Nursery World - Nurseries stressed by snap inspections

Unannounced arrivals of inspectors have received a mixed reaction from childcare providers that have been inspected under Ofsted's new regime. No-notice inspections for nurseries, playgroups and out-of-school clubs were introduced in April 2005, following revelations of bad practice in a TV documentary, 'Nurseries Undercover'. They were intended to give inspectors a more accurate picture of the quality of daycare services.

No-notice inspections for nurseries, playgroups and out-of-school clubs were introduced in April 2005, following revelations of bad practice in a TV documentary, 'Nurseries Undercover'. They were intended to give inspectors a more accurate picture of the quality of daycare services.

But for some providers, they are causing more stress than knowing which month they would be inspected.

Marcella Cunningham, manager of Clifton Tots Day Nursery in Bristol, told Nursery World that the 'not knowing' was putting her and her staff under a lot of pressure.

She said, 'You can't have a life. I end up working at weekends and I came in last Sunday to move my office to another room because I worried that if they turned up on Monday I wouldn't know where the records were. Staff are feeling the pressure and in turn, I think it's likely to impact on the children.'

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