OFSTED: the sector is split in two...do you agree?

[Simona]

OFSTED will, in future, have 2 National Directors for the workforce when Sue Gregory retires at the end of the year.
Nick Hudson will be Director for Early Years
Lorna Fitzjohn will be Director for Childminding.

This article in Optimus Education explains further:

''Sue Gregory, who has been director of early childhood at Ofsted for 13 years, has announced her retirement, leading to the appointment of two new national directors for early childhood, one for early years and one for childminding.
In speaking of her time as national director Sue Gregory said ‘it has without doubt been an extremely busy and at times a challenging period, but one where we have made real headway in our drive to improve early years provision through better inspection and regulation.’
Ms Gregory will retire at the end of December and Ofsted has announced that Nick Hudson (regional director for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber) will be the new national director for early years, while Lorna Fitzjohn (the South West regional director) will become the national director for childminding.

There has been some outcry from the sector who have asked why Ofsted has decided to split the role of national director into two, raising concerns this may cause a divide in the sector, but Liz Bayram, chief executive of PACEY, said ‘PACEY’s role as the professional association for everyone in childcare and early years means we are well placed to work with both Lorna and Nick to ensure that the views and expertise of the entire breadth of the childcare and early years sector are heard.
In particular, we will be working to ensure they understand just how integrated group and home based childcare is, and that regardless of setting type, all practitioners are part of the EYFS. We will continue to communicate our members’ – childminders, nannies and nursery workers - key issues and concerns to them as these policies develop.’
In addition to this, June O'Sullivan, CEO of LEYF, wrote on Twitter of a ‘very helpful meeting’ with Nick Hudson saying that he is ‘keen to develop regional structure and improvement idea’. The announcement of two new national directors comes just one week after the introduction of a new inspection framework for early years.
You can read more about the new framework in Pat Brunton and Linda Thornton’s analysis.

* See more at: Two new national directors of early childhood at Ofsted | Optimus Education (http://www.optimus-education.com/two-new-national-directors-early-childhood-ofsted#sthash.LxY088JX.dpuf)

We do not as yet know the reason for the split but I am sure this will come up at #OBC next meeting
Do you think it is a good idea to split CMs from the rest of the sector?

[Mouse]

I'm undecided. In some ways it might be a good thing. Childminding is very different to a group setting and maybe it will be good to have that recognised. Currently we are all (supposedly) treated the same and working to the same guidelines, but can one scheme really fit such different categories of provider? Perhaps it's about time childminding was seen to be unique and worthy of its own department. As long as we are separated because of our differing needs and not because we're seen as inferior, I see no problem with it.

If, on the other hand, this is an attempt to push childminding out of mainstream childcare and education, I'd see it as a very worrying move. the timing of the move, along with the introduction of agencies, leaves me a bit uneasy. Is this the first step in segregating childminding and distancing it from other sectors?

But as usual we are only given snippets of information and we're left to speculate on what it might all mean.

[loocyloo]

I agree with mouse. I can't decide if its good or not!

we ARE different to any other form of childcare setting, and as such, think we need to be recognised as such.

on the other hand, I am worried that this is a sneaky sideways move to channel childminders into agencies and away from 'educational' settings.

where are Ofsted placing nannies?

[sarah707]

A lot of us have worked so hard to be seen as equal to other providers - it seems like a kick in the teeth to me :(

[loocyloo]

A lot of us have worked so hard to be seen as equal to other providers - it seems like a kick in the teeth to me :(

when I say we need to be recognised as working differently to any other provider; I don't mean we are not equal, just that we work differently with totally different parameters to what we do ... a childminder can work what ever hours they choose, including overnight & weekends, providing care from newborn until teenage! I don't know of any other provider that does that. we also work out of our own homes, not from a dedicated building ( as such, thinking about settings in village halls etc ) from what I hear, a lot of inspectors don't seem to understand that although we implement EYFS, we don't work in the same way as a group based setting, and therefore, it may work in our favour to be separate.

( but I am worried about the implications of being 'squeezed' out of the sector )

[Simona]

A lot of us have worked so hard to be seen as equal to other providers - it seems like a kick in the teeth to me :(

Let's see what reply I get from Sue Gregory as I did email her asking for clarification about the split....I will share
I have been told she will respond soon....again this is something our associations have to clarify...Pacey appears happy but not sure what the others make of it...I will also try to get a reply from PLA next week on how they feel

Another item on cms ever growing agenda :angry:

[Mouse]

A lot of us have worked so hard to be seen as equal to other providers - it seems like a kick in the teeth to me :(

I agree with Loocyloo. We are different to other providers. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be judged as equal on the care & education that we provide, but simply the nature of how & where we work does make us different. Why should our specific needs be ignored and undervalued?

In no other childcare sector are providers working in their own home, pretty much alone, trying to juggle the needs of their family alongside the needs of their job. Our sector is unique in the way it works and we shouldn't have to have exactly the same framework as a nursery, or group setting.

There shouldn't be a question over what we strive to deliver - high quality care and education - but should we have to follow exactly the same path as a nursery to get there?

In an ideal world I would love to be seen as an equal with regard to the care & learning I provide, but I don't necessarily think I have to be treated the same at every step.

[Bluebell]

I think it seems like a kick in the teeth too - and that is how I reacted when I read it - on top of the way we are treated and all this agency stuff it just seems another clear nod that we are seen as 'less than', 'separate from'. However, that is my instinctive reaction - it may well be a good thing - until we know the actual facts it could turn any which way!

[blue bear]

Feels like a step back to me, I can remember when we were just seen as babysitters and nursery workers as professionals (even if they were just 16 and not yet fully qualified) :angry:

[bunyip]

A lot of us have worked so hard to be seen as equal to other providers - it seems like a kick in the teeth to me :(

I see your point Sarah, though "different" doesn't necessarily mean "unequal". It might even mean "better than".

I've never quite understood the idea that all CMs are equal to all nurseries, when not all CMs are the same, and neither are all nurseries.

I've always had a feeling that Ofsted have been at a loss as to how to deal with CMs. We were effectively dumped within their remit and suddenly ceased to be a group of childcarers (previously overseen by local social services) and suddenly became part of the child education system; which has a lot to do with the fact that that's what Ofsted are used to dealing with. It's not just Ofsted, but LAs and other organisations too, which run everything on a 'nursery model' and then try to squeeze CMs into whatever 'best fit' arrangement they can manage.

So a dedicated subdivision of Ofsted dealing with CMs could be a good thing. I stress the "could". It's like Gust's Zen master and the boy with the horse: "We'll see". :huh:

[Simona]

Thank you for all the replies and I hope many more CMs will input their views on this

Just to remind everyone where the news of the 2 Directors has come from...Sue Gregory in her Ofsted Nov 2013 news
Ofsted | Early years: November 2013 (http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/early-years-november-2013)

This is how she announced it:

We can be proud of our achievements over the last year, but there is still more to do. As I hand over to the two new national directors, Nick Hudson (Early Education) and Lorna Fitzjohn (Childminding) I wish you all the very best.
IMPROVEMENT THOUGH

The split itself will certainly have a reason behind it and we wait for someone to tell cms why...what I am concerned about is how Ofsted refer to those in the 2 groups: those who are in Early Education and we in Childminding

I totally respect those who see CMs as 'different' or 'equal' ...we certainly are different for the very reasons stated below
and we are equal because 'care and education' cannot be split but we choose to offer it from a 'home based environment' rather than 4 walls.

If Ofsted had decided on 2 groups such as: nurseries and pre-schools in one and childminding in the other...I would have been less worried and never raised the question

I say it again...we need to wait for an answer but my first reaction is to say 'CMs do offer Early Education' therefore the terminology is incorrect!

I also said many times that we have focussed so much on agencies and may have not noticed the rest that is going on for CMs....agencies will not be legal until Sept 2014 when eventually they are set up ...this split is only a few weeks' away and no one has raised any questions as yet!

In addition to that the current policy of 'childcare hubs',better communication and info sharing between nurseries/preschools and working together on various matters makes me question the split even more.