Annual Report focus on childcare and early years
Ofsted’s Annual Report 2008/09 confirms that the large majority of childcare, whether provided by childminders or in day care, is good or outstanding. Of the childcare providers inspected in 2008/09, 9% are outstanding, a considerably higher proportion than in 2007/08 when the figure was 4%.
Ofsted is responsible for the registration and inspection of childcare provision. The two largest providers of childcare are childminders and childcare providers on non-domestic premises. Childminders, with the help of no more than two other childminders or assistants, care for children in a home other than the children’s own. Childcare providers (previously called day-care providers) on non-domestic premises care for children in premises that are not someone’s private home. They include nurseries, pre-school and play groups. Home childcarers are those employed to care for children in the children’s own homes.
Providers caring for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday have to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which looks at the welfare, learning and development for children. Providers caring for older children who are under eight must meet certain requirements concerning people, premises and provision. These include keeping children safe from harm, having at least one person with an appropriate first aid qualification and not using physical punishment. Those providing home-based care in the home of the child (nannies), providing sports coaching or tuition, short term care such as crèches and care for children ages eight and over can choose to register voluntarily on the Childcare Register.
The key findings of the report are that:
- The proportion of good and outstanding childcare inspected this year is higher than in 2007/08. However, the quality of childcare is lower overall in deprived areas than in others. In deprived areas the quality of childcare on non domestic premises is higher overall than the quality of childminding. In areas which are not deprived there is little difference in quality between the two kinds of provision.
- Most childminders have been able to implement the new Early Years Foundation Stage and a large majority are using it well to support children’s learning and development.
- Childcare providers who take part in quality assurance schemes run by a local authority or an independent professional body (to examine whether the quality of their service is good or not) are much more likely to be good or outstanding.
Childminders
Of the childminders inspected this year, over 1,500 (9%) are outstanding. Inspectors have found that outstanding childminders are highly skilled, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, with a clear understanding of their responsibilities. They analyse their own work critically, continually strive for further improvement and, as a result, they help all children make good progress. They develop productive partnerships, using parents’, carers’ and children’s views and welcome support from local authorities and other agencies.
Childcare on non-domestic premises
Of the childcare on non-domestic premises (premises other than a private home) inspected this year, over 750 (10%) are outstanding. In these settings, they have clear systems for staff to monitor children’s progress towards their identified next steps. They also have safeguarding policies and procedures for staff to follow if they have concerns about a child’s well-being. The best childcare groups use innovative ways to keep parents and carers up to date, including daily diaries of significant events for their children, emailed photos, regular newsletters, social events and workshops.
Outstanding childcare providers make sure the learning environment meets the needs of each child and provide regular access to a stimulating outdoor environment. Managers regularly evaluate the quality of their settings and are committed to continual improvement, using all feedback to improve the quality of what they provide. They also develop their own skills in managing people and services. All of these settings have key workers (a specially named person for the children and parents) who spend time talking with families to learn all they can about their children before they start.
Satisfactory and inadequate provision
However, some provision appears to be stubbornly resistant to improvement. Nearly half the providers previously judged satisfactory have improved to become good or outstanding. This still means that 40% of childcare provision that was judged satisfactory at its last inspection has not improved and still remains satisfactory. The level of inadequate provision has remained the same as last year at 5%.
During 2008/09, 1,300 settings were judged inadequate. Over 150 (13%) of these inadequate settings have now closed. Ofsted monitors inadequate provision and re-inspects it within a year. We carry out monitoring visits to inadequate settings until the actions required to bring about improvement are successfully completed or the setting closes. Ultimately, where a provider fails to make the required improvements, Ofsted may decide to cancel registration.
Compliance, investigations and enforcement
During 2008/09, Ofsted issued 32,300 actions for improvement where inspection revealed that providers were not meeting registration requirements. Typical actions for childminders included planning and providing experiences appropriate to each child’s stage of development, requesting written permission from parents 
for giving emergency medical treatment and ensuring all required records are available. For childcare providers on non-domestic premises, actions included ensuring all adults are suitable to work with children, allocating each child a key person with special responsibility for him or her, ensuring at least one person with a current paediatric first aid certificate is on the site at all times and understanding how to manage behaviour effectively.
During 2008/09, Ofsted investigated 7,200 complaints from parents and the general public about registered childcare provision including 2,400 about childminding and 4,700 complaints about childcare on non-domestic premises relating to 5% of registered providers. A further 600 complaints were raised against unregistered childcare.
More details are in The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2008/09, which can be found on the Ofsted website at: www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Annual-Report-2008-09
The Childcare summary can be found on the Ofsted website at:
www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Annual-Report-2008-09/Childcare-summary
The Main summary of the Annual Report 2008/09 can be found on the Ofsted website at: www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Annual-Report-2008-09/Main-summary
