Unison, the Public Commercial Services Union, and the First Division Association, which all represent early years inspectors, have called for a review of the plans.
They say it could compromise the quality of inspections and demoralise staff who are already involved in a long-running pay dispute over a three-year pay freeze, which is disrupting nursery and childminding inspections (News, 31 July).
The unions said that the plans followed recommendations made in a review by private company McKinsey.
Jon Richards, Unison senior national officer for Ofsted, said early years inspectors carried out 'a vital job, and parents deserve the reassurance of knowing that inspections are done by an independent, reliable and publicly accountable body of staff. This will be severely compromised if inspections are carried out by a private, profit-driven company.
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