Helen

Aside from the actual premises themselves, I think the first thing that needs to happen is for the new government to do all they can to ensure early years is seen as a professional pathway with good career progression, CPD and to demonstrate respect for the jobs that educators do. We need to attract the very best to our early years courses, and to ensure newly qualified staff have ongoing development opportunities. There has to be a much better understanding around how important the first 5 years are. And I agree, finleysmaid, families with an income of over £100,000 shouldn't receive free childcare- that money would be much better allocated elsewhere.

I've been mulling this over....a lot! I have very mixed feelings- this is what the Guardian said: Under Labour’s plan, 3,334 classrooms in existing primary schools will be converted to accommodate 100,000 extra childcare places. Spare capacity is growing in primaries due to falling birth rates. The Department for Education estimates that about 85,000 places are needed for current plans. Labour said that refurbishing classrooms, which they hope will start within weeks of entering government and be complete well before the end of a first term, would cost an average £40,000 each. The total, £140m, would be funded by the party’s plans to levy VAT on private school fees. It seems to me that refurbishing classrooms to be suitable for babies and our youngest children, needs very careful thought. The classroom selected needs to be easily accessible- lots of buggies going in and out, for example, and there needs to be places for parents to speak privately to staff. Nappy changing and rest/sleep areas can't just be shoved into a corner- so we're not talking about one classroom needing to be adapted, but several areas. Having just had work done on my house, £40,000 doesn't go a very long way! On the other hand, if nursery staff were paid better than in the PVI sector, had better conditions (sick leave, pensions, etc), guaranteed CPD and career progression opportunities, and more chance of working in a high quality maintained nursery, I can see the attraction. But if the already drained PVI sector loses any more staff, it will be disastrous. Where are all these members of staff coming from? What do you think?

Welcome to the forum, Blessing 😃. Thank you for making your first posts. I totally agree- reflection is essential if we are to learn professionally and constantly improve what we offer to children and their families. There are advantages to both reflecting on our own, examining our own thoughts and feelings, and also reflecting with our colleagues about our practice and provision. Sharing ideas and reflections amongst our work colleagues is hugely beneficial- but needs skilled leaders to create and maintain a supportive, inclusive and safe environment for staff to feel comfortable. When it works well, it's a joy 😀

It does seem very strange, doesn't it? And somewhat lazy, if I'm perfectly honest! I would imagine it's because outside agencies, particularly if funding is required, need to know 'how far behind a child is'. My own view is that we should be explaining a child's unique strengths and challenges in words, not ticking age-bands, etc. I agree- with our new workforce currently in training, they need to be working with current best practice and assessing against the old development matters really isn't best practice. 😧 We are aware of many organisations using the free-to-download Cherry Garden framework which offers a flexible approach to assessing a child who may have SEND. The reflection toolkit is also proving very popular- also free. I think things will only change when settings are able to persuade LAs and outside agencies to move with the times!

I don't run my nursery anymore but when I did, we would encourage children to put their hoods up or wear hats, but we wouldn't enforce it. Could you maybe let him choose one when you next go shopping? The crazier the better! He might be more inclined to wear one then, if he's had the choice. 🙂

The bike chain I thought would be good to just stroke and wiggle and generally investigate each link. Padlock- if you get one where you spin the dials to get the correct number for unlocking, that could be a satisfying fiddle, too. 🙂

I'd also email them with a photo of where your qualification is on the document- highlighting the dates. Is there anyone in your LA who could confirm it for you?

Would a bike chain and padlock be any good?

Good luck, Poppy! You're doing everything right- and I wouldn't want the meeting recorded either. 🙂

Inspectors are generally really used to working in these situations, and can often ask questions during quieter moments when you're still with the children but they're more self-occupied. If, during a conversation with the inspector, you feel you are needed by any child, or for any situation, don't hesitate to say 'I'm sorry, I just need to pop over there and....I'll be back as soon as I can'. This shows them that you are alert to what's going on and that your priority is the children, not the inspector!

How did your meeting go? I hope you have found a way to move forward positively. 🙂

Hi mac20, Have you thought about cork flooring? We put some down at home and are really pleased with it- it's like engineered wood flooring but instead of wood, it's cork. Very hard wearing. Feels lovely underfoot, and is a great insulator. We used this white one, but there are loads to choose from. https://www.colourflooring.co.uk/collections/cork-flooring/products/camada-white-corka

Thanks for the references, Georgina- that's a helpful structure for reflective practice and is often the one that students are introduced to when starting out on their reflective journey. I've also found how useful it can be to discuss reflections with colleagues- inviting their thoughts and suggestions within a supportive environment. You can get such insight from others. I used to be a reflective practice tutor at Uni and these group sessions were some of the most enjoyable and thought-provoking. 🙂

It's a tricky one, isn't it? But if your professional opinion is that the child has now settled happily into the setting, then there is no need for his mum to stay longer than the usual drop off that other parents do. I'd start saying things like...'like the parents of all the other children'....'so it's not confusing for the children (including yours!) that you stay, but none of the other parents do' etc etc. I really like your idea of asking her if she trusts you sufficiently- that forces her hand and it will come to a conclusion one way or the other. The fact that the little boy has been with you since April strongly suggests that she is happy with your provision. It might help if you agreed to video her son 20 minutes after she's left, (do you use an online journal?) to reassure her that he is happy and busy learning and playing. Maybe say that you'd like to gradually reduce her time now- half an hour for this week, 15 minutes next. Good luck and let us know how you get on. Remember, you're the expert and you're the one in charge. 🙂

Oh no, I am so sad to hear this news. Panders was a much respected member of our forum community and we valued her greatly. The whole team at the FSF and Tapestry send their condolences- if Panders had a certain charity that she felt a connection with, we'd like to make a donation in her name, if you felt that was appropriate.

I agree- and we've very much valued your contributions here. 🙂 Being a leader/manager can be exhausting and lonely when you feel you're on your own- the exact reason we set up the FSF. I'm not sure whether facebook, twitter, instagram is useful in supporting current leaders; I've never felt they have the same ethos, or collective view of the importance of positive, kind support, as a professional discussion forum. It all gets a bit shouty and opinionated for me! 😬

When I ran my nursery, I was lucky enough to be in a network of other EYPs/managers/leaders and we decided to buddy up and swap members of staff occasionally. So, for example, one day, my deputy swapped with another deputy for the day. It was a really good way to pick up some ideas and refresh each other's practice. You might not want to do this with a setting that is your immediate competitor, though!

Hello Vandna, Welcome to the FSF! 😀 I think reflective practice can be something you build into your everyday work- I'm not working with children anymore, but when I was working in a nursery, I was consciously observing and reflecting on my interactions with the children, on the activities available and how the children were using them, on the environment and whether certain areas were getting a bit tired and needed tweaking (or a compete overhaul!). Those times for reflection were pretty quick, but often led to discussions with my colleagues later, and a decision to change things- bring in new materials/resources, change the order of events in the nursery session, etc. One thing I do remember clearly was when we had snack time followed by a Big Book story time as a whole group (18 children). It never worked! The children were raring to be active after their snack and it was difficult to get them to sit and listen to a story. After reflecting about this, and realising that we were not meeting their needs, we changed story time to before snack time, and added a lively music and movement session, with ribbons, hoops, scarves, etc for after snack. It worked a treat. 😃

I could write a thesis! To summarise, a sector that is seen for the real value it gives to children - during their early childhood and way beyond. We all know that if children have the best start, their future is happier, healthier and more economically stable (I'm preaching to the converted here, I know). We need early years to be separate from politics, I think. We can't have successive governments changing everything every few years-I don't mean curriculums, assessment etc- they will always be changing- I mean the structure and funding of the sector. It needs to have long term aims and policies that are cross party, where settings get sufficient money to pay qualified and experienced staff a good salary so that they stay, continually develop their professionals skills, and get real career satisfaction. School teachers have a defined pay scale and I think early years teachers and practitioners should have the same.

Leadership has to start in building relationships with each and every member of staff you're working with- you need to know what interests your colleagues in their early years work, what their strengths are, and what they might need help with. As a leader, you need to encourage colleagues to have their own ideas, to engage in reflection, and to suggest solutions to problems. This then leads to each staff member feeling that their contribution is valued- by you, and by the children and their families. So giving staff opportunities to introduce new things (even if you think they might not work), so they can follow it through, reflect and adapt. That's how you discover their skills and knowledge you might not have known about before, but which positively impact their colleagues, children and families. When I ran my own setting, I used staff strengths to provide a better service for the children- a lively staff member who was great with puppets to take circle time, a staff member really keen on expressive art (I gave her a budget to spend on art supplies for a term), and a colleague who really enjoyed small world play who came up with all sorts of wonderful scenarios in our tuff spot.

I really smiled when I read this! Satisfaction and fulfillment is so much more profound when it comes from your children, families and staff thriving, rather than an inspection judgement. I love your conclusion- that an excellent setting doesn't need much paperwork- it's all about the staff and learning environment. 🙂 But I'm delighted you also got outstanding!

It really seems clear to me that the current consultation which includes the proposal to move to 1:5 ratio, is really to address the staff shortage and high costs of provision. My view is that if this goes ahead, provision will be poorer and parents won't benefit from a reduction in fees. So nobody wins.

It's really hard, isn't it? 😧 I think really quick games can work well- where it's over and done with and there is less time to mope. Then a new game starts- like skittles or bean bag games. Board games aren't as good as there is often too much invested in winning. Also, games which involve the children 'against' you! For example, all the children have to throw the bean bags into a big box whilst you try to throw them all out again. You can keep it going as long as you like and then you slow down so eventually they all win- then you can model 'Oh you won- well done. But I really enjoyed playing that with you'.

Time will tell if this is all just pre-election promises with little substance! No parties seem to have grasped the education vs childcare debate and whether they are mutually exclusive.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education Baroness Barran gave a statement on the childcare reform package: Baroness Barran announced that from today, the Department for Work and Pensions has raised the amount working parents can claim for their childcare to £951 a month for one child and £1630 for two or more children, an increase of roughly 50% from previous limits (£646 for one child or £1,108 for two or more children). When they enter work or increase their working hours, the government will now provide up to 85% of the first month’s childcare costs to parents before the next months’ bills are due, so that they have the money to pay for childcare one month in advance. Families on universal credit will now have £522 extra each month to cover childcare costs. Describing the earliest years as “the most critical stage of a young child’s development”, and acknowledging that childcare costs are a barrier to work for those on universal credit, Baroness Barran described visiting childcare providers as “one of the best parts of my job” but I SO wish she'd mentioned early education rather than childcare being a lifeline for parents. She said that by 2028, the government expects to be spending more than £8bn per year on the early years, double what is currently spent, and saving £6500 per year on average for parents. From September, the government will provide £204m of extra funding for local authorities to increase the hourly rates that they pay providers, and will ensure that the rates increase each year. From 2024-25, the average rate for under-twos will be around £11 per hour. The government will ask the childcare sector for its views on how the government should distribute the funding for the new entitlements from April 2024, including the rules that local authorities will have to follow when distributing the funding to providers. They are going “full steam ahead” with a new national campaign early next year to promote the sector and support the recruitment and retention of staff, as well as considering how to introduce accelerated apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship routes.