Ofsted reports child development impact of declining nursery workforce quality

The inspectorate’s report into the early years sector found that this is leading to a drop in the quality of support for children, particularly around personal, social and emotional development.

This is because “those with greater experience and a higher level of qualifications had better knowledge of child development” and were more likely to interact with children during their day, talk with them about their emotions and activities they are involved in, found Ofsted.

“Conversely, less skilled practitioners often distracted children instead of helping them understand and manage their emotions,” states the report.

“For example, when children were upset about returning indoors, we saw practitioners using distraction techniques instead of explaining rules and expectations, indicating a lack of understanding of children’s thinking and emotional needs.”