New national minimum wage rates announced
The national minimum wage for 21- to 24-year-olds is to increase to £6.95 an hour, the government has announced. The increase, which is based on recommendations by the Low Pay Commission and set to come into effect from October, is worth around £450 a year to workers, according to the government. The changes were originally […]
Local areas to get more notice of SEND inspections
As of May, local areas will have a longer notice period of SEND inspections in a bid to provide parents and others with a greater opportunity to contribute their views and experiences, Ofsted has announced. The inspections of facilities responsible for children and young people with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are designed to […]
Fairer funding needed for schools, says Nicky Morgan
Education secretary Nicky Morgan has this week outlined plans for reforms designed to end unfairness in the school funding system. Morgan claims that the existing system for distributing funding is outdated, inefficient and unfair, and a new formula is due to be introduced from 2017 to 2018. Presently, for example, a school in one part […]
Middle class parents are ‘more informed’ about childcare services
A report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has revealed that middle class parents are more informed about the early years childcare services available to them than working class parents. “The experiences of early parenting differ according to social grade; which clearly has implications for social mobility,” the report stated. “Middle class parents are […]
Majority of parents of three- and four-year-olds received funded places in 2014 – 15
Nine out of ten parents of three- and four-year-olds received government funded early education in 2014 – 15, according to the government’s Childcare and early years survey of parents released this week. For the first time, the government also measured the uptake of the entitlement among two-year-olds, which was found to be 54%. Neil Leitch, […]
DfE not yet hit full value for money with 15 hours free childcare
Despite making significant progress with the 15 hours free childcare scheme for parents of three and four year olds, the Department for Education (DfE) has not yet achieved full value for money, the National Audit Office has said. According to the NAO’s latest report, Entitlement to free early education and childcare, the department cannot track […]
More eligible two-year-olds are taking up free entitlement places
New government figures, published today, have suggested an increase in the number of eligible two-year-olds taking up free entitlement places. The Department for Education publishes annual estimates of the number of children benefiting from government provision, and the latest figures (published June 2015) estimated that in January 2015 157,000 two-year-olds (58% of those eligible) benefited […]
Ofsted to directly manage early years inspections
Ofsted will directly manage its early years inspections and regulatory work as of April 2017, the inspectorate has announced today. Two companies, Tribal and Prospects, manage the existing early years inspections on Ofsted’s behalf, with their contracts ending on 31 March 2017. “As these contracts come to an end this is the right time to consider […]
Disabled children have notably lower access to play, Sense reports
Nine out of ten parents of disabled children say that their child does not have the same access to play as non-disabled children, according to national deafblind charity, Sense. The survey revealed the severe restrictions disabled children face when accessing play, stating that one in two disabled children have been turned away from play settings […]
NSPCC and government launch child abuse whistleblowing helpline
The NSPCC has joined forces with the home office to launch a whistleblowing helpline for employees to speak out about child protection failures. The government has provided £500,000 to set up the service, which will be open Monday to Friday and includes a helpline as well as email support. It is designed for employees from any […]
Early language skills define future learning
Five-year-olds with substandard language skills are significantly more likely to struggle with national tests later on, the BBC reports, citing recent research from Save the Children. Academics at the Institute of Education studied the progress of 5,000 children across England and found that 23% of those that struggled with language when they started school did […]
Drastic drop in childminders across England
New figures from the Labour party have shown a significant drop in the number of childminders across England over the last five years, The Guardian has reported. Labour said that the number has plummeted by 10,000 since 2011, putting pressure on childcare facilities and raising costs for working parents. Official figures show that there were 58,000 […]