Ofsted withdraws its 'outstanding provider' packs
Karen Faux
Monday, January 23, 2012
After Huddersfield nursery group Portland Nurseries received an outstanding for two of its sites in December, director Rosemary Murphy was looking forward to flagging it up with the marketing materials Ofsted has always provided. However, after numerous phone calls and emails she has now learnt that the packs have been withdrawn.
Ms Murphy (pictured) says, ‘I checked on the Ofsted website after the inspection in December and it stated we would be sent a pack with the logos and marketing materials within the month. However, when this was not forthcoming I checked with Ofsted again and was told that the packs had been suspended.’
Ofsted now says that the materials, including stickers and mugs, were stopped when the Government announced significant cuts to marketing budgets last year. Ms Murphy says there is no guidance on how Ofsted’s logo can be used for marketing purposes and feels that, in effect, it has taken away the nursery’s right to promote itself as outstanding.
‘If Ofsted insist on being our biggest marketing tool they need to act in a business-like manner,’ Ms Murphy says. ‘The person I spoke to on the help-line actually tried to console me by saying parents would find out about the inspection when they went on Ofsted’s website. I responded by telling him that we have waited four years to be inspected and in the meantime a local nursery has been inspected twice and been given outstanding twice. This particular nursery now has a vast banner outside saying "outstanding again". What works best – a six foot banner or a report on the website?’
She adds, ‘I think it is terrible that no-one at Ofsted thought it would be good to send a polite email explaining what is going on. We have now enquired about the packs through the Ofsted helpline, its email enquiry line, its Early Years group and through the NDNA – only to receive a different answer every time.’
