Mandatory reporting duty introduced for child sexual abuse, Home Office confirms
Anyone working in a regulated activity relating to children in England – including early education and teaching professionals – will now have a legal duty to report crimes of child sexual abuse, the Home Office has announced.
Early years costs have rapidly outstripped inflation since 2010, Labour analysis reveals
Labour has unveiled data analysis showing that early education and childcare costs have increased beyond the rate of inflation by over a third since 2010
Almost half of parents either in debt or using savings for early years costs, new figures show
45.9% of parents have either been plunged into debt or had to withdraw funds from savings to keep up with early education and childcare costs
Job vacancies across early years up by 146% on pre-pandemic levels, says REC
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has stated that, in January 2024, job vacancies for the early years had increased by 146.2% on pre-pandemic levels.
DfE clarifies guidance around additional early years charges for parents
The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that early years providers cannot place compulsory additional charges on families accessing the early entitlement offers
The Joy of Doing
The aim of our ‘Joy of Doing’ feature area at the Childcare & Education Expo North in Bolton was to share the important message that children learn so much when they are able to explore resources in an open-ended way.
World of wonder: Woodland walks
Alliance early years development manager Alison Heseltine shares ideas for woodland walks that include storytelling, sensory talk, and getting to know your local area
Inclusive books for children
Do the books in your baby and toddler group represent the wide variety of children and families who attend – or may attend one day? Inclusive Books for Children (IBC) has revealed the 13 books that made it onto the shortlists for their new inclusive children’s book awards. Inclusive Books for Children aspires for mainstream children’s […]
Department for Education launches early years recruitment campaign
Push to boost early years workforce will also include a £1,000 sign-on bonus trial
Deadline for confirming provider funding rates to be brought forward, government announces
Councils are likely to be required to publish final rates within eight weeks of receiving their own
Early years excluded from Ofsted inquiry as MPs call for alternative to one-word judgments
MPs have called for Ofsted to end one-word judgments following school inspections in a report released today by the Education Select Committee
Local authorities raise concerns on future phases of early entitlement expansion
Staffing and SEND were raised as significant barriers to the successful delivery of the roll-out