Early learning and childcare and school age childcare services inspection consultation: SG response

Footnotes

1 Throughout this document, reference to ‘ELC’ can be assumed to refer to all pre-school education and care for children aged 0 to not yet attending primary school that is registered with the Care Inspectorate, whether providing funded or unfunded hours, such as nursery provision and childminders.

2 Best Start - strategic early learning and school age childcare plan 2022 to 2026 - evidence annex

3 The remaining 12% (who answered the question) had not directly experienced the inspection process.

4 Question 2.9 asked: What are your views on how local authorities carry out their role in monitoring and supporting quality improvement in ELC and school age childcare provision (where appropriate), and how this aligns with the inspection functions carried out by the Care Inspectorate and HMIE?

5 Section 47 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities to secure ELC for all eligible children. The ELC being secured has to be in-line with the definition in section 46 of the 2014 Act. Scottish Ministers and local authorities also have a duty under section 3 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 to endeavour to secure improvement in the quality of school education which is provided in Scotland, and this includes ELC.

6 Question 2.7 in the consultation paper asked: Under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, HMIE and the Care Inspectorate are under a duty to ‘cooperate and coordinate’ their inspection activity. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the two inspectorate bodies cooperate with one another and coordinate inspection activity effectively?

7 Question 2.8 in the consultation paper asked: Do you think any change is required to the current duty to ‘cooperate and coordinate’ inspection activity to provide opportunities to improve cooperation and coordination between the inspectorate bodies in the short and medium term?

8 Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 (legislation.gov.uk)

9 Recommendation 15 in the Muir report is: “As a matter of urgency the new independent Inspectorate should re-engage with the Care Inspectorate to agree a shared inspection framework designed to reduce the burden on Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) practitioners and centres.”

10 Question 3.5 asked: Do you think that the shared framework should apply to all ELC services, including funded and unfunded nursery and childminder provision for 0–5-year-olds, and to childcare provision for children of school age (over 5 years old)?