Nursery World - Ofsted: 'Strong leadership' in early years key to being ready for school

Poor leadership in some early years settings means that some children, particularly those in deprived areas, are not starting school ready to 'make the most' of it, an Ofsted report says today.

Ofsted’s report, Getting it right first time – Achieving and maintaining high-quality early years provision, highlights the importance of ‘strong and effective leadership’ in making settings good or outstanding.

Ofsted’s chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw said, ‘I have said many times since my arrival at Ofsted that the importance of early years is beyond question.

‘But, a significant minority of children are simply not ready for school when they arrive in reception classes and too many do not get the high-quality provision they need to make a secure start. Our inspections show a strong correlation between low-quality provision and poorer areas, particularly among childminders.’

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