Nursery World - Under one roof (2)

The new Early Years Directorate will ask for parents' views about the service when inspecting childcare providers. Alison Mercer explains what else is in store The handover to Ofsted's Early Years Directorate, which is taking over the registration and inspection of childcare for the under-eights from 3 September, has worried some practitioners. But they have been reassured that inspections are unlikely to be that different from before.

The handover to Ofsted's Early Years Directorate, which is taking over the registration and inspection of childcare for the under-eights from 3 September, has worried some practitioners. But they have been reassured that inspections are unlikely to be that different from before.

It is quite likely that when Ofsted's childcare inspectors come calling, they will already be familiar to the nursery staff. Many of them are former local authority inspection and registration staff who have transferred to the Early Years Directorate. They will check providers' work against new national standards that reflect much of what good nurseries do already, but which have the advantage of being consistent throughout the country. The inspectors will also investigate any complaints and take enforcement action if services do not meet the national standards.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included