believes that the best place for the poorest two-year-olds is in
schools.
In a speech in London to launch Ofsted's first early years report, chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw told a roomful of nursery owners, childminders, local authorities, practitioners and experts from the sector, 'I believe the best way of ensuring that the most disadvantaged children are ready for school is to put schools in the driving seat.'
There are not enough good childminders or PVI providers in disadvantaged areas and children's centres could also not be relied upon to cater for the poorest families, he said. Poor parents are being let down by a 'confusing' and complex early years system.
Listing the different terms used to describe early years settings - nursery, childminder and pre-school play group, among a number of others - he said the language in early years was 'confusing' for poor parents, leaving them unsure about where they would send 'a two-year-old to learn'.
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