Sector declares opposition to Ofsted split

18 April 2011 4 mins read Neil Puffett Early Years Education Social Care Inspections

Proposals to split Ofsted into two separate inspectorates of education and children's care would make the government's policies on children with special educational needs, early years services and looked-after children unviable, sector leaders have warned.

The call is the principal recommendation in an education select committee report on the role and performance of Ofsted, published on 17 April. The report also calls for the creation of two new positions within the Department for Education (DfE) — a chief education officer and a chief children's care officer — in an attempt to reflect Ofsted's remit in department policy.

The recommendations have been criticised by children's services union Aspect and the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS).

Eleanor Schooling, chair of the ADCS's standards, performance and inspection committee, said coalition policy, particularly for children with SEN, the early years and those in care, requires a single inspectorate.

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