Nursery World - The low down

The Government's proposals for the new Ofsted 'care' inspections have provoked accusations of a lowering of standards, says Ruth Thomson

The Government's proposals for the new Ofsted 'care' inspections have
provoked accusations of a lowering of standards, says Ruth Thomson

The Government stands accused of lowering standards in childcare following the release of the proposed standards on which the new arm of Ofsted will base its 'care' inspections from September 2001.

'What the Government is trying to do is increase provision, but it's lowering standards to achieve that, and that's totally unacceptable,' says managing director of Child Base nursery chain Michael Thompson. 'It's an opportunity missed.'

The 14 proposed standards will apply to five areas of childcare:

The standards are presented in a modular format, each with a headline and supporting criteria, which have been adjusted in each module to take account of the different type of provision and children's varying needs.

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