Playwork needs separate inspection

Shelly Newstead, director of Common Threads, told CYP Now that Ofsted should devise an inspection process based more on professional playwork standards. She claims the requirements of the existing framework are putting off play-workers from gaining basic qualifications.

"Playwork is different to early years provision. Playworkers have a different way of working with children, and have different intentions and outcomes for children, so they cannot be expected to meet the same criteria as early years workers," she said.

Following a meeting with the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Newstead has compiled a 12-page document for officials setting out her concerns about the situation and the impact on playwork.

It states: "Current evidence shows that playwork settings are taking measures to avoid compulsory registration by excluding children from their settings."

It added: "If this regression is to continue, not only will the future of playwork as a profession be at stake, but the opportunities for children to play in the unique way that playwork affords is also likely to disappear."

But an Ofsted spokeswoman said: "We have no proposals to develop a different type of inspection for any provision that operates to a particular philosophy. This does not mean we expect everyone to deliver the EYFS in the same way. We believe that our framework is broad enough to encompass many different types of setting and different philosophies."