Ofsted has today published its response to the “Big Listen” consultation. For the early years, it undertakes to:

• introduce a new early years inspection framework, “built on our current strong principles but more flexible to apply to different types of setting”
• streamline their registration process to support more early years education and childcare providers to register, including supporting government plans for 3,000 more nurseries on primary school sites
• work with government on the introduction of report cards to replace one-word judgements
• work with the government to amend legislation to be able to regulate and inspect multiple and group-owned early years providers, at group level
• have a single point of contact for early years within Ofsted to join up early years regulation and early years inspection work under one post.

On the differences between early years and schools inspection, they noted “Frustration from professionals who felt inspectors on primary school inspections do not have the early years expertise needed to inspect Nursery or Reception phases.”

They have also said they want to work with government to reform the Childcare Register to tackle fraud in the early years system.

Early Education Chief Executive, Beatrice Merrick, said:

“There is much to be welcomed in the response to the Big Listen, and we hope that ongoing dialogue between the sector and Ofsted will lead to an improved system of regulation and inspection of early years provision going forward.

“While we welcome the commitment to revised early years inspection framework, we are concerned that rather than referencing the importance of all areas of the EYFS, especially the Prime Areas, the Ofsted focus on prioritising Communication & Language, Maths and Literacy. While these areas are all important, undue emphasis on these suggests an unduly top-down approach that fails to recognise the needs of young children, especially babies and toddlers. It is vital that the new early years inspection framework is developed in close collaboration with the sector to ensure it takes a balanced approach.”