Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early
Years Alliance, said:
"Given that our own research found that Ofsted inspections are
the single biggest source of stress among early years providers,
it's clear that the need to ensure that inspections are
collaborative and constructive, rather than a source of anxiety,
has never been greater.
"And with the vast majority of settings in favour of the removal
of single-word judgements, it is undoubtedly positive that Ofsted
is pushing ahead with its plans to remove headline judgements and
considering how it can best ensure that parents receive a
holistic overview of a setting's provision.
"That said, while these proposals may be an improvement on the
old system, we are yet to be convinced that the move to a
five-point scale, even across multiple areas of provision, is the
transformative change that many in the sector were hoping for.
"What's more, we're clear that any reform of the inspection
system must include further steps to ensure a much greater
consistency of approach among inspectors - meaning that a
setting's inspection outcome does not depend on the particular
inspector they happen to get on the day.
"As such, it is absolutely vital that today's consultation
marks a genuine opportunity for providers to have their
voices heard . This means that, should the sector be opposed to
today's proposals, the inspectorate must be prepared to rethink
its plans, rather than charge ahead regardless, and work with the
education sector to develop an approach to inspection that truly
does work for everyone."
EDITOR NOTES
An Alliance survey, which ran online from 29 March to 27 April
2023 and received 1,910 responses, found that around eight in ten
(79%) nurseries, preschools and childminders were stressed about
Ofsted inspections “fairly” or “very often”, while almost half of
respondents (45%) have had a negative Ofsted
experience.
Around a fifth (21%) said they have filed a formal complaint, and
more than half (52%) said the inspection judgements they received
were unfair.
The vast majority of the sector (77%) supported the removal of
the single-word Ofsted grading, with almost three in five (58%)
‘strongly' supporting this.
