CHILD-MINDING

It seems that lots of child-minders are giving up. Some are regarded by Ofsted, the education quango, as "inadequate". Many give red tape and bureaucracy as the reason for giving up. The have to jump through hoops and have their criminal records and so on checked. And on top of that they now have to work to a curriculum. EYFS is the Early Years Foundation Stage and sets out what the under-fives should be doing. For hundreds of years mothers at home have brought up their children without any such formal guidelines. Many will have introduced an element of learning into their child's pre-school life. But I believe this new initiative is OTT. It merely gives Ofsted a chance to extend its empire, adds more petty bureaucrats and red tape into the lives of people who were minding children quite well - making sure they didn't run into the road or fall into the garden pond.