Although she does not go so far as to say that there should be an end to universal provision, national director of education Sue Gregory will say that funding for early years provision is spread too thinly and needs to be focused on the poorest areas to boost quality.
The first annual early years lecture at the Foundling Museum in London sees Ofsted taking more of a political stance than it has done in the past.
‘Universal provision in its current form has not worked for all children and by the time they reach five years of age too many are not well-prepared for the transition to schools. The picture is worse for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and the "attainment gap" is not closing quickly enough,' Ms Gregory says.
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