As part of a range of demands being made to the new Conservative government, the Pre-School Learning Alliance wants the way inspections are conducted to be changed.
They argue that “A strong early years sector needs a robust, reliable inspection framework. Over recent years, however, confidence in Ofsted has fallen following increasingly frequent reports of unfair judgements, under-qualified inspectors and generally unpleasant inspection experiences.”
They are asking for:
- the introduction of independent provider representation at both the quality assurance stage of inspections and the first stage of the appeals process
- the government to implement legislation set out in the Children and Families Act 2014 that would allow settings to request a re-inspection if it is not happy with its grade
- abandon new tests of children’s "school effectiveness" during their first term of reception
- retention of the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, which offers a broader assessment of children’s abilities including a stronger focus on play