Speaking at the fourth annual conference on 'The Future of Early Years Inspection and Regulation', held in London last week, the NCMA's Liz Bayram hit out at headlines that regularly refer to thousands of children being at risk from inadequate childcare.
She said, 'We have a situation where, according to Ofsted, 3 per cent of provision is outstanding, 54 per cent is good and 39 per cent is satisfactory. We must find a way of presenting the real picture to parents'.
Looking ahead to changes in the inspections framework, she anticipated that the creation of two different childcare registers would create further public confusion.
'Sadly, this lighter-touch approach to inspection is here to stay, but our members must ensure they explain the new registers clearly to parents,' she said. 'They will assume that over-fives are subject to the same stringent inspections as those below that age.'
Under new inspection proposals to tie in with the EYFS, all settings will have to develop a greater reliance on self-assessment and reflection with the quality of that self-assessment contributing to their grading.
'This could go some way to boosting consistency and raising professionalism,' Ms Bayram said. 'But childminders will have to access more training and resources to achieve the high levels they are aiming for.'
She urged conference delegates to respond to Ofsted's consultation, which ends on 1 February 2008.
Further information: www.ncma.org.uk.