29 August 2008
Childcare services in the poorest parts of the country lag behind national average standards, the education watchdog has revealed.
An Ofsted review of childcare and early-years education, published on August 27, found that in the 30 most deprived local authority areas, 53% of childminders provided good childcare compared with 60% in the rest of the country, whereas 54% of daycare groups provided good services, compared with a national average of 63%.
Michael Hart, Ofsted's director for children, said: 'There is too much variation. In particular, I am concerned that children in more deprived areas do not, on the whole, have access to as much good provision as others. This cannot help overcome disadvantage. There are exceptions which buck this trend and from which we should learn. We need to ask ourselves how we can work better to close the quality gap.'
In the report, Leading to excellence: a review of childcare and early education provision 2005-08, the inspectorate also highlighted a drop in the quality of care provided by childminders nationally. Over the past three years, the proportion of childminders found to be inadequate rose from 2% to 6%.
Major problems were an inability to identify or respond to child protection concerns and a lack of training in and understanding of first aid.
Ofsted warned that inadequate providers would have to improve significantly if they were to meet the demands of the Early Years' Foundation Stage, which sets out national standards for young children's learning and development and takes effect in September.
But the wider picture was a positive one. Ofsted said more early years and childcare settings were meeting the requirements set out by government than was the case three years ago.
While fewer than 80% of registered settings met national standards in 2005/06, now 97% do, and almost two-thirds of these were good or outstanding.
Ofsted head Christine Gilbert said: 'It's particularly encouraging to note that where we found inadequate provision in previous inspections, these settings have improved significantly. However, there is still more to do to ensure that outcomes for all children are of a consistently high standard.'
A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: 'It's heartening that childcare in this country is improving but we want to drive up standards even further. That is why we are introducing the Early Years' Foundation Stage in September, which will give every child equal right to the best-quality care and learning.'
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