Scottish Labour has claimed falling rates of nursery inspections under the SNP are undermining the drive to end inequality in education.
The number of inspections carried out by Education Scotland has fallen by a third since 2011, according to figures released by the Scottish Government.
Daniel Johnson, Scottish Labour’s education spokesman, described the figures as “worrying” and argued they did not tally with the SNP administration’s aim to close the attainment gap.
He added: “Inspections in our nurseries should be regular and thorough because so much of the work we can do to cut the attainment gap between the richest and the rest can begin there.
“Instead it looks like the SNP is happy to turn a blind eye and provide the bare minimum.
“That isn’t good enough – we have heard a lot from the SNP government about its commitment to education and cutting the attainment gap, but the actions of the government suggest otherwise.”
Education Secretary, John Swinney, revealed in a written parliamentary answer that inspectors’ visits to nurseries fell from 201 in 2011 to 135 last year. The estimate for this year is 99.
The trend of declining number of inspections is also happening in the country’s schools.
Holyrood’s education committee was told in November there will be 107 inspections at primary and secondary level in 2016/17.
That compares with 115 last year and 189 in 2013/14.
Alastair Delaney, who is director of inspections at Education Scotland, has told MSPs the government agency is increasing the number of early years inspectors after they had “lost expertise in that area”.
Speaking last year, he confirmed these inspectors are going through their induction, adding: “From April 1, we will see an overall increase in the number of inspections.”
Despite repeated attempts, the Scottish Government could not be reached for comment.
