Letters

A split Ofsted? If my memory serves me correctly, the proposals to separate the inspection of care and education have a distinct ring of the past. I recall separate inspections from Education and Social Services until they were combined. In respect of early years, one thing in particular seems to be the idea that childminders fall under the 'care' category but daycare is under 'education'.

In common with others, it seems that the hard-earned Every Child Matters joined-up agenda may well be threatened - all, it seems, sacrificed at the altar of efficiency - and that the organisation has become 'too big' to offer the specialised skills required to regulate and assure quality in the sector.

Has this not got quite a lot to do with the continuation of structures of support available for people actually doing the inspections? Anecdotally and from discussions with colleagues, it seems also that the recent change to the sub-contracting of inspection services has not been as smooth as it could have been, either.

So now we have more tinkering and further uncertainty and possible inconsistency? These changes of culture, like integrated working, take time. We've all worked very hard on these; do they deserve a chance to evolve and improve? Do we have another example here of change for change's sake?

Andrew Sanders, early years lecturer, University of Derby

Our letter of the week wins £30 worth of books

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HR

In light of the public sector pay freeze for 2011/12, and a recent survey of nearly 400 employers which revealed that 71 per cent worry that levels of industrial action will increase in the next 12 months, developing and maintaining good HR policies and effective people management procedures has never been more important for anyone employing staff.

Disputes with your workforce can be costly and damaging to the future stability of your business, and avoiding conflict isn't easy. particularly when it's as a result of Government announcements and cost-cutting policies out of your control. Cuts in the public sector can have a direct and negative impact on the private sector too, resulting in cancelled contracts or agreements and so on.

Most nursery owners respect the right of their workforce to lawfully express their views and to defend their individual employment rights. However, should a strike close a nursery down for a few days, forcing parents to turn to its competitors, the business lost may never return. Strong policies and confident negotiations, keeping staff fully aware and involved, will go a long way towards protecting your business and industrial relations between you and your staff.

Forward planning now may save a great deal of unnecessary conflict in the future.

Michele Payne, director, Is:Hr Management

BEST WAY TO LEARN

I believe the idea of child-initiated learning is one of the most profound ideas within the education sector. It allows the child to learn what they want to and what they need to deal with their environment. This benefits their gaining independence and also causes a much stronger motivation to learn if the learning originates from the child.

The teacher develops an idea of the area in which to teach the child where they will have the child's full attention and motivation. However, the curriculum and some teachers' attitudes can restrict any child's initiated learning within a setting. There may be goals to achieve, specified time slots and a production of outcomes that need to be gained - all of which the teacher, to do their job correctly according to the curriculum, must fulfil.

Surely there must be a way in which we can address the competence of a teacher and child-initiated learning which can be matched up to the curriculum, containing outcomes, goals and other achievements, as well as allowing teachers to have some freedom for opportunity teaching?

Charlotte Baker, Derby

Send your letters to ... The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP, letter.nw@haymarket.com, 020 8267 8401.