The inspectorate revealed that the contracts for Tribal and Prospects have been extended and the contractors will continue to inspect early years providers until March 2017.
Ofsted confirmed that the contracts were renewed in May.
The decision was included in Ofsted’s annual reports and accounts, 2014-15, published yesterday.
The move is a blow for the sector, as early years providers have long been calling for Ofsted to bring all early years inspections in-house.
Concerns about the consistency and quality of outsourced inspections were largely responsible for the launch of the Ofsted Big Conversation campaign.
Last September, Nursery World revealed that Ofsted’s own in-house inspectors would be taking on responsibility for re-inspecting ‘requires improvement’ nurseries in place of outside contractors Prospects and Tribal.
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