Further rise in high-performing early years providers
Jess Brown
Thursday, July 9, 2015
The number of early years providers rated "good" or "outstanding" has increased by seven per cent over the past year, latest Ofsted figures show.
Childcare settings receiving the top two Ofsted ratings in their most recent inspections rose from 78 per cent in March 2014 to 85 per cent at March 2015, according to the quarterly data.
The inspectorate says the latest figures show an “acceleration of an ongoing trend” of improvement among childcare settings.
The percentage of providers that received the "requires improvement" judgment dropped to 14 per cent in 2014/15, almost half the 26 per cent in 2012/13.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the the Pre-school Learning Alliance, says the Ofsted figures are “a direct result of the hard work and dedication of early years practitioners”.
He said: “Despite underfunding and diminishing local authority support, providers continue to deliver high-quality care and education to children and families and for this, the sector is to be congratulated.
“It is vital that going forward, providers are given the support they need – both financial and practical – to continue delivering quality services, and so adequate investment into the sector will be crucial to ensuring that this positive trend continues in the long term.”
The figures also show a seven per cent decrease in the number of childminders, which Ofsted says is another continuing trend.
Leitch called this fall “deeply concerning”.
“At a time when the government is looking to expand early years services in this country, it is vital that the value of the services that childminders offer is recognised and that they are supported and encouraged to continue providing them,” he said.
Liz Bayram, chief executive of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years, said: "We are of course concerned to see a further decline in the number of registered childminders, but this needs to be balanced with the growing number of childminders now employing at least one childminding assistant, so they can offer more places.
"It is the duty and responsibility of local authorities to actively manage their local childcare market, and this includes encouraging more people to become childminders. Without this, the number of registered childminders is likely to continue to fall, and families will lose the benefit of this quality, flexible provision."
