The report also highlights a workforce crisis in schools and colleges and says children with special educational needs and disabilities are among the worst affected. Schools are struggling to recruit teaching assistants.
It warns that the early years sector is ‘losing out’ to better paid jobs and nurseries have closed because they are unable to recruit high-quality, qualified and experienced staff.
Ofsted said that children are bearing the brunt of these issues, as staff shortages are creating problems that can affect the quality of education.
The report also said, ‘Early years providers are adjusting their work with the youngest children, within the context of the cost-of-living pressures and demands for more affordable childcare.’
The report also highlights that around half of all pre-schools and nurseries are part of a group, with many owned and operated by large national or international providers, but says ‘there is no scrutiny of their work.’
Launching the annual report, chief inspector Amanda Spielman said, ‘The pandemic continued to cast a shadow over education and children’s social care for much of the past year. And the energy crisis and economic pressures have brought more turbulence in recent months. So I would like to record my thanks to everyone working in education and care for their efforts in what was clearly another very difficult year.
‘Across all age groups in education, careful thought has been given to making up lost learning. However, achievement gaps are still wider than before the pandemic, meaning the recovery is far from complete. And it’s clear that in education – and in children’s social care – staffing issues are compounding problems standing in the way of a full recovery.
‘We owe the current generation of young people as much security and certainty as we can provide for what remains of their childhood. And we must offer them the education, training and opportunities they need to secure their future. To do that, it’s vital that education and social care providers are able to recruit, train and retain talented and capable people.’
Ofsted said that the early years sector is competing with, and losing out to, higher paid or more flexible employment. Nurseries have closed because they cannot recruit or retain high-quality, qualified and experienced staff. Some have become over-reliant on apprentices to fill gaps, which has a knock-on effect on the quality of education and safeguarding.
Ofsted said that ‘the education and care landscapes are ever-shifting and Ofsted needs the government’s support to make sure accountability and regulation keep pace with sector changes. For example:
‘Multi-academy trusts have a huge influence on how children are educated. Ofsted would like to be able to assess how this influence is being used.
'Around half of all pre-schools and nurseries are part of a group, with many owned and operated by large national or international providers. But there is no scrutiny of their work. ‘
SEND
The number of children with SEND has increased by 77,000 in the past year, with currently around 1.5 million children at school identified as such.
It says that in some special (and mainstream) schools, recruiting staff with SEND expertise has been difficult, and staff turnover has been higher than pre-pandemic. 'As a result, children’s individual needs are not always met.'
While highlighting delays with Education, Health and Care Plans, Ofsted also said that while many children struggled to catch up after the pandemic they 'do not have SEND in the normal usage of the term.
'Labelling these children as having SEND is not right of them and also puts an unnecessary burden on the system.'
It said 'a sound curriculum and good teaching' could prevent SEN from developing and the need for specialist help.
It added that the SEND system was 'widely seen as adversarial. This can encourage a rush to formal diagnosis, even in the early years.'
Comments
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said, ‘We are so proud that despite all the challenges nurseries are facing in terms of the funding gap and more children presenting with additional needs, 96 per cent are still judged as good or outstanding which is amazing.
‘We know how hard they have worked to help children get back on track with their communication and social skills and this must be recognised.
‘The recruitment and retention crisis in early years is something we have been warning the Government about for a long time and yet they haven’t made any steps towards supporting the sector to resolve it.’
Tanuku added, ‘Although Ofsted says the lack of qualified staff has not yet affected their inspection judgements, we would argue that it is already affecting many nurseries who have been downgraded as a result of staffing issues.
‘Ofsted inspectors are still not recognising the huge strain that nurseries are under when carrying out their inspections, and we know there is an inconsistency in terms of providers’ experiences of the quality of inspections. The complaints and appeals process for providers is woeful and not fit for purpose. These needs addressing urgently.’
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said Ofsted was 'absolutely right to highlight the acute recruitment challenge the early years sector is facing, and the significant detrimental impact this is likely to have on children’s learning and development.
'Now more than ever, it is vital that early educators are able to focus on supporting each individual child’s early learning and mitigating the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Instead, they are forced to spend more and more energy firefighting relentless staffing challenges, with many providers battling just to ensure that they have enough staff on a day-to-day basis to keep their doors open.
'What’s more, as the report highlights, every time an early educator leaves the sector, they take with them a wealth of experience and knowledge, and this is something we simply cannot afford to lose – though when you consider the long hours, ever-increasing workloads, low salaries and even lower recognition, it’s not difficult to see why those who leave choose to do so.'
He added that 'if the Government does not act urgently, we will continue to lose talented professionals – and ultimately it will be the children we care for and educate that will pay the price.'
Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, described Ofsted's report as ‘shocking and unprecedented’.
‘Education and other vital children’s services are being broken by staffing shortages which leave services on their knees,' she said. 'Ofsted today reports that staff shortages are undermining recovery from the pandemic for children and families. Schools are left as the last public service standing because support services such as children’s social workers and mental health services can’t function effectively because of staff shortages.
‘The effects on children at risk and those with SEND are serious. The services upon which these children and their parents depend are stretched or disappearing. The services which schools and colleges need to access to support their students around special needs or mental health simply aren’t there. Early intervention can’t function with these staffing gaps.
‘Teacher shortages in schools are having a hugely detrimental impact on the provision of a broad and balanced curriculum, enrichment activities, and timely interventions to support children and young people with SEND. Ofsted today specifically highlights the shortage of support staff. The loss of teaching assistants has a huge impact on tailored support and inclusion and good opportunities for children with additional or special needs.
‘The report shows the damage done to education and children’s services after a decade of neglect by this government. DfE ministers cannot evade their collective and cumulative responsibility for this shocking state of affairs.’
Sarah Wayman, head of policy and research at the Children’s Society, said: ‘Children and young people are paying the price for the Government’s failure to invest in vital services and the workforce they rely on, and to plan for the long-term.
‘While the pandemic, and now soaring inflation have been enormous new challenges, cuts to government funding for councils, a shortage of care placements and over-stretched mental health services are long-standing issues.
‘Years of cuts to early support services for children of all ages and their families mean problems are escalating to crisis point, jeopardising the safety, wellbeing and education of young people and making it more likely social care will need to intervene.’
A Department for Education spokesperson said, 'We know the pandemic has impacted children’s learning and social care, and we are incredibly grateful for the resilience and hard work of teachers, head teachers, social workers and other staff.
'We have put in place a wide range of support, including investing £5 billion in education recovery, with over two million tutoring courses now started, and are boosting school budgets to their highest ever level in real terms by 24/25.’
Access the report here