The inspectorate's national director for regulation and care Yvette Stanley says that current legislation is ‘outdated’ and doesn’t ‘reflect the sector as it operates today’, meaning an ‘important part of the picture is being missed’.
It follows the publication of a new report, published by Ofsted, that finds current legislation does not reflect the level of influence that early years multiple providers – those that own two or more settings, have on individual nurseries.
The report says that while these providers ‘exert a great deal of influence over their settings’, Ofsted is only able to inspect individual nurseries and pre-schools.
‘How early years multiple providers work’, highlights how multiple providers influence the education and care given at their nurseries, including:
- Setting the curriculum intent and influencing its implementation and impact.
- Developing, reviewing and controlling policies.
- Regular visits to nurseries to monitor and inspect practice and the implementation of policies.
- Monitoring and oversight of ongoing incidents in individual settings.
- Deployment of staff between nurseries to observe perceived good practice.
The report recommends Ofsted view early years multiple providers in a similar way to school Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), with inspection report summary evaluations looking at the extent to which a multiple provider is delivering high-quality education and improving children’s outcomes.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director for regulation and social care, said, ‘Stronger oversight of large providers is vital if we are to make sure children are getting the best deal.
‘Our research shows that these large providers have a significant impact on their individual nurseries, and ultimately the education and care that children receive. As Ofsted can only inspect individual settings, we are missing an important part of the picture.’
- Ofsted's report is available here