Press Story

Ofsted is failing to judge the quality of care given by nurseries and childminders to a sufficiently satisfactory standard, according to a new report published today by the think tank IPPR.

The report argues that Ofsted ratings do not provide an accurate assessment of the care given to England's youngest children. Centres graded as 'outstanding' by Ofsted often receive the lowest scores on scales designed specifically for infants and toddlers. The Government plans to end all assessments by Local Authorities and make Ofsted the only judge of quality.

'Good' and 'Outstanding' scores are often viewed as indications that no further improvements are needed and so the level of quality could remain unchanged until children leave at the age of 5. Those rated 'outstanding' will be left for 4 years before any further inspections take place.

There are almost a quarter of a million (224,462) 3 and 4 year olds currently receiving their free early years childcare in centres that are graded as 'Inadequate' or 'Requiring improvement' by Ofsted.

The report shows that some inspectors do not have enough understanding of early years care which is required by children under the age of five. The report also argues that younger children require different approaches to learning and development and says that 'schoolification' should be avoided.

The report calls for changes to be made to Ofsted's scoring system, incorporating elements of the best measures which include the needs of infants and toddlers. The report argues for Ofsted inspectors to be better trained in early years practice, specifically for the youngest children.

Imogen Parker, Researcher at IPPR, said:

"The first few years of a child's life are hugely important. By the age of three, a child from a professional family background can have double the vocabulary size than a child from the lowest socio-economic family background.

"There is no statistical relationship between Ofsted grades and quality of care infants and toddlers are receiving. While Ofsted ratings are a reasonably good predictor for outcomes at school age, Ofsted grades for early years settings are less good at predicting children's developmental outcomes. Ofsted 'outstanding' and 'poor' grades don't always reflect which centres are really providing quality care.

"If the Government is serious about boosting quality for the sake of child development, it needs to think more broadly about how it assesses care given in the early years. Ofsted ratings will not go far enough to drive quality provision, particularly with the youngest children."

Notes to editors

IPPR's new report - Early developments: bridging the gap between evidence and policy in early years development - will be available here: http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/11073/early-developments-bridging-the-gap-between-evidence-and-policy

This research has been funded by the Nuffield Foundation.

Assessment scales:
Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Revised (ECERS-R) - made up of 42 items across seven subscales focusing on different aspects of quality of the care environment (space and furnishing, personal care routines, language-reasoning, activities, interaction, programme structure, parents and staff) rating on a seven point scale. The scale is applied to assess provision from 30 months to 5 years old.

Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale Extended (ECERS-E) - developed for the EPPE focusing on educational aspects - 18 items across four subscales: literacy, mathematics, science and environment and diversity.

Infant and Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS), designed for 0-30 months, and focuses on the same seven subscales (space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and reasoning and listening and talking, activities, interactions, programme structure and parents and staff).

Ofsted scores correlate to ECERS but do not correlate to ITERS. ECERS and ITERS assess both process and structural components, having identified the elements which may improve outcomes (rather than measuring outcomes through cognitive tests). They are widely (internationally) used and respected.

IPPR's report - Early years reform: Childminders' responses to government proposals- is available from: ?http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/10977/early-years-reform-childminders-responses-to-government-proposals

IPPR's report - Double Dutch: The case against deregulation and demand-led funding in childcare - is available from: ?http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/9763/double-dutch-the-case-against-deregulation-and-demand-led-funding-in-childcare

IPPR's report - Making the case for universal childcare - is available from: http://ippr.org/publications/55/8382/making-the-case-for-universal-childcare

IPPR's report - Great expectations: Exploring the promises of gender equality - is available from: http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/10562/great-expectations-exploring-the-promises-of-gender-equality

IPPR's report - Family policy: Where next for parental leave and flexible working? - is available from:?http://www.ippr.org/publications/55/1822/family-policy-where-next-for-parental-leave-and-flexible-working

Contacts:

Richard Darlington, 07525 481 602, r.darlington@ippr.org

Tim Finch, 07595 920 899, t.finch@ippr.org