Ofsted raises concerns over quality of childcare in poorest areas » Education » 24dash.com

School inspectors today raised concerns that families in poorer areas of England do not have access to high quality childcare facilities.

The quality of childcare differs dramatically between areas, with provision worse in places with the most poverty and and social deprivation, Ofsted said in a new report.

In the 30 most deprived local authorities, 53% of childminders provide good or better childcare compared with 60% in the rest of England, and 54% of day care groups provide good or better care compared with 63% in the rest of the country.

"Children and families living in areas already experiencing relative deprivation therefore face further inequity because they have less access to high quality childcare provision," the report said.

The report, Leading to Excellence, was based on evidence from 90,000 inspections of 84,000 early years and childcare providers in the three years up until March this year.

It found that in Hackney, east London, 29% of childminders were judged to be good or better, compared to Wokingham in Berkshire where the proportion is 81%.

In 25 local authorities less than 50% of the childminding is good or better.

Chief inspector of schools Christine Gilbert said the range in quality of provision is too wide.

"Local authorities should strive to support improvement in settings in these areas," she wrote.

But Ofsted did heap praise on the majority of children's centres and childminders in England, with "significant" improvements made in the last three years.

In total, 97% of nursery education is now rated at least "satisfactory" - the minimum national standard, up from less than 80% three years ago.

Two thirds (60%) are now rated "good" or "outstanding."

After inspections, Ofsted told just 3% of nurseries, children's centres and childminders to make improvements. Three years ago 22% were required to take action to meet national standards.

Ms Gilbert said: "It's particularly encouraging to note that where we found inadequate provision in previous inspections, these settings have improved significantly.

"However, there is still more to do to ensure that outcomes for all children are of a consistently high standard and that every child has access to the same quality care, particularly in areas where provision is generally poorer."

The report highlighted stark differences between types of facilities available.

It found that while 65% of full day-care centres were judged good or outstanding, the proportion of out-of-schools schemes found to be at the same level was just 47% and in creches it was 50%.

"Too often staff ratios are low and numbers of qualified leaders and staff do not meet requirements, putting at risk the quality of childcare in these settings," the report concluded.

In total, 3% of childminders, 4% of day-care centres and 6% of out-of-school schemes were judged "inadequate," over the three year period.

There were concerns about the quality of care given by childminders in general.

Year on year changes show that the level of good childcare among childminders has fallen from 62% in 2005/06 to 54% for the year 2007/08 and the level of inadequate childminding has risen from 2% to 6%.

"Key issues include being unable to identify or respond to child protection concerns and lack of training and understanding in first aid," the report said.

Ms Gilbert wrote: "Providers judged to be inadequate have significant improvements to make if they are to meet the demands of the Early Years Foundation Stage and provide the high quality education and care children deserve."

The early years framework comes into force from next week and will see all pre-school children expected to meet 69 literacy, numeracy and problem-solving goals.

Under the reforms, every nursery, childminder and reception class in England will have to monitor children's progress towards the targets.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "It's heartening that childcare in this country is improving but we want to drive up standards even further.

"That is why we are introducing the early years foundation stage in September, which will give every child equal right to the best quality care and learning.

"We have also allocated £305m for early years graduate leader training, as we know that this is the best way to improve standards."

Shadow families minister Maria Miller said: "Sure Start has an important role in driving up the quality of all forms of childcare in the most deprived areas. These figures show Sure Start is falling well short of the mark.

"Despite spending £3 billion a year on early years, the Government has failed to ensure that children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds consistently have access to a choice of high quality childcare.

"It is unacceptable that childcare does not reach the standard needed to give children the best start in life in areas with the highest deprivation."