Ofsted criticises standard of early years services

A focused Ofsted inspection of eight early years settings across the county in March found half were judged “inadequate” or “requires improvement”, with the quality of the early education a particularly concerning factor.

The inspection was prompted by a wide gap in learning outcomes between the poorest children and their more affluent peers – only 36 per cent of children in receipt of free school meals achieved a good level of development.

Ofsted has issued Wiltshire Council with a number of recommendations to improve the support it provides to early years settings. These include:

Despite the concerns, inspectors praised the council’s development of a “clear strategy to improve early childhood provision”, and said its recent focus on supporting disadvantaged communities by increasing provision for free childcare for two-year-olds is “well directed”.

Bradley Simmons, Ofsted director for the South West, says the council has begun taking positive steps, but much still needs to improve.

He said: “It cannot be right that over 300 young children living in these areas are not able to master basic skills such as being able to hold a pencil, count to 20, listen to a story or express themselves.

“Good learning and development is vital if children are to grasp the basics skills before they start primary school.”

In addition to the inspections, Ofsted carried out telephone surveys with a further 11 early years settings in Wiltshire.