DfE in discussion with Ofsted over early years resources

The Department for Education confirmed it is in conversation with the inspections body about the future resources it will need to assume early years inspection responsibilities from local authorities.

Ofsted is set to become the sole test of whether a childcare setting will receive funding to offer free two-, three- and four-year-old places, to prevent duplicated assessments being conducted by local authorities.

Other measures included in the DfE’s More Great Childcare announcements said Ofsted would substantially increase the input of HM inspectors in early years from September this year, as well as inspect new childminder agencies.

"Our childcare reforms mean that Ofsted will be the sole arbiter of quality,” said a DfE spokesman. “We are talking to them to make sure they have enough resources to do the job."

Ofsted confirmed that further information about its future role within nurseries and other early years settings would be announced by HM chief inspector Michael Wilshaw in spring.

"Michael Wilshaw is going to be making a speech about exactly how all this is going to work,” said childcare minister Elizabeth Truss.

“Ofsted is going to have more regional bases. It’s going to be doing more improvement work as well as inspection work.

“What qualifications staff have in nurseries is going to be a big focus, which is an important part of the culture change we’re trying to achieve in early years."

In related news, a petition asking the government to reconsider plans to change the legal limits on the number of children childcare providers can look after has been signed by more than 11,000 parents in just two day.

“This policy benefits no-one and I am dismayed that the government should have been so poorly advised to introduce policies that have little support from providers, parents and early years experts,” said Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, which collected the signatures.