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Please find below a comment from the Early Years Alliance in response to the publication of the Education Committee's on аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½±, in which it calls for one-word judgements to be replaced.

Commenting, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:

“While we welcome the Committee’s call for an alternative to one-word judgements, it is both disappointing and incredibly frustrating that the inquiry’s scope only focused on school inspections.  

“As the Alliance’s own research has shown, not only are аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± inspections the greatest cause of stress in the sector, but more than three-quarters of nurseries, pre-schools and childminders support a move to replace one-word inspection judgements. Why is it, then, that the early years continues to be such an afterthought in discussions around inspection reforms? Such a short-sighted approach risks negatively impacting the wellbeing of the early years workforce and exacerbating an already acute staffing crisis at a time when we need more educators than ever before. 

"It is absolutely crucial, therefore, that going forward, the needs and concerns of the early years sector are prioritised along those of schools in the ongoing debates around аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± reforms. After all, contrary to what many seem to believe, the education system doesn’t begin and end at the school gates."