Nurseries will not be warned about inspections

Nurseries will be given no notice of inspections from April
2005, early years watchdog Ofsted has announced, writes
Amy Taylor.

Childminders will be contacted by telephone a few days before
Ofsted plan to visit, to check the nursery is open for the
inspection to take place.

Childminders and nurseries currently get 4-6 weeks notice on
when they are going to be inspected and they are told the month
within which it will take place, but not the actual day.

The National Childminding Association said it welcomed the
introduction of shorter notice periods for inspections as it will
drive up standards and help to keep children safe.

The new measures, which cover England and have come out of a
consultation on the future of early years held by Ofsted, also
include a new grading scale that is the same as the one used in
school inspections.

The format of inspection reports is also going to change to
focus on the five outcomes for children set out in the
children’s green paper.

The Future of Early Years Inspection – Results of the
Consultation from: www.ofsted.gov.uk