Government expands 30-hour ‘free childcare’ trial
Dorest, Leicester, North Yorkshire and Tower Hamlets join the government’s 30 hours scheme ahead of schedule Four more councils have signed up to the government’s 30-hour ‘free childcare’ scheme, ahead of the nationwide roll-out in September. Eight councils have already been offering the hours as part of an ‘early implementer’ trial since September […]
Tulip Siddiq resigns from frontbench
Shadow early years minister resigns from Labour’s shadow cabinet Tulip Siddiq has resigned from her role as shadow early years minister, after less than four months in the role. The MP quit as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed that Labour MPs would be expected to back the upcoming Article 50 bill, which will trigger the […]
Important information regarding Tax Free Childcare
HMRC have confirmed to the Alliance that all childcare providers who wish to enrol in the forthcoming Tax-Free Childcare scheme will need a Unique Tax-payer Reference (UTR). HMRC are currently in the process of writing to every charitable setting who has previously contacted the childcare service helpline regarding this issue, to provide them with […]
Smarter training – Professional development with the Alliance
With so many changes in the sector, training and professional development is more important than ever. Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at the Alliance, introduces a new solution: SMARTpd. The need for early years practitioners to ensure their skills and knowledge remain up-to-date has increased hugely in recent years. Insights provided by neuroscience […]
Government has underestimated demand for 30 hours scheme, says Alliance
Research by Ceeda suggests that tens of thousands could miss out on funded places The government has underestimated the level of demand for the 30-hour funded childcare offer, according to independent research commissioned by the Pre-school Learning Alliance and carried out by research company Ceeda. Based on a survey of 1,708 parents, Ceeda […]
Follow-up to speech and language review planned
Inquiry launched to help inform Bercow: Ten Years On The Royal College of Speech and Language has partnered with children’s charity I CAN to launch an inquiry that will inform a follow-up report to a landmark study on speech and language. Published in 2008, the Bercow Review considered the support available to young […]
Head teachers call for return of baseline assessments
Head teachers union calls on government to drop tests for seven year olds Baseline assessments should be reinstated as part of an overhaul of primary assessment, a review published by the National Association of Head Teacher (NAHT) has argued. The union has recommended that tests at the end of key stage one should […]
Half of working dads want to spend more time with their children
Modern Families Index report reveals that working dads want a better work-life balance Half of working fathers would prefer to have a less stressful job in order to spend more time taking care of their children, the latest Modern Families Index report has revealed. A third of the fathers surveyed about their views on […]
Breakfast clubs offer working parents a “lifeline”
Research suggests that a third would give up work without support of breakfast clubs More than a quarter of parents believe that they or their partner would be forced out of work without the support of a breakfast club, a Kellogg’s study into the role of breakfast clubs has found. The company described […]
Government announces beneficiaries of £50m childcare scheme
Education Secretary announces grant scheme to fund childcare places The Government has revealed details of the winning bids for its £50 million capital funding scheme, designed to support the 30-hour childcare offer. The full list of winning bids can be viewed here. First announced in November 2015, the government expects the scheme to […]
Confusion continues over children’s centre consultation
DfE policy still unclear after life chances strategy dropped last year The Department for Education (DfE) has refused to confirm whether a planned consultation on the future of children’s centres will go ahead. The government’s life chances strategy, which included the planned consultation, was dropped last year. It was originally designed to address […]
Focus on ethnic groups to boost mobility, early years told
The Social Mobility Commission highlights inequality in new report Early years practitioners have been encouraged to focus on the needs of ethnic minority groups in a bid to fight social inequality. A new report from the Social Mobility Commission has highlighted inequalities in access to quality early years services for children from different […]