Press coverage 2020

 

3 July: 

• The Guardian: If Boris Johnson is really interested in ‘levelling up', he should start with nurseries

2 July:

• The Evening Standard: Third of nurseries in most deprived areas face permanent closure, report warns​​​​​​​
• Day Nurseries: Coronavirus: Third of nurseries in deprived areas may shut permanently because of lockdown​​​​​​​
• Early Years Educator: Rule on childcare ‘bubbles’ to be relaxed​​​​​​​
• TES: EYFS: No bubbles rule vital, but huge concerns remain​​​​​​​

26 June:

• Day Nurseries: Campaigners 'welcome' delay of Reception Baseline Assessments for four-year-olds​​​​​​​

25 June:

• The Mirror: Parents facing childcare 'chaos' with cash strapped providers going bust
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Nurseries and childminders face huge financial losses, analysis finds
• Day Nurseries: Early years leaders warn of 'mass nursery closures' saying parents face 'chaos'​​​​​​​

24 June:

• Early Years Educator: Childcare sector at risk of mass closures as occupancy levels plummet

23 June:

• Early Years Educator: Restrictions removed on wraparound and holiday childcare provision

19 June:

• BBC News: Coronavirus: £1bn catch-up tutoring fund for England's pupils​​​​​​​

10 June:

• Early Years Educator: Opinion: Left to go it alone

9 June:

• Nursery World: Just 10 per cent of early years children have returned to settings​​​​​​​

5 June:

• Early Years Educator: TUC urges Government cash boost for childcare​​​​​​​

4 June:

• The Financial Times: UK childcare sector on ‘brink of collapse​​​​​​​
• The Independent: Women will be driven out of the workplace ‘if government does not urgently bail out childcare providers’

1 June:

• The Guardian: The Guardian view on nurseries: a case of neglect
• The Sun: Less than half of parents will send their children to nursery today, study says
• BBC News:  Primary schools back but mixed picture on turn-out​​​​​​​
• The Metro: ‘Almost half’ of eligible children will not be in class as schools reopen today​​​​​​​

31 May:

• Vogue UK: What Will Going “Back To School” Even Look Like For Early Years?​​​​​​​

29 May: 

• The Indepedent: Covid-19 crisis could set women back decades, experts fear

19 May:

• Nursery World: Government slammed for failing to treat early years providers equally with schools

13 May:

• BBC News: Coronavirus: Some childminders in England can reopen​​​​​​​

11 May: 

• The Telegraph: Nursery sector calls for urgent financial support as it is told to reopen its doors next month

6 May:

• Early Years Educator: Coronavirus: Restrictions on providers’ access to Job Protection Scheme must be lifte​​​​​​​d
• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Alliance letter highlights gaps in financial support for childcare sector​​​​​​​

5 May:

• The Daily Mail: One in four childcare providers fear permanent closure
• TES: 'Early years closures would be a disaster for society'​​​​​​​

4 May:

• BBC online: Coronavirus: ‘The nursery I run may not survive’
• ITV News: Quarter of nurseries worried they will close within a year, survey seen by ITV News shows
• The Telegraph: Parents risk losing thousands in already-paid fees, as one in four nurseries face collapse
• TES: Dear madam: letters to the editor 4/5/20

30 April:

• The Telegraph: Nursery crisis looms as one in six childcare providers say they will permanently close after lockdown
• Children and Young People Now:  Childcare leaders criticise inclusion of nurseries in consumer watchdog probe
• Nursery World: Free wellbeing-themed online CPD launched
• Early Years Educator: Tap into well-being with a free training programme from the Alliance
• Early Years Educator: Childcare sector to come under scrutiny by the Competition and Markets Authority

29 April:

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Early years organisations join forces to petition government
• Early Years Educator: 'Help the sector to play its part in recovering from Covid–19'
• daynurseries.co.uk: Councils told to use unspent childcare budgets on nurseries still open

28 April:

• Your Money: Parents suffering coronavirus wage cuts may not qualify for 30 hours free childcare

24 April:

• The Guardian: UK childcare industry 'crushed' by coronavirus crisis
• Business Live: Fears new Covid-19 rules will mean 'widespread job losses' for nursery workers
• Nursery World: Childcare providers facing postcode lottery of support
• Early Years Educator: Childcare professionals with coronavirus symptoms prioritised for testing

22 April:

• ITV Anglia: Nurseries call for more financial support to care for key workers’ children
• The Sun: CARE GAP Parents fear nurseries will never re-open as thousands of staff can’t be furloughed during lockdown closures
• Early Years Educator: Coronavirus: Government moves goalposts again on childcare funding
• Children and Young People Now: Councils 'can now switch early years funding between settings'

20 April:

• Nursery World: Thousands sign petition against Government cut to furlough funding for nurseries
• Children and Young People: Early years sector 'in jeopardy' after government U-turn on furlough funding
• Early Years Educator: ‘Kick in teeth’ for providers as government backtracks on financial furlough support
• Early Years Educator: Providers and parents hit back as Government reneges on furlough support

19 April:

• The Guardian: Nearly seven million jobs at risk if lockdown lasts for months

16 April:

• Early Years Educator: New data portal launched to track the impact of coronavirus – in real time

14 April:

• Early Years Educator: Wiltshire council decides to cut rate of ‘free entitlement’ funding to closed local providers

7 April:

• Nursery World: Coronavirus - Staying open

2 April:

• Nursery World: Updated furlough guidance gives flexibility for nurseries to rotate staff
• Early Years Educator: Coronavirus: Updated guidance from HMRC states childcare staff can be placed on furlough more than once
• daynurseries.co.uk: HMRC clarifies that childcare staff can be placed on furlough more than once

31 March:

• The Guardian: Nursery closures leaving key workers without childcare

29 March:

• The Observer: High street's survival under threat as lockdown hits stores
• The Sunday Telegraph: Key workers forced into time off for childcare as nurseries shut

28 March:

• The Telegraph: Key workers forced to take unpaid leave as nurseries close

26 March:

• The Telegraph: Should I still be paying nursery fees now they've been ordered to shut?
• The Telegraph: Unemployment could soar after Chancellor delays coronavirus help for self-employed until June
• Early Years Educator: Coronavirus: Government support for self-employed throws lifeline to childminders
• daynurseries.co.uk: Cash-strapped nurseries reveal why they are charging parents during closures

20 March:

• The Guardian: Nurseries will close without more support during coronavirus
• Education Business: More support needed or nurseries will close
• daynurseries.co.uk: Coronavirus: Early years leaders welcome list of key workers but concerns over financial stability remain

19 March:

• The Telegraph: Nurseries say they will defy orders and stay open until forced to close, amid fears shutdown will put them out of business

18 March:

• daynurseries.co.uk: Nurseries and schools in England to close to all but vulnerable children and children of key workers
• daynurseries.co.uk: Coronavirus: Early years leader asks supermarkets to let nursery providers have 'access during first hour trading'

16 March:

• Nursery World: Settings seeking coronavirus advice
• daynurseries.co.uk:  New report states only 63 per cent of children from deprived areas are guaranteed nursery place

13 March:

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: Call for early years inspections to be put on hold

11 March:

• daynurseries.co.uk: Budget: Anger as Government 'favours pubs and hotels' over nurseries

10 March:

• Children and Young People Now: Coronavirus: Fears over long-term financial impact on nurseries
• daynurseries.co.uk: Coronavirus: Nursery chiefs ask government for emergency funding

6 March:

• The Independent: Coronavirus: Parents pull children out of nurseries prompting fears epidemic could hit industry
• Nursery World: Workforce survey: Early years sector under increasing strain
• FENews.co.uk: New Ceeda research showing nursery recruitment crisis

3 March:

• The Independent: Coronavirus: Boris Johnson’s plan would make classrooms unsafe for children, teachers say
• Nursery World: Early years workforce commission set up to tackle recruitment crisis
• FENews.co.uk: Commission Launched on Future of the Early Years Workforce
• daynurseries.co.uk: New early years commission to find answers to nursery workforce challenges

2 March:

• Nursery World: Exclusive: Sector survey finds mixed views on 'free' childcare entitlements

1 March:

• Children and Young People Now: Reforms 'risk tick-box assessment approach'

26 February:

• Nursery World: Childcare costs rise above inflation
• daynurseries.co.uk: Nursery childcare costs rise five per cent while government funding fails to keep up

25 February:

• The Times: Parents face soaring nursery fees to cover costs of free childcare policy

19 February:

• Nursery World: Government urged to 're-think' its Tax-Free Childcare scheme as take-up remains low

17 February

• Nursery World: Coronavirus: what are settings doing about it?

14 February

• Children & Young People Now: Vicky Ford appointed children and families minister
• daynurseries.co.uk: Vicky Ford MP appointed new minister for children and families

10 February

• Childcare & Young People Now: Ofsted launches new childcare registration system 'to boost workforce' 

3 February

• Children & Young People Now: EYFS reforms risk "tick box assessment approach"
• TES: Early years needs funding, not reform, survey finds

1 February

• Daily Mail: Children born in the summer are more likely to struggle with skills, figures show

31 January

• Nursery World: New government fgures reveal true scale of children's centre closures

30 January

• The Guardian: Sustainability must start in the nursery

29 January

• Children & Young People Now: Children's Centre Numbers Fall by a Third in 10 Years

28 January

• Nursery World: Practitioners' views sought on SEND funding

27 January

• DayNurseries.co.uk: Early Years Alliance launches survey to identify how underfunding affects nursery SEND children
• Nursery World: Ceeda debate: 'Until the sector collapses you won't get investment'

20 January

• Nursery World: Providers left in the dark over funding rates

17 January

• Nursery World: Government policies have failed to improve early years workforce qualification level
• Day Nurseries: Nurseries react to lost decade of support due to government failures

16 January

• Day Nurseries: Labour announces Tulip Siddiq is Labour's shadow early years minister
• Nursery World: Tulip Siddiq appointed shadow early years minister
• Radio 4, You and Yours: Struggling Nurseries, Locked Phones and Veganuary

15 January

• BBC News, Politics Live: Nurseries face closure over free childcare funding gap

7 January

• Day Nurseries: Sajid Javid's Budget must not 'ignore' childcare problem warn nurseries

See press coverage from previous years