DOZENS of pre-schoolers are cared for by substandard childminders and nurseries in Darlington, figures show.

Experts say “woeful” underfunding and a recruitment and retention crisis have contributed to too many children receiving inappropriate levels of care and education at a crucial development stage.

They include seven children attending early years settings that received the lowest possible Ofsted grading of “inadequate”.

It means dozens of three and four-year-olds who have places at Government-funded facilities in Darlington were cared for by negatively-rated institutions or childminders.

Ofsted currently lists one nursery in Darlington where its early provision is rated “requires improvement”:

  • Corporation Road Community Primary School - inspected 24 September 2019

READ MORE: County Durham schools rated 'inadequate' or 'requiring improvement'

The largest proportion of children their age (62 per cent) attend settings inspectors rated “good” while 19 per cent enjoy “outstanding” care in the area.

In addition to those, there are other youngsters attending settings that do not currently have an Ofsted rating.

The figures cover all providers that receive funding giving children of that age 15 free hours of care and early education for up to 38 weeks a year. They include 677 children of working families, who are entitled to an additional 15 hours under the Government’s tax-free childcare scheme.

Families can use their allocation of hours at providers including childminders, private and school nurseries and pre-schools.

Darlington Borough Council said it supports all providers told to improve by the watchdog.

Councillor Jon Clarke, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “If childminders or private and voluntary settings receive an “inadequate” or “requires improvement” rating from Ofsted, local authority officers work with the setting to create an action plan in order to rapidly raise the level of care. 

“This is reviewed regularly and they are supported until their next inspection. If a school which has a nursery as part of its provision receives an “inadequate” or “requires improvement” rating then the school can also access support from the council.

“The council offers professional development at a bespoke level for the whole early years sector and has established an Early Years Strategy Group to consider issues facing providers and to develop strategies and protocols to support.

“We want the best for children in Darlington.”

Nick Blackburn chief executive of Lingfield Education Trust, which includes Corporation Road Community Primary School, said: “It is true that Corporation Road Community Primary School was given an Ofsted rating of ‘requiring improvement’ in 2019. 

"However, since then, dramatic improvements have been made and our data and monitoring shows that the Early Years is now a key strength of the school. Any parent or carer is welcome to come and see what we offer.” 

  • An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that early years provision in Harrowgate Hill Primary School, Springfield Academy​ and Skerne Park Academy in Darlington required improvement by Ofsted. Although the overall Ofsted rating for these schools is requires improvement, the rating for early years provision is actually Good. We apologise for this error.

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