It was a major error to introduce an inspection and grading system designed for schools to assess childcare, which is considerably more emotive to parents. Ofsted claims the inspection is merely a snapshot of what the inspector finds on the day, but this is unhelpful. It is unclear to parents in an inspection report, increasingly undertaken by a single inspector who, using spurious observations, acts as judge and jury.
There is no common standard. One can read almost identical reports with different outcomes. Reputations of perfectly adequate providers can rise or fall, generally the latter, based on the subjective judgement of an inspector arriving unannounced on either a good or a bad day. Minor items are highlighted by Ofsted's so-called impact statement, and generalised to an entire setting, leading to elated or demoralised staff and parents.
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