The Statutory Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
intends to set standards to ensure that every child receives the best
possible start. The legal standards, however, are drawn with a very
broad brush, and the ways they are interpreted mean children can receive
very different experiences in different settings.
Ofsted has the job of determining whether a setting meets the standards, but also goes beyond a basic pass-fail to give its interpretation of how well the setting is working. There is currently a built-in divide in Ofsted interpretations that prevents a level assessment of quality. School nurseries and reception classes are judged by the school Ofsted framework and inspectors, while private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings on the early years register are judged to completely different descriptors by a different set of inspectors.
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