SUPPORT PVI CARERS
Helen Penn states, 'Ofsted exists to police a potentially exploitive market' (Analysis, 13 March). I presume she is including all the schools, colleges and universities in this statement, as Ofsted existed long before childcare came under its watchful eye.
We all know that inspection is at a minimum in Scandinavian countries, where the 'curriculum' is a couple of A4 sheets and all the staff are graduates in well-funded centres. I do not agree with Ms Penn's apparent conclusion that this can only be a reality in a country where everything is provided by the state. Britain has a long history of over-regulation and testing, putting its emphasis on 'policing' education and inventing a new curriculum every couple of years, backed up with hefty guidance documents. If we want to become more akin to Scandinavia then we need a fundamental rethink of where we put our emphasis. We all know children need support and caring environments to grow and develop - well, the childcare sector could do with a little of that itself.
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