Nursery World - Head appointed at Ofsted directorate

The newly-appointed head of Ofsted's Early Years Directorate, Maggie Smith, hopes the new regulatory body will be able to play a part in raising the status of childcarers. Ms Smith, currently director of children's services for the charity Barnardo's in the UK, struggled as a lone parent in the 1970s and worked with others in the same situation to found a community nursery in Keighley, West Yorkshire. She went on to work with Gingerbread as a daycare development officer responsible for providing advice and support to more than 30 childcare services before becoming head of children's services at Manchester City Council.

Ms Smith, currently director of children's services for the charity Barnardo's in the UK, struggled as a lone parent in the 1970s and worked with others in the same situation to found a community nursery in Keighley, West Yorkshire. She went on to work with Gingerbread as a daycare development officer responsible for providing advice and support to more than 30 childcare services before becoming head of children's services at Manchester City Council.

She will join Ofsted on 1 March. The Directorate takes over responsibility for regulation of all childcare services in England from local authorities in September, when an estimated 1,400 registration and inspection officers and administrative staff transfer to Ofsted.

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