Government admits shortfall in supply of childcare places for 30-hours
Spring Budget documents reveal places will “rise more slowly than originally assumed” The number of available childcare spaces for the 30-hours offer may not be sufficient to cover demand, according to policy documents released by the government. The Spring Budget: policy costings states that the government has “made a small adjustment to the […]
Government “wasting money” to keep information about Childcare Implementation Taskforce secret, Alliance says
Alliance criticises government for refusing to publish details about official childcare taskforce The Alliance has criticised the government for refusing to publish information about the work of its official childcare taskforce despite being instructed to do so by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The Alliance filed a Freedom of Information request in December […]
Number of childminders in England drops 23% since 2012
Ofsted figures reveal that the number of registered childminders is still falling The number of childminders in England has dropped 23% since 2012, according to statistics released by Ofsted. As of December 2016, there were 44,000 childminders registered with Ofsted, down 700 from the previous total in August 2016, and 13,000 since August […]
Alliance launches SMARTpd
Tailored approach to professional development offered to early years practitioners The Alliance has announced the launch of its new professional development programme SMARTpd, designed to offer bespoke support to settings. With several recent changes to areas such as safeguarding, Ofsted guidance and Prevent duty, many practitioners are looking to keep their training up-to-date […]
Spring Budget does not address childcare concerns, Alliance says
Chancellor’s latest Budget brings no additional funding ahead of 30-hours roll-out The government’s Spring Budget announcements this week included no changes in funding for the early years sector ahead of the 30-hours offer coming into place this September. Chancellor Philip Hammond confirmed plans for the new tax-free childcare scheme, which will see the […]
Government scraps GCSE requirement for level 3 practitioners
Functional skills will be accepted as an equivalent to GCSEs from 3 April onwards Level 3 practitioners will no longer need a GCSE in English and maths to count in early years ratios, following an announcement from the DfE this morning. Early years minister Caroline Dinenage confirmed the policy change at the Childcare […]
Families spend up to 45% of disposable income on childcare, report claims
Research from Family and Childcare Trust shows “soaring” cost of childcare British parents are paying an average of £116 a week for childcare, according to new research from the Family and Childcare Trust. The charity used data from local authorities across Britain for its 16th annual report, finding that families spend up to 45% of […]
Many providers will not offer 30-hours, DfE statistics suggest
10,000 fewer providers plan to offer parents 30-hours compared to 15-hours according to DfE statistics The 30-hours of free childcare offer could cause a lack of childcare places, due to provider reluctance to sign up to the new scheme, DfE statistics suggest. According to the Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers, England […]
NICE tells early years staff to look for “soft” signs of neglect
NICE drafts guidance for practitioners regarding symptoms of neglect or abuse Early years professional are being advised to look for “soft” signs of abuse, following draft guidelines released by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has drawn up the guidance in response to a request from the Department for […]
31% of children begin school before reaching a good level of early development, report claims
Save the Children report asks government to invest £65 million in the early years Save the Children has called on the government to increase its investment in the early years to ensure that all settings have an early years teacher, in a new report released today. Early Development and Children’s Later Educational Outcomes […]
Caroline Dinenage suggests providers charge for extras to make 30-hours viable
Early years minister tells nursery owners to charge for additional services if funding doesn’t cover costs Early years minister Caroline Dinenage has suggested that childcare providers charge parents for additional services in order to top-up the 30 hours of funding provided by the government. In a meeting with three nursery owners, Dinenage responded […]
Graduate practitioners have a limited impact on child outcomes, study claims
Report from London School of Economics questions conventional methods for testing setting quality A new study from the London School of Economics has questioned the impact of graduate staff on the quality of early years settings. The report, titled Quality in Early Years Settings and Children’s School Achievement, found that staff qualifications and […]