More details of Ofsted's proposed Early Years Framework and the structure of the inspections were set out by Liz Elsom, divisional manager early years and childcare, at the Early Years 2012 conference in London on 19 June. Ms Elsom said there would be 'a focus on quality, which previous frameworks haven't always had'.
Ofsted intends to publish a timetable for inspections, taking into account each setting's size and opening hours. The inspector will hold a formal meeting with the manager and registered provider to determine the manager's capacity to run the setting. There will be less focus on paperwork and more on observations of interactions with children, and the setting will be able to nominate someone to do joint observations with the inspector.
The inspection will include dialogue about the emerging findings and there will be a formal feedback session at the end.
Ms Elsom said the priorities in the new framework will be:
- PSED and progress in learning
- meeting the needs of different groups of children, such as babies or two-year-olds, or those with different needs
- leadership and management - how the manager monitors quality, supports staff and meets the safeguarding and welfare requirements.
- There will be only four judgements made in each inspection:
- overall effectiveness
- meeting the needs of the range of children
- contributing to the well-being of children
- eadership and management.
Ms Elsom said that Ofsted's regulatory role would be to continue to minimise risks; to give providers more autonomy to manage services, which entailed more responsibility; to use its enforcement powers when necessary; and to carry out a full inspection when concerns had been raised to set the complaint in context of the overall quality.
She confirmed that:
Ofsted would no longer impose conditions of registration such as numbers of children or for overnight care as these were all covered by the EYFS and providers would be referred back to that. 'The EYFS makes these things clear – it does not mean providers may simply decide to increase their numbers.'
- responsibility for CRB checks for managers will transfer to owners from Ofsted
- childminders must have accessed training before registration instead of by six months after
- the 'satisfactory' judgement will remain.
The new Early Years Framework is due to be published at the end of June.