Ofsted To Outsource Early Years Inspections

[Guest]

Just received an email about this, dont know if it will be a good thing or a bad thing. Anyone else have any views on this?

 

 

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/...se-early-years/

 

Claire x

[Rea]

I've just read that cupcake. A bad thing I would say. These private companies never seem to be accountable, although same goes for Ofsted as it is now I suppose. Just been reading that the Tory childrens minister Tim Loughton wants Ofsted to understand more abot who its inspecting, he was talking about care services but hopefully it would follow through to all areas they inspect.

[HappyMaz]

I saw this too this morning but my attention was swayed away to other things that made my blood boil, cupcake.

 

I don't know what to think, if I'm honest. I'm not sure what it will achieve - what will happen to those inspectors who feel "demotivated and undervalued" which is one of the reasons given for the decision to outsource by the article? Will they just go and work for whoever puts in the winning tender? If so, what will change?

 

If as the Preschool Learning Alliance says, there is a funding shortfall at the bottom of Ofsted's woes, how will outsourcing help? If some of them don't will there be a reduction in the numbers of inspectors, or will they hire in new inspectors from different areas of the children's workforce?

 

Perhaps I should get my application in quick

 

Maz

[Guest]

I saw this too this morning but my attention was swayed away to other things that made my blood boil, cupcake.

 

I don't know what to think, if I'm honest. I'm not sure what it will achieve - what will happen to those inspectors who feel "demotivated and undervalued" which is one of the reasons given for the decision to outsource by the article? Will they just go and work for whoever puts in the winning tender? If so, what will change?

 

If as the Preschool Learning Alliance says, there is a funding shortfall at the bottom of Ofsted's woes, how will outsourcing help? If some of them don't will there be a reduction in the numbers of inspectors, or will they hire in new inspectors from different areas of the children's workforce?

 

Perhaps I should get my application in quick

 

Maz

 

 

I think your onto something there Maz, wouldnt it be a great day if Early Years was inspected by an EYPS, say two years post qualification, I have been thinking for along time now that our sector should be inspected by people who have a vast knowledge and experience of the early years sector...food for thought I guess

 

Claire x

[Rea]

I've said this before, but my friend applied to be an inspector and she found they were more concerned with her IT skills than her knowledge of EY.

[hali]

oww yes Cupcake - would make much more sense!!!

[Guest]

This is today's article

 

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Archive/984064/Tri...ction-contract/

 

Is it just me or does anyone else feel "here we go again!" Will it be better to be in the half inspected by Ofsted or the half by Tribal!?

 

Gosh, what a lot we could change in Early Years with £64m.

 

Nona

[Rea]

We should write to our MPs. We will go and do a job we think we'd be great at while they do their living in a tower block and surviving on social security benefits programmes. See who does best

[Guest]

This is today's article

 

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Archive/984064/Tri...ction-contract/

 

Is it just me or does anyone else feel "here we go again!" Will it be better to be in the half inspected by Ofsted or the half by Tribal!?

 

Gosh, what a lot we could change in Early Years with £64m.

 

Nona

 

 

Doesnt bode well does it, the comment at the end of the article says it all really!

[HappyMaz]

This is today's article

Thanks nona.

 

Just had a quick look and one of the quotes from Ofsted said that outsourcing would allow it to use its resources more effectively and concentrate on its duties as regulator.

 

I wonder if this makes more sense than I first thought - maybe if the inspection data is generated by a third party Ofsted's reputation as regulator might improve. As it stands, anecdotal evidence suggests that a provider's inspection outcome is sometimes at the mercy of an individual inspector's own 'soap box' issues and this data is then used to inform Ofsted's various reports telling us how to improve. Its a bit like making up the rules as you go along so that no-one really knows what is expected, and then berating people for not following them...

 

As for Tribal - well I have to say I'm not impressed with the quote attributed to their head honcho. Let's not worry about improving outcomes for children, or supporting settings to be the best they can be. So long as their selection "underlines Tribal's excellent track record as one of the leading private sector providers of educational services in the UK and strengthens our revenue visibility in the medium term" then everything else is pretty secondary, wouldn't you say?

 

My but I'm a bad mood bear today.

 

Maz

[Guest]

Maz, not sure if you'll feel better or worse after browsing the Tribal site then....

 

http://www.tribalgroup.com/servicesandsect...nspections.aspx

 

Nona

[Guest]

I was approached by a company who is to be doing some of the EY inspections to see if I would be interested in training to be an inspector, and it wasn't Tribal by the way. The way this company saw it they wanted well qualified graduate EY workers who would inspect alongside their practice, meaning that their inspectors would still have hands on experience. I turned them down because I'm snowed under at the moment but I do know of a couple of colleagues who might be pursuing this. I hope it does work out the way it was sold because I think this would be an good method of inspecting.

[anju]

the inspector who did my suitable person interview said it is being outsourced with different companies doing different regions.

 

alarmingly she also said that (we are on a school site but separately run) after the next (post registration) visit we would be inspected with the school (so far so good) but that we would get the same grading as the school!! in our case, the school is currently 'satisfactory' and we are 'good' and I would not be surprised if the school did worse this time around which would be even worse! I am really concerned about this, what's the point of working so hard and preparing for an inspection if you get lumped with a school who has virtually nothing to do with you??

[HappyMaz]

I am really concerned about this, what's the point of working so hard and preparing for an inspection if you get lumped with a school who has virtually nothing to do with you??

In my humble opinion, that would be indefensible.

 

Maz

[eyfs1966]

In response to Cupcake's EYP comments.......I was trained as an EYP by Tribal by 2 tutors neither of which held EYPS!! Thus I would find it astonishing if they managed to rustle some up for inspections!!!!

 

You would think by now that somebody would have worked out that "outsourcing" simply means lining the pockets of yet another private company. It does not mean "efficiency" nor "cost saving".

 

At my last inspection, the inspector spoke of the BIG changes to come in insopections, and she had a very negative view.

[Guest jenpercy]

You think this is bad for you we are still fighting to get OFSTED to realise that we are different from other provisions. All of our parents -even, or especially those who work in early years can't believe that their children have to do EYFS after a full day in school. I told my husband that they aren't allowed a holiday until they are 6.

 

Disgruntled Kids Club Provider

[eyfs1966]

I hear you jenpercy and do agree. I think that out of school care really does deserve some exemptions from EYFS, for the sake of the children and the staff. Just as a point, I read an Ofsted Out of school care report just the other day that had as a recommendation that the club should provide the parents with written reports on the childs progress!!! Where does this fit with the EYFS guidance for out of school care??? Seems to me that OSC's require quite specialist inspections, from inspectors who understand the principles of plaay based clubs...they are not nursery schools, nor should they act like them!!!!