Within its annual report, published today (5 December), the inspectorate includes data on childcare accessibility by neighbourhood across England from March 2020 – March 2024.
The analysis was carried out in response to concerns that many families struggle to access high-quality care and was first published in October – ‘Changes in access to childcare in England’.It forms part of a larger project being carried out with the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
As previous research has highlighted, it finds that areas with more families on low incomes and children in poverty, are more likely to experience childcare deserts – areas where there are more than three children for every early years place, while more affluent areas are more likely to have childcare ‘oases’.
It reveals the neighbourhoods in local authorities with the highest proportion of deserts are:
- Torbay
- Walsall
- Sunderland
- Slough
- Hartlepool
The areas with the highest childcare oases are:
- Wokingham
- Wandsworth
- Bromley
- Richmond upon Thames
- Brighton and Hove
Ofsted says it will continue with this work and build it into a ‘new service’ it is developing to present everything it knows about education and children’s services by area to help decision makers target efforts towards the areas most in need.
Ofsted's chief inspector Sir Martyn Oliver told Nursery World, ‘I want to make sure that parents can see what it’s like to have children’s social care and education where they live from birth all the way through. As we keep doing that work, we will discover if there is a correlation, or is it more causation, between early years deserts and outcomes in primary, which then translate into outcomes in secondary. So whether some of the worst performing areas have the biggest deserts in early years. We know that early years deliver the best start in life and lay strong foundations as children move into Key Stage 1.
‘If you have that [childcare deserts] and you are socially and economically disadvantaged that is really difficult. These children are one and half or two years behind at the age of 16. We’ve got to find these gaps, close them, and make sure these children are given a better chance as they go through life.'
He added, ‘There is great provision out there, people are working really hard -we’ve seen some fantastic work, and it’s rarely not down to the quality of the work that’s being done. It’s down usually to the absence of services or the absence of work that’s being done. I think that is our focus within our area of insights.’
The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said it has been reporting on ‘childcare deserts’ for years, which can only be fixed with sufficient investment in children’s early learning.
Chief executive Purnima Tanuku explained, ‘NDNA has been reporting on childcare deserts for years – our closures investigations have noted the links between areas of deprivation, low funding rates and reduced numbers of places. This is because nurseries in these areas have a large proportion of government-funded only children so can’t make up the shortfall in funding. This challenge continues to loom large, especially with the impending staff cost increases from April, and can only be fixed with sufficient investment in our children’s early learning.’
Staffing
Ofsted’s annual report also recognises how recruitment and retention continues to be an issue for early years settings.
It highlights how nurseries are struggling to recruit and retain skilled and qualified staff, and says that the disruption caused by high staff turnover can have a negative impact on children’s learning and well-being, especially with vulnerable children and those with SEND.
Ofsted recognises that the number of children with SEND continues to increase, which is putting more pressure on the ‘already strained’ system.
While the report acknowledges that the ‘vast majority’ of providers are doing a good job for children, it says that primary schools report that some children continue to ‘lag behind’ with language, communication and social skills by the time they start school.
Schools
On schools, Ofsted’s report highlights how the absence rate has risen since the pandemic, with disadvantaged and vulnerable children more likely to be ‘persistently’ or ‘severely absent’.
It also says that there are a growing number of children on part-time timetables, with a mix of online and in-person education increasingly behind used for children with SEND and behaviour or health needs. A small number of schools now allow flexi-schooling, where parents home education their children for part of the week.
This year the report does not include Ofsted gradings as they are being replaced with a detailed report card. Ofsted will formally consult on a renewed inspection framework for early years and schools in the new year, including the intention to introduce report cards.
