Early years support ‘more important than ever’ after pandemic, Ofsted says

The comment comes as a new report by the inspectorate finds that fewer children are leaving early years settings ready to start reception following the health crisis.

In its report Education recovery in early years providers: summer 2022, Ofsted states that pandemic restrictions including the closure of schools and childcare settings to all but vulnerable children and children of key workers “has meant that some children have missed time at their early years providers”.

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School closures also meant that transition visits to secondary schools were cancelled for some cohorts of children, further delaying their school readiness, it adds.

Some providers have reported children’s inability to carry out tasks such as using the toilet and getting out plates and cups for snack times following the pandemic. 

In a bid to mitigate this “providers have put routines in place, such as when children should put their own coats on, and have encouraged children to do things for themselves, all of which will help them at school”, the report states.

It also highlights the importance of the sector amid an increase in young children needing speech and language therapy compared with pre-pandemic levels.

However, the increase in demand has led to wait times of 9 to 12 months for speech and language intervention, it adds.

“Long waiting times for services and external support mean that the help that childminders and nurseries can give to children becomes even more important,” according to Ofsted.

Some providers “have created more opportunities for children to have back-and-forth interactions with adults and other children throughout the day, in a language-rich environment”, the report states, noting that “this is crucial in enabling children to develop the communication and language skills that underpin all areas of their development.”

However, in some areas “not all staff and providers have had access to training. It has often depended on how much time and money the local authority has available, so in some cases providers have struggled to release staff for training and to pay for it,” Ofsted says.

Recruitment and retention of staff remains a challenge for providers, according to the inspectorate, with many providers “struggling to recruit high-quality staff due to the relatively low pay the sector offers”. 

“In a few cases, providers have had to recruit unqualified staff to meet the legal requirement regarding the number of staff per children, per setting,” the report adds.

Providers also told inspectors that the take up of funded places for two-year-olds remains lower than usual but added that “financial pressures and staffing constraints mean they were not actively promoting places”.

Responding to the report, Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said: “Although our nurseries are working hard to provide the best possible learning opportunities for these children, it’s clear that the sector needs urgent and immediate help with their workforce crisis. This must be a wake-up call for the Department for Education that they have to act now to support the sector on pay, qualifications, recruitment and retention.

“In particular, providers need a better response from services like speech and language therapists, not delays. We are very concerned that it’s usual for a year-long wait for professional support. It’s vital that children with language difficulties are identified early and their needs met.”