify who is responsible for leading and developing it, and set in place a clear structure for managing its work. Ofsted has also published more positive individual reports on the work of each of the centres.
The Department for Education and Skills said, 'DfES officials are aware of the situation and will be working with the local education authority and individual centres to ensure effective management arrangements are put in place for the Network.'
A spokesperson for Haringey Council said, 'We are aware of the issues addressed in the report and have already started working to support the Network through planning and development work.'
Ofsted has inspected a number of other centres as part of a small programme to evaluate the first Early Excellence Centres. The reports are available on its website www.ofsted.gov.uk.
