Nurseries need to work on protection

The high quality of child care in England is not matched by
providers’ child protection and special needs provision, says
Ofsted.

A report last week, using performance indicators based on the
Children Act 2004’s five outcomes, indicated that 50 per cent of
services provide good child care, with just 1 per cent
unsatisfactory.

But the two weakest indicators were for child protection and
special needs, where 35 per cent and 31 per cent of establishments
respectively were judged to be good, although just 3 per cent and 1
per cent respectively were deemed unsatisfactory.

The child protection standard requires compliance with area child
protection committee standards, while the special needs standard
demands that providers are aware of children’s needs and take
active steps to meet them.

• Firm Foundations from www.ofsted.gov.uk