The final version of the national standards for daycare are with us at last, sneaked out quietly by the Department for Education and Employment on the day the General Election was announced. Despite the Government saying there are no significant changes, the DfEE has indeed slipped in various amendments, reworded some criteria and added others.
The National Standards for Under-Eights Day Care and Childminding, to be used by Ofsted to carry out Children Act inspections from September, are set out in five different documents: out-of-school care, sessional care, full daycare, creches and childminding.
As in the initial proposals, there are 14 main standards, such as 'safety' and 'equipment', covering all settings. The supporting criteria have then been adapted to take into account the different kinds of provision, so, for example, kitchen requirements vary in day nurseries, out-of-school clubs and childminders' homes.
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