News items: News items

NFER 'win' Reception baseline assessment bid

Thu, 19 Apr 2018 09:06:07 +0000

The DfE have announced this morning that NFER have 'won' the bid to provide the baseline assement for Reception children beginning in Autumn 2020. It seems from the various news pieces available that the other other two potential bidders Early Excellence and the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring (CEM) both declined to bid saying that the Government's proposals did not make sense. It appears therefore, that although NFER 'won' the bid, they were the only contenders. You can read the DfE press release here. The TES piece is available on their site here. You can comment on this thread.

Stop Start report by Sutton Trust published

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 09:28:42 +0000

Latest research from Prof Kathy Sylva, Prof Pam Sammons and their team at the University of Oxford has used administrative data, a survey of local authorities and a series of case studies to paint a picture of what has happened to children’s centres across England. It shows decline, both in numbers and services, but also adaptation and a struggle to survive. You can read the full report here. You can comment on the report on this thread.

Treasury select committee discuss the Government's childcare policy:

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 13:37:23 +0000

The select committee's report has been described in the Financial Times (25/3/18) 'MPs release damning report on childcare policy'. Reading the conclusions and recommendations it is easy to see why the FT went for such a strongly worded headline. The publication of the select committee' views (read the full detail here) listed on the Parliament website show that the MPs thought:

The Treasury has made little effort to calculate the economic impact of the Government’s childcare interventions.
(When speaking of the retrospective payments made in Universal credit) a fundamental design flaw
Tax-Free Childcare is a clearly under-performing scheme
Setting the (30 hours) funding level with reference to wage and overheads data that is more than five years old is unsatisfactory

Clearly the select committee feels that there is much work to be done to ensure that the current childcare policies are effective and reach the families for which they were intended. The Pre-school Learning Alliance has commented on the committee's findings, you can read their press release here. The NDNA has similarly responded, their piece is here.

Men can be nursery teachers too

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 08:12:43 +0000

An important point on the BBC today: "Two in three councils providing nursery services do not employ any men, the Victoria Derbyshire programme has learned. How can diversity in the profession be improved?". David Wright, who wrote this article for us, has been a major contributor to this discussion.

You can read the BBC piece and listen to the discussion from here. You can share your own views and experiences on this forum thread.

'Evidence of Childcare Costs' document

Wed, 14 Mar 2018 11:34:14 +0000

Following the recent APPG meeting where Michelle Dyson (DfE) spoke regarding the funding and childcare costs faced by settings, we were asked to provide 'hard' evidence from the sector. We have received from the DfE a template document that will be used to inform decisions by DfE. Here is the content of the email:

"We wish to give providers the opportunity to provide evidence of their costs to the Department. To this end, we have developed the attached template which is intended to capture relevant information and data in a manageable way. Any provider can complete the template and return it directly to us by the end of April 2018. You may also wish to know that we will shortly start our annual Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers (SCEYP). The SCEYP is our long-standing survey of childcare and early years providers and is the main way in which DfE usually collects robust, wide-ranging and up-to-date evidence on childcare providers. This year, we will be enhancing our analytical programme with more detailed research on provider finances and childcare costs and our contractors will be visiting a representative sample of providers for this purpose."

Please take the time to fill it in

Department for Education Provider Costs Template_Feb18.docx

Family and Childcare Trust, 17th annual Childcare Survey

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 16:52:34 +0000

Report reveals that childcare prices have surged at double the rate of inflation, undermining Government’s new investments. Following the rollout of new government support schemes in 2017, most parents are now entitled to some help with childcare costs – but the confusing hotchpotch of seven different types of support means parents are at risk of missing out on the help they need. Many working parents using the new tax free childcare and the 30 hours free childcare offer for three and four year olds will be spending less on childcare this year, but savings could dry up quickly if prices continue to rise at the same rate. Worryingly, families with lower incomes and younger children are the ones who are most likely to be squeezed by the price surge. You can read the full report here and discuss it on this thread.

Ofsted scrap online SEF

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:57:39 +0000

Ofsted have announced that the SEF document, generally completed online, will cease to be used from 1st April 2018. The SEF, in the current format, was never a statutory requirement, now it won't be available at all. The requirement for all settings to self-evaluate, reflect and review practice to improve outcomes for children remains in place. If you would like to read more about how Ofsted view self-evaluation this thread has useful information and gives you the opportunity to discuss this change.

Ceeda Autumn sector bulletin published

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:33:39 +0000

Ceeda is a private sector research agency specialising in early years research. They have carried out research into the state of the sector using data gathered from 800 childcare providers including 245 childminders and 555 nurseries and pre-schools in the period November to December 2017. Some headline findings are as follows: only 33% of year-round daycare PVI settings are offering the 30 hours genuinely free, nine in every ten settings (90%) delivering NONE of their 30-hour places free say 3 & 4 year old funding rates are less than delivery costs, 22% of nurseries and pre-schools require private hours as part of a 30-hour offer, 30% of nurseries and pre-schools have cut training, 18% have lowered ratios, and 13% have lowered their qualification mix to cut costs. Crucially, 10% of nurseries and pre-schools and 9% of childminders doubt they will be operating in 12 month's time. You can read the full bulletin here. You can also discuss the findings and compare them to your own experience here.

Bold Beginnings, an open letter to The Guardian

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 13:25:36 +0000

In The Guardian there is an open letter signed by over 1700 concerned individuals including well-known sector names such as Anna Ephgrave, Neil Leitch, June O'Sullivan and David Whitebread. Together they are expressing their concerns "over the possibility of the government introducing developmentally inappropriate practice into reception classes in England." They explain that they "are alarmed by the recommendations made by Ofsted’s ‘Bold Beginnings’ report and have been moved to write this letter calling for the report to be withdrawn." You can read the letter in full here. The Guardian has followed the letter with a piece by their Education correspondent which you can read here: Ofsted's call for more teaching in reception year prompts backlash. You can discuss the Bold Beginnings report here

Pre-school Learning Alliance survey results

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 13:24:54 +0000

Following a survey conducted since the introduction of the 30 hours 'free scheme' the PLA have issued the following headline findings:

Nurseries are making up losses by upping fees for younger children and charging for meals and nappies.
Only a third of providers are delivering the hours totally free.
Most providers said the hourly rates they were receiving from the government were below what they charged parents not on the scheme and failed to cover their costs.
A fifth of providers thought they may not be financially sustainable by next year.

Read about the survey here.

Early Years Investment Fund scrapped

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 13:41:17 +0000

The fund, announced in November 2016, has quietly been scrapped and is now missing from the list of funding options available for Early Years providers. You can read the full story on this thread.

Government launches consultation on plans to modernise sex education, which includes EYFS

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 11:43:04 +0000

Pupils in England’s schools are currently taught about relationships, health and the wider world through sex and relationship education (SRE) and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) lessons. The Government would like to hear your views about how the current requirements can be improved. You can respond to the consultation here. You can discuss the consultation on this thread.

Ofsted report on Reception classes in schools

Wed, 20 Dec 2017 14:09:06 +0000

Ofsted have today released their 'Bold beginnings: The Reception curriculum in a sample of good and outstanding primary schools' report. In the report, findings from research led by Gill Jones HMI, recommendations for practice and considerations for DfE are raised. You can discuss the report on this thread.

Financial updates following the budget

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 12:09:22 +0000

In the recent budget, the Chancellor announced a rise in the level of minimum wage and also the living wage. The early years funding rates have also been announced for 2018/19. You can read the new rates and comment on the thread 'Costing news update'

Results of 'financial impact' survey

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:56:36 +0000

At the beginning of the month FSF ran a survey to prepare for the early education and childcare APPG meeting on November 1st. 867 FSF members responded and the headline data is interesting:

The financial impact of the 30 hours scheme has been that 36% of our respondents have seen their income fall since September and 37% have seen no change, with the majority of the 'no change' having decided not to offer the scheme.
55% of respondents said that the administration of the scheme had increased their work load and that this increase was being worked unpaid.
47% of respondents either knew their setting was unsustainable or were unsure of their setting's sustainability with a further 15% reporting that they 'really didn't know' what the future held. Only 39% of providers felt that they were sustainable going forward (with many of these saying that this is because they are not offering the 30 hours scheme.)

If you would like to read the summary responses you can do so on this thread

What do you serve at lunch and snack time?

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 11:58:02 +0000

Yesterday, the Dept of Health and Public Health England, in conjunction with Action for Children, published guidelines for early years settings to support them in the development of their menus for children under 5. The guidelines are voluntary but meet the food and nutrition requirements contained in the Statutory Framework. The menus and the associated guidelines can be accessed from the Gov.uk website: Example menus for early years settings in England. We are discussing nutrition for children under 5 on this thread.

Don't forget to remind parents to reconfirm their eligibility for 30 hours funding

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 11:57:09 +0000

If parents want to continue to receive funding in January they must reconfirm their eligibility this month. They need to log into their government childcare account

Ceeda research published regarding the state of the sector:

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:24:15 +0000

Ceeda launched the independent ‘About Early Years’ research programme in May 2017 to track key sector trends on a regular basis and provide timely analysis for childcare providers, policy makers and investors. You can read the overview of the research findings here and the whole research here.

DfE issue updated guidance on Criminal Record checks for childcare workers

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 07:44:02 +0000

The DfE has updated the guidance regarding DBS checks. They are much easier to understand and they signpost clearly to the right pages. There are two updated documents to read; Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks: childcare providers (updated 6/10/17) and Criminal record checks for childminders and childcare workers (updated 18/10/17). You can comment and ask questions about the updates on this thread.

30 hours committee debate raises providers' concerns

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 15:38:40 +0000

On Thursday 12th October early years ministers debated the impact of the newly introduced 30 hours free funding scheme. The debate was called by Ruth George MP and both Robert Goodwill MP and Tracy Brabin MP spoke at length to set out their own views of the success of the scheme. You can watch the debate on Parliament tv by following this link. Nursery World have written at length about the debate in their magazine today. You can read their article here: Minister says providers are 'up for it' in 30 hours debate. If want to talk about the debate or share some of your own setting's experiences then you can do so on this thread.

Closing Gaps Early, The Sutton Trust report

Thu, 05 Oct 2017 10:55:43 +0000

One key finding was that the new 30 hours scheme could widen the gap between disadvantaged children and those able to take advantage of the increased funding. The report says "neither the tax-free childcare scheme nor the 30 hour entitlement for working families are well-designed to promote social mobility, meaning longer hours in state-funded early education for children who are already relatively advantaged, which may be expected to widen gaps in child development at school starting age. Particularly worrying, these investments are coming at the expense of the quality of provision." You can read the report in full here.

Government respond to primary assessment consultation

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 16:55:54 +0000

The Government response to the primary assessment consultation was published last week and addressed questions regarding baseline assessment in Reception, the EYFSP and statutory assessments during Key stages 1 and 2. You can read the response here: Helping children learn through a proportionate primary assessment system. If you are a Tapestry user you can read about the impact of the proposals on this FSF thread: Tapestry and the primary assessment consultation response

DfE Consultation on Functional Skills

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 15:17:08 +0000

Following the recent furore surrounding the L3 requirements for Maths and English GCSE the workforce review changed the requirements for English and Mathematics qualifications. The Government is now reforming the functional skills qualifications with the aim of improving their relevance and credibility in the labour market. There is a consultation open asking questions on the proposed content for all five qualification levels in mathematics and English. The consultation will run from 12 September until 07 November 2017. You can discuss the consultation and access the relevant documents here: DfE Consultation on Functional Skills

Tulip Siddiq to chair the Childcare and Early Education APPG

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 10:51:38 +0000

Tulip Siddiq, the Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn and former Shadow Early Years Minister, has been confirmed as Chair of the Childcare and Early Education All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Ms Siddiq is an influential and experienced voice in Parliament on early years issues, and has previously challenged the government over early years funding. An APPG is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers who join together to further a particular topic or policy area. When run effectively, APPGs can have a significant influence on government decisions and priorities. As well as challenging the government on its 30-hours childcare policy, the APPG for Childcare and Early Education is also expected to focus on support for parents, workforce issues, raising standards in care, and the financial sustainability of the sector. The APPG is being sponsored by the National Day Nurseries Association, CACHE, The Foundation Stage Forum, Tops Day Nurseries and the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

If you want to know more or comment on the APPG then you can follow this link to our forum thread.

30 hours 'Free' childcare roll-out today

Thu, 07 Sep 2017 12:36:33 +0000

The full roll-out 'happened' today with providers and parents waiting to see what the impact will be on them once the 30 hours entitlement kicks in. Both PLA and NDNA have been working hard securing press coverage and explaining how the scheme is supposed to work and how it is shaping up in reality. You can read their press pieces from these links: Preschool Learning Alliance and NDNA. This piece in The Financial Times reads well and sets out both sides of the argument very clearly: There’s no such thing as a free lunch — or free childcare.