Education and Childcare Minister Elizabeth Truss's report proposes ending 'duplication' in inspection. 'At the moment some local authorities also inspect early years providers who are implementing the early education programme for three- and four-year-olds as well as two-year-olds.'
This, it says, would enable the £160m that the Government claims local authorities retain from the free entitlement funding to be passed on to the frontline, and avoid duplicating work done by Ofsted and issuing of 'different or even contradictory requirements'.
'We will make Ofsted inspection rating the sole test of whether a provider can offer funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-olds.' The Government is proposing changes to the statutory guidance covering the early education programme to emphasise this.
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