Jules

It was normal for children to walk to school until quite recently. It is certainly what happened when I was at primary school in the 1970s. Owning a car was not the norm in the part of Yorkshire where I grew up. The school run wasn’t a thing, just running to school. In some of the more affluent parts of the country things were different - the school run was becoming a thing. Over time, driving to school became commonplace. By the time my daughter went to school in the 2000s, cars jammed the local streets. At both ends of the school day car doors were flung open for children to fly in and out. For the last few years many councils in the UK have been taking measures to get children to walk to school again. The grave effects of traffic on air quality and the health and safety of children are generally accepted as unsustainable. It seems that we need to go full circle and revert to how things used to be. School Streets is a council programme aimed at transforming the roads outside schools. Italy was the first to introduce school street schemes in 1989. Scotland was the first in the UK in 2015. Camden and Hackney were the first in London in 2017. Why School Streets? According to the School Streets website, school related traffic accounts for a quarter of cars on the road. This leads to an increase in collisions, road rage, illegal parking and traffic jams. In 2018 the Department of Transport reported that 14% of child fatalities on the UK’s roads happened between 7am and 9am and 3pm and 5pm. Traffic collisions fall by 43% during the school holidays at those times. The negative impact of the school run is in little doubt. The catalyst of the School Streets initiative is clear. The basic premise of a School Street. The streets around the school become a Pedestrian and Cycle Zone at set times before and after the school day. Vehicles cannot to enter this zone during these times, unless they have an exemption. After a trial period, usually of six to nine months, schools can become a permanent School Street. The Pioneers of School Streets. Hackney council in London has pioneered the School Streets initiative since 2017. Councillor Mete Coban MBE is the Cabinet member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm. He reports, “The benefits of school streets are clear - with big increases in walking and cycling to school and reduction in emissions outside schools. The latest six School Streets are part of our plans to rebuild a greener Hackney in the aftermath of the pandemic.” Mete continues, “As with all our plans to rebuild a greener Hackney, these School Streets are being implemented as trials, with residents able to have their say online and in writing once they’re implemented.” School Streets in action in Hackney. William Patten Primary School has had a School Street since January 2020. Karen Law, the Headteacher, explains how it benefits the school community. “Before we had the School Street in place, the Leadership team used to stand outside the school at both ends of the day to check it was safe. We were especially concerned about older children who walked to school alone. Quite often we’d have to stand in the middle of the road to stop traffic. We were even offered marshalling training by the council.” The school has two entrances – one on a busy road and one on a cul-de-sac. They are both School Streets. Karen describes some of the teething problems. “Though the cul-de-sac is small, van drivers and taxis were entering it to turn round during the prohibited times. We spoke to the council and they installed cameras, so that car users would incur fines. We’ve not had any problems since.” The parents at William Patten are great supporters of the initiative, with only very few unhappy that they couldn’t drive to school. “A group of parents got together and applied for the scheme to be extended to some of the side streets. They got it! This is really positive as it means that parking near school is much more difficult. Parents use alternative modes of transport such as cycling or walking.” Karen considers the scheme a great success and urges all schools to apply. “The environment just outside the school is safer, quieter and cleaner. I’d say that 99% of the children now walk, cycle or scoot to school. Those few parents who were initially reluctant to give up driving found other ways of getting here. It makes arriving at school and going home a much more pleasant prospect.” London Fields Primary School also has permanent status as a school street. Parents welcome this vociferously. One parent comments, “It has made the most enormous difference coming to school in the morning and afternoon. Before the programme started there was a huge amount of traffic. There was also the hazard of trying to cross the road – they’re busy junctions.” Another parent echoes this, “The school’s just so much better. The best thing about the School Streets programme is the dramatic decrease in polluting traffic outside the school gates. I find it’s a lot safer too. I can have my little two year old walking beside me along the road. We can have conversations that we couldn’t have before because of the traffic noise.” Hackney Council has launched a guide to support councils across the country. The Hackney School Streets Toolkit goes step-by-step through the process. Further support for School streets. Kay Rowe Nursery School in the London Borough of Newham has welcomed having a school street since May 2021. Sarah Porter, the Headteacher, says, “There were lots of delays due to Covid – it kept getting pushed back. Newham was very supportive though, and keen to get it done.” Sarah explains how the school did a lot of preparatory work with families. “Most were really encouraging, but there were a few parents who weren’t very happy. They complained about getting fines or having to walk from where they had parked.” In terms of the local residents, no complaints were made to the school, but the council did receive some. Sarah continues, “We have an undertaker at the end of the road and a doctor’s surgery - neither were keen, so this was a bit difficult. Some residents also complained about deliveries.” On the whole, the staff are in favour of School Streets. In some cases, exemptions have been granted. “We asked for exemptions for two members of staff who needed it. However, there is a loophole. If members of staff had bought themselves a business parking permit they could then apply for an exemption. This has been a bit tricky as they shouldn’t get a business permit for driving to and from school.” Kay Rowe would like to make more of their reclaimed street. Having planters or a pocket park by the zig-zag lines would be a start, but lack of funding is currently a problem. Sarah deems the scheme a success for Kay Rowe. “This year most parents have taken it in their stride to come to school on foot or by scooter – we have never had so many scooters parked at school!” However, Sarah has one concern. “There’s still a number of cars driving up and down. Local residents’ permissions, including those on neighbouring streets, make this possible. This is an issue I need to go back to Newham with.” An unconvinced voice The majority of parents and school leaders I spoke with praised the School Streets initiative and considered it a success. As might be expected, this was not unanimous. Jali, a parent from one of the primary schools in Waltham Forest, is a supporter. She agrees that the school drop off and pick up is now a very different experience. “Walking to school and crossing the roads is easier. There are fewer cars idling near the school gates which I guess has probably improved air quality”. Having said that, Jali does not think that the scheme is an unalloyed success. “There are still loads of parents driving to school. Now they just park on different roads. If the aim of the programme is to get those who drive to school to walk instead, I’d say it has failed.” Finally… We need to reduce traffic emissions. We need to make streets safer for children. We need to reclaim the street from traffic. The School Streets initiative is taking this on board and clearly making a difference. Of course, there is further work to be done and loopholes to be tackled, as with any new programme. It is not possible to revert to how things were in a small Yorkshire town in the 1970s, but we can do something. The School Streets programme demonstrates this. Further Information: School Streets - all the info you need

Early Years Practitioner and Tiney home nursery leader, Alicia Wilkins, shares her experience of looking for a school for her son, with advice for families and reminding early years educators of all the emotions that parents/carers feel. Motherhood is certainly teaching me all about the rapid speed of a child’s growth and development. My son was born in 2018, and in the blink of an eye, he is now 4 years old and attending school full time. I had heard it all before: they really do grow fast… …and here I am, a parent waking up extra early, navigating the morning routine as calm as a pro, but frantic on the inside, worrying if my son has eaten enough breakfast, will he engage with his peers, is his hair braided too tightly, and will we make it to the door without him needing the toilet (which will set us back those valuable extra minutes if we’re running behind schedule)! So far so good, but I did not think I would be handling this transition as well as I am. I was that parent who cried in the school playground on my child's first day at school as he kissed me goodbye. My son confidently half galloped/skipped into his new classroom to be the first child on the carpet, enthusiastically waiting for his new classmates to join him. I lingered at the window hoping that he was happy and that we had made the right choice to send him to this school. I clung on to every second, until it was time to leave the playground, and then buried my face into my partner’s chest, my mind full of flashbacks of my son’s toddler years. That was one of the longest 3 hours of my life! It was only a short day for the ‘settling in’ period, but I wasn't prepared for how it would feel to have a silent house, knowing that this was the start of an actual full time education routine. Beginning the process Initially, I was overwhelmed with the thought of “starting over” and choosing a school for my son, because he was happy at his day-care. I felt as though I would be ripping him away from his loving, caring, happy place, where he was nurtured and all of his learning and developmental needs were fully met. I had doubts that any school could match his nursery education experience and I was nervous about the four months I had left to decide between three potential schools. I was in denial and procrastinating on making the big decisions. But I needed to research schools and begin the application process before the final decision date in January. The school selection was a difficult process to initiate because I still felt relatively new to the area and did not know where to begin, other than research schools I had seen locally on my way to my son's day-care. I had heard great things about the school next to the day-care and had noticed how well resourced the school looked and the celebration of the children's work displayed at the windows. That was an easy choice to consider but I still didn't feel that it was enough to tick the box, because I had fundamental criteria to fulfil… Thinking about what was important to us as a family My starting point was thinking about my child's needs, our expectations as a family and finding out what the school's ethos and values were. We decided to not send our child to a private school, and although highly considered, home-schooling was no longer an option. A local school within 20 minutes walking distance with easy access by transport if needed, was what suited us. Having spoken to local parents, we knew we were fortunate to have Ofsted rated ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools within the area. I have an insight into school ratings because of my experience as a teacher. In my opinion an OFSTED rated ‘good’ school can be a great choice, or a possible better choice, than an ‘outstanding’ school. Whilst choosing schools for my son, I wasn't likely to be persuaded by the ratings to only choose ‘outstanding’ schools. I have worked in various ‘outstanding’ schools that did not have what I would consider to be fundamental aspects that valued and considered the differences of the children, staff and visitors to the school. For example, doors, classrooms and toilets not accessible for wheelchair users, a lack of representation/celebration of various cultures displayed in the corridors and an absence of books written by Black or Brown authors, or any books that featured Black people. I understand that there are criteria to fulfil for an OFSTED rating, but in my opinion the observations that I've outlined should be considered important in all schools, not to simply tick boxes but because the school cares and aims to demonstrate a true reflection of the wide, culturally diverse community where all abilities are valued. What would we be teaching our son about our society, by choosing a school that segregates the children's abilities and cultures? I often think about the child that I once had the privilege to tutor. A bright, enthusiastic, talented child who couldn't access her ‘outstanding’ school's main entrance with her peers because the ramp was too narrow and the double doors were always locked, not providing space for her wheelchair to fit through. She was unable to access certain lessons in classrooms which were based on the above level floors that did not have access via a lift. She could not even gain safe access to the toilets because the accessible toilet was used as a storeroom. Her school experience had a negative psychological impact - as a result of this poor treatment she didn't feel valued and was made to feel different and separated from her peers. I would advise parents/carers to choose a welcoming school that is child-centred, inclusive and values the children and staff. ‘Whistles and bells’ as they say, can be a distraction, and we can be distracted by the new resources, technology and what's currently trending in education, but we have to go beyond what a school is presenting and ask the questions and look for aspects that will be conducive to the child's needs. We can gain further insight by talking to parents/carers of children who already attend a school, and if not in person, there are many local online forums to communicate with parents/carers and learn more about the school. If possible, attend a tour of the school or attend the welcome presentation that most schools hold during the deciding months. The selection process for our son was during a time when access was limited due to the pandemic, therefore I attended a Zoom meeting for one school, a private one to one tour of another school, and a limited capacity meeting in the school hall at another. Perhaps the Zoom meeting altered my feeling about the school that was initially the first choice because I didn't get the true feeling that I wanted. I wanted to see the environment and observe the children, the resources, and as mentioned before, go beyond what was presented to me. Through my personal observation, I noticed that the staff and children at the school that we have chosen looked happy and relaxed. Everyone was polite and genuinely welcoming. It was a warm feeling to be there. The school held a presentation in the hall - a collaborative introduction presentation that involved two Year 5 children. They shared their own experience with confidence and were open to questions about the school, revealing through ‘the child's eyes’ what it's like to attend this school. We chose this school, because during the introduction presentation, I could see through the gap in the curtain that separated the hall and the surrounding classrooms, happy children engaging with their teachers and peers, with a freedom that all children should have. They truly looked as if they wanted to be at school and the staff looked as if they enjoyed their place of work. Of course, the school met our fundamental criteria and the values and ethos are what we expected. And so the journey of school begins… Fast forward to the summer term, our son had been accepted, and we were invited to attend the school's summer fair and jumble sale. We were blown away by the community feel, and the woodland area was even better in real life than in the photos on the school’s website. Perfect for our little boy who enjoys being in nature. Our son absolutely loves his school. He fell in love with his teacher and early years practitioner from the day they came to visit us in our home as part of the introduction to the new school transition. He is free to be himself and I believe that the school is inclusive and values the children from various backgrounds, cultures and faiths. It's important to choose a school that nurtures the free thinking of children and the freedom that they naturally possess. A school should be a welcoming and embracing place to attend away from home. I now can enjoy the silence at home with a peace of mind that my son is in a safe, caring environment and continuing his excellent start in early years education.

Pen Green Centre for Children and Families is at the heart of community life in Corby. Under threat of closure earlier this year, extensive public outcry resulted in the council making a last-minute decision to keep it open. Pen Green is central to improving the aspirations and quality of life for many in this former Northamptonshire steel town. Tess McQuade is just one of many locals whose life has been transformed by Pen Green. She testifies, “Without Pen Green I would not be where I am today. I can honestly say that the wonderful advocates who work at Pen Green gave me strength and support when I needed it most.” Tess turned up at Pen Green aged 17 with twins born 11 weeks prematurely. The support she was given not only enabled her to deal with an abusive relationship but return to her studies. Tess is now the headteacher of a local primary school. Pen Green changes lives. The ethos and approach of Pen Green The philosophy at the heart of Pen Green’s work is that each of us has a unique potential. Their work is based on the premise that all individuals are able to succeed in their own particular way. This empowers everyone to feel they have a valuable place in society, irrespective of any mitigating circumstances. How does this translate into practice? Integrated care at Pen Green Corby is an area facing considerable economic and social challenges. These include child poverty, poor health, limited adult skills and high levels of unemployment. The pandemic has exacerbated these making Pen Green’s work even more critical. Tracy Gallagher, Joint Head of Pen Green, comments, “The breadth of expertise on our team of 120 staff enables us to provide both universal and targeted services for families. This is especially important for those living in vulnerable circumstances.” Tracy continues, “We have a multi-disciplinary team. This includes teachers, early years educators, social workers, group workers and others from related disciplines.” The Centre is open from 8 am to 6pm for 48 weeks of the year. The families also have the option of wrap around care before, between and after the two daily sessions. Tracy explains, “Demand for flexible opening is high. We always try to work with the needs of the families and support them as best we can. We want our services to be even more responsive in the coming year as we support our community through these more challenging times.” As well as nursery provision, the centre offers additional spaces for the early years. These include: ● The Nest: a space offering education and care for children 0-3 years ● The Couthie: another 0-3 years space ● The Nook: a creche provision used by parents taking part in groups or accessing services at Pen Green ● The Kingswood Community Nursery: an off-site satellite provision. It is specifically for children who are eligible for 2 year funding Partnership with parents Partnership with parents is essential to the whole enterprise. Angela Prodger, the Joint Head, says, “Parents have a key role as their child’s first educators, so we work closely with them to build on their knowledge of their child’s interests. This helps us to offer the children a rich learning experience.” She continues, “We make strong links with each family through our home visits. By doing this we can improve our understanding of the child and support them accordingly.” Angela explains, too, how integral the parents are to the running of the centre. “The parents are involved in making decisions about the day to day matters as well as the more extensive developments. This has been the case since we opened in 1983. When recruiting, parents are involved in short-listing and interviewing. They are also represented on the governing body and give lots of feedback and evaluation of our services. We rely on this for our ongoing progress.” Family Support Every child has a Family Support Worker who advocates for them. They try to make sure that each child’s emotional and developmental needs are consistently met. The family workers keep records of children’s achievements and monitor their progress against the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. The Family Support Team offer a wide range of services to families. These include: ● 1:1 work with the families, including working in the family home ● Universal groups such as Messy Play and Baby Massage ● Targeted groups for specific needs, including Domestic Violence support, Music therapy and support groups for young parents ● Workshops such as employment skills, photography, arts and crafts, healthy eating ● Health services including a Health Visitor clinic, peri-natal team visits and a premature babies group Elaine Young is one of the family support workers. She explains, “We work in close collaboration with colleagues across the Centre and external partners to offer responsive and timely support to children and families.” Adult and community education, training and development Pen Green offers a comprehensive programme of courses for the local community and Early Years practitioners. Adult community education courses and groups include: · Functional skills, Maths, English and ESOL · Parental involvement in their children’s learning · Parent support · Parent discussion groups · Family learning programmes · HomeStart training · New start Volunteer courses · Group work training Professional qualifications range from NFCE CACHE Level 1 to PhD. Details of these can be found here. Voices from the community “I have used Pen Green with all my children. It’s provided fun, support, routine, advice and laughter. I always recommend it to new mums as a helping hand. Going to Pen Green can make some of the hardest days as a mother into some of the best ones.” “I first visited the centre for a breast-feeding support group and since then my three daughters have all been to Pen Green. We’ve used many groups as a family, and I have also accessed some of the groups for parents whilst my daughters used The Nook. I am now a volunteer co-leader in some of the SEND groups and sit on the Governing Body." “Pen Green is a safe place of no judgement. A place for sound advice and support, to nurture parents and their children equally. It has been a great support for us as a family, providing support groups during pregnancy, breastfeeding and postnatal groups. The drop-in sessions are great and the crèche is currently supporting me to help with my youngest's separation anxiety due to the lockdowns we've had to endure.” “My son is 6 now. When he was around 6 months old I attended a mums’ and tots’ group at Pen Green, I was suffering with PND at the time and it was a big step for me. I had tried to attend many times and didn’t feel strong enough. I remember feeling very anxious on the day, but I was met with warmth by the staff and the other parents.” “Pen Green has been a lifeline of guidance and support for me from pregnancy to nursery school. Me and my husband attended parenting classes at the Centre which was so helpful to us and many other families. We also did baby massage and messy play which enabled my daughter to meet other babies and was great for her development. These services are so important to our community and help so many families.” “Pen Green has done so much for my family right from when I was a little girl to now as a mum myself. They have done amazing things for my little boy who started nursery delayed in his development. He is now thriving and almost ready for school. It is such an amazing environment to be surrounded by. When I've needed guidance and support the staff have been there. They don't just check on my son, but they also check up on me as a parent. If ever I’ve needed anything they are the first to pull together to help me. We get so much care and love; the centre really is like one big family.” Pen Green Centre for Children and Families is a fine example of Asset Based Community Development. They recognise that every community has strengths as well as needs. The primary intention of their work is about building on these strengths, not focussing on the deficits. This is invaluable to the community of Corby. The testimonies speak for themselves: Pen Green is a life-changing community hub.

Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can't just be on people of colour to deal with it. It's up to all of us - Black, white, everyone- no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. Michelle Obama It’s coming up to October, the month to celebrate and focus our attention on the contributions of Black people around the world. An opportunity to shine a spotlight on the outstanding people within our community, that make us proud to be British. We celebrate ‘Black History Month’ and the various cultures, traditions and practices derived from the rich history that dates back thousands of years. October, the month where stories are retold and awakened, captivating audiences of all ages. The UK swells with pride with the promotion of black culture and we see this everywhere, from the adverts and scheduled programmes on the television, art and museum exhibitions, theatre performances, documentaries, books, films, music and more. This is the month for education settings to squeeze into the calendar, the annual Caribbean storyteller, African drumming troupe, Afro Dance & Drama workshop, steel pan band (for the carnival party at the end of the month) and a theatre trip to watch a show featuring Black artists. Just one month. This is the month (or 3 weeks and 1 day, due to the Autumn half term starting on 25th October) to dust off “THE Topic box” and explore the exciting objects that should have been left way in the 90’s. I say this because I have witnessed first-hand on many occasions how these boxes are reused within a setting, despite the contents inside of the box being outdated, stereotypical and racist. As a Black woman working within a setting or institution, who is already the minority within the setting, to then encounter resources that do not include Black people, has been quite disappointing to say the least. It is abhorrent to me, that these topic boxes even exist and that my culture and worthy existence as part of a community has been reduced into a 7 litre plastic storage container box as part of ‘Black History Month’, which then gets shoved to the back of the cupboard at the end of October, until next year. Unless it makes its unwelcomed yet strategic reappearance as part of the brief lesson plan about Kwanzaa, during the Christmas season, or literally relabelled as “The Africa box” when learning about...Africa. It's disrespectful to use this box and its contents for display purposes because it lacks creativity and context. Its sole purpose is for the contents to be on display either on a table or on the wall to become part of the “tick box” of inclusion for settings to look good/welcoming. However, in my experience, it made me feel even more isolated and silenced. I did not see my culture represented with respect, and sometimes I did wonder if I was placed in the setting as part of the “tick the box” to gain credibility for the setting. Was it a coincidence that I often only felt valued at this time of the year, more so than any other time where my ideas, enthusiasm, opinions and existence were at times overlooked? I've worked in education for over 13 years, teaching and supporting children in various settings from the Foundation Stage, up to secondary school level, in SEN and mainstream. I have been inspired by amazing teaching practices and the ethos of many settings, but I have also been disappointed and even discouraged at times, by what has been presented and is available to those working and studying within the learning space. I have many friends who work in education, and we stand together from different cultures, races and backgrounds who believe that more needs to be done for settings to uphold anti-racist policies to support and protect Black staff and children. I am aware that there are education settings that should be applauded for how diverse and inclusive their curriculum and environment is. Unfortunately, these incredible settings remain outnumbered by those that are not inclusive yet can be highly acclaimed and given Ofsted ratings of “good” or “outstanding”. It is no wonder the Topic Box was considered to be acceptable. But it does not elevate or celebrate Black children, who already have topics, historical events and important leaders who represent them erased from the curriculum. Do you remember in 2013, the controversy about the possibility of the study of Mary Seacole and Olaudah Equiano becoming erased from the curriculum? There is stereotypical and racist practice in settings that has become the norm and is widely accepted. However, it is unacceptable that in 2021 Black children recognise that they aren't as valued as their white peers. The environment and certain attitudes towards them reflect this bias. More needs to be done to ensure that educators stand up for what is right and take responsibility for suggesting ways to become more inclusive and celebrate diversity through the resources they offer to encourage children’s learning and development. It is not my role as a Black woman in an education setting, or any Black person or person of colour in a setting, to be what is classified as the inclusion resource, and to be the designated Black person to suggest activities and resources for this month. It demonstrates a lack of interest to want to learn about Black history, culture and traditions if I am the one-stop-shop for ideas, themes and resources. When I am working as part of a team, it isn’t solely my responsibility – as mentioned before, we can and must all speak up to ensure that there are antiracist policies which require resources and activities to be diverse, representative, unbiased, engaging, and not based on stereotypes. Black History Month is an integral celebration in October, but Black history and culture should also be acknowledged throughout the year. The activities that I mentioned at the beginning of this article should absolutely be included as part of the children's learning experience and I feel that these exciting, engaging activities would be beneficial to explore throughout the year. This would be the perfect opportunity for educators to create a context around what's taking place, for the child to understand and ask questions about something that is new to them. It's not about simply placing the stereotypical items onto a beautiful Kente cloth draped table, with a few baskets, a Black doll and books neatly arranged on the table. It's not relatable and there is limited learning taking place in a corner that's uninspiring. The topic box needs to be replaced with real life experiences, with resources that are tangible and will awaken children's ideas and creativity. Community involvement is key for all children to become inspired and engaged in learning. To step away from the stereotype of children only seeing successful Black people in the sporting, Arts and entertainment industries, but that Black people can also be successful in other industries such as in medicine, engineering, education and business. The Black history display table and display wall aren't there to look aesthetically pleasing. It is there to serve a purpose, to educate and inspire to coincide with the real-life experiences of exciting activities that have depth and context during the month of October and beyond. Can we please move away from the topic boxes that contain “African mud hut” sculptures and wild animals? There are other continents, countries and cultures of people around the world to explore - not just Africa. There is so much emphasis on Africa, that children assume Africa is the only place in the world that has wild animals roaming around! Let's show the many faces of African children and learn about the African countries that the children within the setting may come from. Make space for them to talk about their backgrounds and facilitate and encourage the conversation amongst their peers and as part of the group. If they speak a different language, why not celebrate this and allow them to become the educator by teaching a few high frequency words such as “hello’, “goodbye”, “thank you” and “friends” – these words can also serve a purpose displayed on the wall throughout the year. Let’s learn about the Caribbean and share with children and families in our settings who have Caribbean heritage. There is so much to learn about the roots of music and dance styles, the food and spices and the unity of people from the Caribbean islands. There's so much to be learned and so many ideas to evoke excitement and conversation without assumptions and stereotypes. The 7 litre storage box should only contain items that need to be stored away for safekeeping, because they are precious and valued and they contribute significantly to the learning. The items will not be placed in this box to be reused as part of an old uninspiring 10-year-old lesson / activity plan. I challenge everyone to scrap the topic box, in exchange for real life, exciting experiences derived from listening and taking an interest in the children’s backgrounds and cultures. We must put thought into what we display and be mindful of every detail, that not only engages and educates the children, but also ignites that fire of excitement for us as educators also.

The North West now has its first care village with a fully integrated Nursery, in an inspiring new initiative in Chester. Delayed for over two years due to the pandemic, the Nursery in Belong opened its doors at the beginning of August, with intergenerational charity, Ready Generations, running the nursery. Its founder, Sue Egersdorff, is jubilant, she says, “We are all so excited about this ground-breaking project, and very busy!” Ready Generations has been working with Belong Villages for over five years planning a nursery where both young and old live and work alongside each other. This is the first large intergenerational project for both organisations. How it all began Sue Egersdorff describes how all this got started. “The seedling emerged when I met with Tracy Paine, then Deputy CEO of Belong, over five years ago. Tracy had just won a Winston Churchill research fellowship, enabling her to travel to visit innovative care settings in the USA, Australia and Japan and explore new concepts involving intergenerational living. “We both knew this was something exciting that we wanted to pursue,” Sue continues, “Ever since we have been planning an integrated model with a bespoke curriculum that reflects the needs of both children and older people. Our specifically-designed Mirrored Curriculum Framework meets all EYFS requirements and reflects the United Nations Principles for Older People.” Sue outlines the main aims as: ● Connecting people in sustainable ways ● Prioritising relationships ● Reducing social isolation and loneliness for both young families and older people ● Supporting self-awareness and emotional development ● Developing executive functioning skills in children and older people ● Creating an environment that meets individual needs irrespective of age ● Providing a research-into-practice centre for intergenerational pedagogy (linked with a number of UK universities) ● Working within the UNICEF Sustainable Development Goals to facilitate the voice of the community around issues that affect them The care village Located just a few minutes’ walk from Chester railway station, the state-of-the-art development offers a mix of independent living apartments and households. Round the clock support, including specialist dementia and nursing care, is provided. Belong’s home care service, Belong at Home, also operates from the site. All customers, as well as members of the public, have access to a vibrant village centre. The facilities on offer include a bistro, specialist gym, hair salon, therapy room, library and an entertainment venue with licensed bar. Belong Chief Executive, Martin Rix, summarises: “The beauty of the village model is that we offer a range of spaces and experiences, giving people the choice to join in as much or as little of village life as they choose. We are particularly excited that Belong Chester will have the integration of a nursery – this is a very special and new element for us.” A snapshot of the Nursery The care village has a number of outdoor spaces for both children and older people to use, as in any local village. The Nursery is situated on the ground floor, allowing free-flow access to the secure gardens. Exploring, playing and developing friendships in the context of the natural world is at the heart of all planning. Using an approach developed on Froebelian and High Scope principles, outdoor learning is integral to everyday life. Children are not divided by age – they are all together alongside the older people. All resources are carefully selected with children and older people in mind, with sensory stimulation being a priority. The colour schemes and furniture are chosen to appeal to both age groups. There is a peace room for anyone that wishes to use it. “The main areas where experiences are planned for all ages are the library, the garden room and the outdoor areas. The children and their older friends have snacks, drinks and meals together in the bistro area,” explains Sue. Other shared activities include storytelling, music making, a choir, block play and problem-solving with technology sessions led by the children. These are planned sympathetically so that the older people can participate easily. Sue explains, “We believe that older people are only different from children in size and experience. They need very similar things.” Sue considers these to be: ● personalised consideration and understanding ● respect for their effort and work ● opportunities to share and progress their ideas ● to be valued for what they bring and contribute Getting a taste of the Nursery in Belong Throughout July, the team have been welcoming the local community to a series of open days. Sue reports, “These have been very well attended with a spectrum of ages from 8 months to 93 years.” She continues, “Prospective residents have joyously welcomed the Nursery as part of their daily lives, many already signing up for various activities. We’ve also had people offering to volunteer and even been offered help from two amazing pianists. It seems there will be a lot of singing and music making!” The carers of people living with dementia have visited several times to further their understanding of the approaches that will be used. “They are thrilled that the range of resources will allow their loved ones to enjoy opportunities that have been sensitively tailored to allow them full access and participation,” says Sue. The Nursery parents are attracted by: ● the smallness of the nursery with free flow to the garden ● the family groupings ● the daily interactions with older people ● the sense of community and belonging ● the opportunity to be part of something different ● the focus on nurturing ,playful relationships What the community say about the Nursery Prospective residents’ comments … As soon as I came into the Nursery, I got goosebumps. I will be here every day if I can be! The joy of seeing children again will change my life for the better! We’ll all be busy playing together – the days will rush by! These blocks are just beautiful! And parents … This is exactly what I want for my child – the opportunity to spend time with older people. My child is going to be so nurtured here. We will be a real family and community. And from a 3-year-old … I like this old lady’s chair! I can fit on here too! These voices say it all: a remarkable and hope-inducing model for all generations. You can read part one of this series here. Part two of the series is available here.

Love and Play for Building Brains Play is the occupation of children; it is how they interact with the world, and how they learn their part within it. Play has a significant impact on a child’s future outcomes and ability to meet their full potential not only in childhood, but in adulthood too. Play is a vital part of early childhood development, enabling children to thrive by promoting exploration, movement, problem-solving, responsive relationships and having FUN. When a child engages in playful interactions with a caregiver, a responsive two-way interaction known as “serve and return” occurs. This interaction is crucial in building a baby's brain. At birth, babies’ brains are around 20% developed; by the time they are one, their brain has doubled in size; by age three it has reached around 80-90% of their adult size brain; and by five it is nearly fully grown. The growth is the result of the connection of axons and dendrites that have been stimulated by the sensory experiences received through touch, movement, and loving playful interaction: babies’ brains are built through their experiences of the world. Genes provide the blueprints for the architecture, but nurture offers the experiences the child needs for these genes to be expressed. This brain sculpting supports the foundations for the rest of a person’s life and helps us to survive the environment we are in. The more responsive, safe, secure, and loving our environment, the more the child’s brain will be sculpted to expect this type of experience. Thus, the child becomes more confident, curious, and eager to explore the world. Children are most susceptible to environmental influences from 0-3; this is when parent-infant relations are crucial. The neurological biology of the human brain is built for social interaction first and foremost. This is how we learn how to be human; by interacting with the humans around us. It is paramount to have access to loving, interactive and responsive humans (parents or caregivers) over and above the latest baby gadget or toy. Exposure to touch, movement, and early playful interactions such as talking, singing, giving eye contact, and enjoying moments together helps to release feel-good hormones or neurochemicals such as oxytocin that help to build the brain. These chemicals facilitate increased resilience, supporting children with far better outcomes when it comes to physical and mental health, as well as improving immunity, and enhancing their ability to form relationships well into adulthood. This is why it is crucial to work with and empower parents, who ultimately make up an infant’s environment and their world of experience. As a baby grows and develops, they build up pictures and maps in their mind based on the experiences received, and so any deprivation of these experiences restricts and prevents connection. Early development and play Playful interactions can start as early as in the womb. Babies respond, enjoy, and are soothed by talking and singing from familiar voices before they are even born, exploring their movement by pressing their limbs against the uterine wall, feeling out their womb world whilst toning their muscles, and experiencing new sensations. Once a baby is earth side, play begins in the form of natural, loving interactions - facial expressions, sing-song sounds and the creating of anticipation such as peekaboo. It can become more object orientated as they grow more interested in the world around them and can physically interact with age-appropriate books, toys, and objects. Babies learn everything through play and interaction with others, themselves and their environments - in order for babies to strengthen not only their physical bodies, but also their fine motor skills (skills coordinating the hands and fingers), gross motor skills (skills coordinating larger body parts mainly the limbs), problem solving skills, visual perceptual skills (ability to make sense of the information we receive through our eyes – more than just seeing), and sensory processing skills (registering and accurately interpreting sensory input from the environment and from the body itself). Play is all about being able to explore and experience sensations and movement. As babies are born with limited coordination, a lot of their early movements are reflex based, which helps the birth process and acts as a protective mechanism. However, as a baby learns to explore through movement, higher functioning postural reflexes can start to take over, building the connections between their brains and body. This helps them to learn where their limbs are in relation to one another, and how their bodies can move. They begin to explore the cause and effect that moving their body has, as well as learn to judge distances, adjust their movements dependent on the activity, and understand that objects are separate or can create a whole. Exploring through movement helps to practice coordination and isolation of body parts, as well as support the development of the skeletal system – something that has a lifelong impact. In our western society, babies and children are living increasingly sedentary lifestyles. Babies spend more time in “containers” than ever before – car seats, buggies, walkers, activity saucers, Bumbo style seats, all of which impact on crucial time that could be spent in free (supervised) movement play. Of course, in reality, sometimes children need to be contained – car seats for safety reasons, or simply for those moments when a parent needs to know that their baby is safe whilst they attend to another task. However, baby containers force babies into positions that their bodies aren’t developmentally ready for yet and do not encourage the recruitment of muscles required for sitting or standing. Therefore, supervised tummy time, as well as side lying and back play, are essential for the development of these skills. When babies are given opportunities to explore movement freely, to push up and move against gravity and to receive multimodal sensory stimulation it will support all of their physical milestones, sensorimotor skills, coordination with the skills that motivate to learn and move more. Movement allows for vestibular input (the balance mechanism inside the inner ear that provides information about head position and balance) as well as proprioceptive feedback (deep pressure to receptors in the joints and muscles that feeds back to the brain about body awareness and how to judge force of movements) which enables a child to feel safe in their body and with their movement. Getting down onto the ground with babies, or in the early stages, using parents’ body for positions such as baby’s tummy to parent’s chest, is a great way to encourage babies to begin the journey of developing their bodies and minds through movement and sensation, whilst also enjoying the love and connection of being close to their caregiver. Play for Emotional Regulation, Confidence, and Joy Dr Stephen Porges reports that play helps to tone the vagal nerve – this nerve has a huge role in our recovery from stressful events, and in enabling us to come back to a relaxed rest and digest state (a calm nervous system), helping to support our mental and emotional wellbeing as well as our physical health. In his polyvagal theory, he suggests that play enables us to enter our social engagement system – or connection mode - allowing us to read and respond to invitations to play and helping to regulate the nervous system. Studies have shown that in play, our fight or flight responses can be activated but without the release of cortisol – stress hormones. This helps us to practise handling danger and dealing with intense emotions which supports our emotional resilience in the long term. Porges (2015) describes play as “mobilisation without fear” downregulating fight/flight behaviours and allowing us to feel safe and confident to explore, play and learn. Sadly, not all babies and children have the same access to quality, loving, safe play or to a sense of playfulness. Trauma, generational trauma, PTSD, systemic racism, poverty, war, and disability can all impact on access to play and playfulness and the feeling of safety that a young child needs - when we feel safe, loved and like we have a place in the world, we feel confident to discover our place within it. We feel secure enough to be creative, to take educated risks, and to try again. Babies and children who have limited access to play are at higher risk of delayed development, difficulty adapting to change, poorer self-control and regulation and a greater risk of anxiety, depression, and tendency towards addictions. Supporting children to play and be playful, as well as to interact with themselves, others and the world knowing that they are loved and safe is, in my view, incredibly important, and something that those working in the Early Years, and Health and Social Care sectors must continue to promote amongst the families they support. Playfulness is joy, it is hopeful, it is an openness, it is a feeling and it is action. Yet it does not come naturally to all. Encouraging parents to be curious and invite babies and children into their world can help to bridge the gap for those who find being playful more challenging. Going for a walk, talking about what they see, looking at books together, singing to songs in the car, making a game of folding laundry, and bringing playfulness to the mundane are some of the ways we can achieve play without it feeling forced or structured. In this way, parents are constructing playful connections, building their babies’ brains with love and play, supporting their own wellbeing as well as that of their child’s. To create a more loving, playful and connected society, it is my belief that we need to allow and support parents and children to connect through play, however that looks to them. Play is unique, it changes, it grows and it has the potential to change lives: play is a serious business, and one that we can all benefit from. With love and play, Carly Budd Specialist Children’s Occupational Therapist Founder of Carly Budd Developmental Play Academy

Apples and Honey Nightingale is the first Intergenerational Nursery in the UK. Transforming the lives of many, this initiative is well worth knowing about. It is in the grounds of Nightingale House, a care home for older people. Opened in 2017 for children from three months to five-years-old, it is flourishing, as are all those involved. Judith Ish-Horowicz MBE, co-founder and Director of Apples and Honey Nightingale, spoke to me about how it all began. “A motivating factor was to address the challenges of living in a fractured society. Many of us live in age segregated communities and the effects of loneliness, isolation and depression are all around us.” When young children visited the care home Judith was struck by the relationships she saw developing between the residents and children. This prompted her to approach Nightingale Hammerson, the care home provider, to ask if they would agree to having a nursery in their garden. It took off from there. The vision of this enterprise is to bring the generations together for purposeful and mutually beneficial activities. The care home residents and the young children participate in a daily programme of activities. These include cooking, caring for animals, singing, growing vegetables. There is always a choice of things to do both indoors and out. The advantages of Intergenerational care at Apples and Honey Many of the residents say that having children on site has transformed their lives. Judith told me, “The average age of residents entering Nightingale Hammerson is 92 years. Many of them have never had children and have either no family or a very small extended one. Watching them bottle feed a baby for the first time and being ‘adopted’ by a nursery family is amazing. The lives of the residents have been enhanced beyond measure.” Judith highlights the main benefits for the older generation: · it gives them purpose and motivates them to get up in the morning · it helps them to feel valued and useful as they get involved doing purposeful things · it raises their spirits, helping them not to feel depressed · it makes them feel they still have a place in society · seeing movement all around them is energising · they are involved in interesting activities, not just things ‘to keep them busy’ for the sake of it · they are being occupied beyond attending to their basic daily needs · they have things to talk about to their visitors and each other Equally, the younger generation have a lot to gain. Judith points out, “The generational mix enables them to see themselves as part of the chain of life. This helps give them a sense of security and place in the world. The children develop special friendships with a generation that they might otherwise not meet”. Judith outlines the main benefits for the younger generation: · many of them don’t have extended family living nearby or even in the same country, so they can have ‘adopted great-grandparents’ · they are learning from living history daily · they experience aging as a natural process · their development in all areas of learning is well supported · parents and staff notice their communication and language skills improve exponentially · they develop spatial awareness and body control through having to be careful when with the residents · all engagements have a specific learning objective from the EYFS · they learn to wait and cope with a different pace of doing things Multi-generational involvement It is not only these two generations that benefit, but those in between too. Judith explains, “The inclusion of young children on site has been beneficial to the families of the residents. They speak with me about how it can help relieve some of the guilt they feel at not being able to look after their loved ones at home. Seeing how rich and varied their lives are has made the world of difference to their families. The families can also join in the programme and share in the activities. This helps them feel more connected to each other.” The volunteers, too, find the work satisfying and the relationships fulfilling. Their help in supporting the care staff to take the residents to the sessions is crucial. It is also a great opportunity for the local families to become part of a big extended family. This develops social cohesion and enables Apples and Honey to be a community hub for all ages. As well as this, it helps break down barriers around age, culture, social background and faith. The main challenges As with any community-based work, none of it happens without a great deal of work, especially in certain areas. Judith considers communication to be at the top of her list of challenges. “It can be so hard to keep everyone in the loop. Liaising between two organisations, each with different shift patterns, can prove difficult. As well as this, care homes are large organisations and can have a high staff turnover, so dealing with change can be tricky.” An interesting, though satisfying, challenge is changing people’s perceptions. Judith comments, “If you don’t understand, and haven’t experienced a programme like this, it can feel intimidating and strange. Once people get used to it and realise how welcoming it is things becomes less threatening.” However, Judith is convinced that the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. “Challenges can be overcome – the benefits are just amazing!” Favourite moment I asked Judith if she would name just one moment that has stayed with her during her time at Apples and Honey. Probably her greatest challenge of the year! “One grandfriend who never had children and is now 94 was adopted by a family at our weekly baby and toddler group. She has been part of his growing up ever since. He joined the nursery and then went off to primary school. The family kept in touch via phone and zoom throughout lockdown and he and his parents still visit her. He was the first baby she ever bottle-fed!” Judith couldn’t resist mentioning one more, “Just a couple of weeks ago we were glass painting together when one of our grandfriends exclaimed ‘It’s so messy! I haven’t had so much fun for 40 years!’ " It is important that we get to know about such incredibly heart-warming and inspiring work. It seems that this is the way to go. You can read part one of this series here. Part three is available here.

The number of young children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) entering early years has risen sharply over recent years. DfE report on Attainment of pupils with English as an additional language, 2019, highlights that at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2017/18, 17% of all pupils had EAL and 79% of these had joined in Reception. Children with EAL come from a diverse range of ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and situations. Families can range from asylum seekers to economic migrants and there can be high mobility until they are eventually able to settle. Like many young children, learners of EAL may find it difficult to settle into a new setting. In addition to the English language support need, they may not have any prior experience of early years settings. Parents’ own English and experience of early years and the British Education system may be limited. So, meeting their unique and individual support needs effectively within the early years provision can be a complex and daunting task. Definition of EAL To deliver a successful provision, we need to first understand the definition of EAL and how it relates to the children it characterises. ‘EAL’ is an umbrella term used to describe children acquiring English within the education context. This group of learners are not homogenous and are represented through a range of dimensions, development, learning levels and linguistic experiences. Some children are newly arrived with little or no English, some are born in the UK and have varying degrees of English, for some English is the dominant language whilst others are competent bilinguals. We cannot assume children do not have existing knowledge and language skills needed for cognitive development because they do not speak English. “Young children within the broad development span of 0-5yrs may be anywhere along the language development continuum in one or more languages. Some will be beginners in one language, but proficient in another; others will be on varying stages of fluency in one or more languages. The term EAL also recognises that many children learning English in settings are already developing more than one home language and adding English to their repertoire.” PNS Guidance for EYFS, Supporting children learning EAL, 2007 Though an old definition, it is still the best fit for early years as it captures not only the rich language repertoire but also the breadth, fluency, and competency of each language. It acknowledges the prior knowledge and skill. Identifying and assessing EAL support needs Young children learn an additional language in very much the same way as they learn their first language. However, they have a double task of learning a new language (English) and learning to learn in it (content of the curriculum). This is an uneven and contextually dependent process. EAL pedagogy and strategies are distinct in meeting both the language and learning needs of the children with EAL across the curriculum. In early years, learners of EAL will express their understanding of the world in one or more languages, or they may be “silent”. Some children can be silent for many months and may be processing the new language whilst still developing their home language. It is important for practitioners to identify all the languages the children are exposed to and the levels within them. Thus, they are better placed to provide the appropriate language development support, and differentiating between EAL and other support needs such as SEND and SLCN. Good provision ensures that effective and holistic assessment is in place to identify key English language acquisition gaps alongside the learning (ELGs). EAL assessments such as NASSEA (The Northern Association of Support Services for Equality and Achievement) are effective tools to use alongside observational assessment and are linked to the ELGs so that priorities can be identified to develop English language acquisition alongside knowledge and concepts across the areas of learning in EYFS. Within the current EYFS framework, it is only development in the Communication, Language and Literacy ELG that requires assessment in English only. As other ELGs do not require children to show their understanding through English, opportunities should be provided for learners of EAL to hear and use their home language to show their understanding and progress in these areas of learning. Practitioners may only get a partial picture in contexts where English is the sole medium of communication. Parents in Partnership Research by Education Endowment Fund shows that children’s successful outcomes are highly dependent on effective parental engagement and involvement. Early years settings are required to involve parents/carers in their child’s development, learning and assessment and must have cohesive systems in place to initiate good working relationships. Provision must ensure that parents with EAL have the same access to parental involvement as all parents. Potential barriers may be limited English, knowledge of the British education system, different educational experiences, mismatch of expectations, understanding of play-based learning and trauma from their circumstances. They may have misconceptions that English should be prioritised at the expense of their home language. Top strategies for success Create a warm, welcoming, and culturally inclusive environment · Everyone should be seen, heard, and valued equally. · Resources and displays will tell their own story about your setting. Know your children · Make a point of discovering the languages spoken and heard by the children at home so they can be included within your setting. · Check the level of development in home language as well in English to establish a starting point for support. This will assist with early identification of support needs as well as highlight the children’s interests, prior experience, skills, talents, language, culture, and learning, all integral to building on continued new learning. Allow children the silent period · Do not pressurise the children to talk, but involve them. Provide visual or non-verbal communication where possible. · Ensure that the child is not silent at home as that would raise exploration into other support needs. Parents in partnership · Build an accurate picture of the children and families and ‘really know’ them. Meet the parents early on to collect detailed information about their cultural and linguistic backgrounds. · Involve the key person in all the information gathering and sharing. They will be crucial for developing those positive and safe relationships and enabling the parents to be truly involved in their child’s development, learning and assessment. Parents will disclose more if they feel understood and trust you. · Create opportunities for practitioners to be available to talk to parents and support them in their children’s learning so they feel valued and heard. · Offer drop-ins and parent workshops to build parental confidence. · Invite parents to read a book in their home language, share their stories and experiences, attend stay and play sessions. · Signpost to relevant services, e.g., community groups, libraries, toddler groups – parents with EAL may be unaware of these peripheral services. · Develop ways of communication such as interpreters, translations, same language parent champions. · Contact local supplementary (faith, language & cultural) schools and community groups for support and to learn about the communities. Keep the home language alive · A fundamental approach to supporting children with EAL is to build on existing language acquisition skills from the home language. By actively helping to maintain and develop the home language, you are supporting the skills and concept development in both languages. Home language becomes the ‘hanging pegs’ for building new learning through existing knowledge and skills. · Home language is also central to developing and maintaining self-esteem and identity. Getting the pronunciation of the children’s name correct will making them feel welcome. Raise the status of home languages so children and parents feel included and are proud of their cultural and linguistic heritage. · Show parents/carers the benefits of bilingualism so they understand the significant role it plays in their child’s development. Encourage parents to maintain home language so it is not lost . Bilingual welcome walls, displays and books are a great way of reinforcing the importance of home language. Use an EAL assessment system to identify the gaps in language and learning · Introduce and embed critical EAL assessment within the core assessment practice to inform, plan and deliver the next steps in language progression via a contextualised provision. Critical language support · Speaking and listening must be central to all activities. Plan language focused and practical activities to support concept building and to introduce, model and rehearse new vocabulary in context. Use visual prompts such as pictorial timetables and dual language resources to link existing learning to new learning. Rhymes, songs, book related talk and stories with repetitive language patterns are very useful to encourage exploratory talk and support the language demand. Social language will be acquired through regular exposure so focus on the development of academic language needed to access the learning. Children with EAL have the potential of being high achievers and successful lifelong learners. By creating a culturally inclusive early years provision, which values the significant role of the first language, we can lay solid foundations of learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted another pandemic, that of loneliness. Though more prominent among the elderly, it affects all age groups – and not only during a global health crisis. Fortunately, a whole range of exciting and dynamic initiatives are helping to tackle this problem. Intergenerational care is one of these, and it is definitely growing. United for All Ages is a ‘Think-and-Do Tank’ co-founded by Stephen and Denise Burke which champions intergenerational enterprises. Denise and Stephen support interaction between all ages: “Covid has shown how much we miss mixing and intergenerational interaction. The 2020s will be a decade of reconnection as we recover”. United for all Ages works with a range of national and local organisations to build communities for all ages. One of these is The Together Project. I spoke to Louise Goulden, its founder and CEO. Louise points out that intergenerational work is often understood as something that benefits the oldest and youngest generations. However, she clarifies, “Most of the time there is a broad range of ages who benefit. For example, in our Songs & Smiles groups, parents and guardians value interacting with older members of society. It also provides the opportunity for all ages to form new friendships and feel connected to their community”. Songs and Smiles is a sixty-minute music group for 0-4 years olds, their adults and older people. The groups are designed by experts in the field and aim at being interactive fun for all. The positive effects of having older people in the lives of young children, and vice versa, are vast. Louise shared with me her two favourite examples. “Alexa attended a session with her few-weeks-old daughter, Iris. They continued to participate in the group for several years. Alexa loved to see Iris interacting in a happy and joyful way with the care home residents. One day when out shopping, Iris saw a group of older women and pointed towards them saying, “Friends!”. She’d never met them before but associated these women with those she had fun with in the group. It’s a really lovely example of developing positive mindsets from a very young age. As well as this, Alexa joined the team as a volunteer and is now employed here”. Another time that sticks in Louise’s mind was when an elderly woman came in, moving painfully slowly. “She didn't look happy as she sat down. Once the children started arriving and the music began, she seemed to relax. As I was packing things away at the end of the session one of the care home team nudged me and said, 'Look who's left her walker behind!’ She was clearly in a very different mental and physical state to when she arrived.” The main benefits of Songs and Smiles: · brings quality of life to older people who may otherwise not encounter the spirit of young children · reduces loneliness and improves the health of older people · breaks down the segregation between the youngest and oldest in our communities - older people are seen and interacted with, not invisible · incorporates staff, parents and carers and volunteers, who are all different ages · uses music which is well-documented as nurturing well-being for all The main challenges of running this group: The most obvious one has been Covid. As Louise points out, “Constantly balancing the risks and rewards of in-person activities has been an ongoing concern. The threat of Covid, of course, has to be considered, but so has the impact on mental health from isolation.” Another thing to bear in mind with any group work are individual support needs and wishes. These must be respected and responded to at all times. Well-trained and attuned staff are key. The following case studies illustrate this. Case studies “We had one of our older women who had fallen asleep when the children arrived,” says Louise. “She woke mid-way through and was quite disorientated. Her carer responded calmly and helped her leave the room. After taking some time to adjust, she re-joined the session and loved every moment.” What made this work was having the right people on hand to help. This is a critical element of all care initiatives, not only this particular one. “During another Songs and Smiles session a resident with dementia cried the whole way through. An onlooker could, quite understandably, see this as a worrying or negative experience for that person. However, her carer told the staff that the tears were a release and functioned as a calming and healing process for her.” The presence of reassuring and sensitive professionals is key to these sessions having positive outcomes. Louise went on to say how, in her experience, the children seem to take it in their stride when the older people express emotion. “When the lady cried, a dad attending the session with his baby sat and held the lady’s hand for the full session. It was really lovely to watch. I didn't see any of the children get upset or particularly react to it. They just carried on interacting with her and with the format of the session as normal. I think it can often be we grown-ups who get more affected by these things.” A new project afoot The Together Project is launching a new initiative, that of Crafting Connections. It involves pairing up children and care home residents to send artwork and letters to each other every month. The intention is to build long-term friendships and understanding of each other. It will also help the children develop creative and literacy skills in a meaningful and real way. Conclusion Ageism, loneliness and a phenomenal increase in mental health difficulties are prevalent in our society. In response to these sad truths, United for All Ages recommend that every community should find opportunities for younger and older people to mix and share activities and experiences. This can only be a progressive and, indeed, critically necessary aim. Further information and how you can get involved: If you would like to help make this happen, find out how by clicking here. This blog about Songs & Smiles groups in Guinness Care properties gives lots of useful insight into the benefits that participants of different age groups experience. This blog is about another project involving Early Years children - We are Friends You can read part two of this series here. Part three is available here.

What do we mean by oracy and why is it important? Oracy, a term coined by British researcher Andrew Wilkinson in 1965, characterises oral language ability. Voice 21 - UK’s oracy education charity defines oracy as “our ability to communicate effectively using spoken language. It is the ability to speak eloquently, articulate ideas and thoughts, influence their views confidently and appropriately.” Oracy is the literacy of the spoken word and using speech to construct knowledge and make meaning. It is so much more than just being grammatically correct. It is how we speak and express ourselves by structuring our thoughts and knowledge, so they make sense. It is having a voice and knowing how to use it. It is a life skill and pivotal in improving educational outcomes, economic viability, literacy, and emotional skills as well as developing personal development (well-being, self-esteem, confidence, citizenship). The ability to communicate effectively is a fundamental ingredient to success in both early years and beyond. How are oracy and literacy linked? ‘Reading and writing float on a sea of talk.’ James Britton, 1970 The links between oracy and literacy are clear. They are like two sides of a coin and intertwined. Whilst oracy is the ability to speak, literacy is the ability to read and write. Oral language is a prerequisite to the development of literacy skills. Before we can read and write, we need to be able to speak and articulate our understanding. An effective communicator has specific speaking and listening behaviours in place. To be a good speaker, we must be able to effectively express ourselves and our views, using language which stretches from the basic to complex. To be a good listener, we need to understand what is being said, process and organise our thoughts before we respond. Both aspects are active engagements, and necessary for children to fully access reading and writing. Thinking skills and oracy are also interconnected. Children’s ability to think carefully about the language they are using and tailoring it to their purpose and audience is a key part of oracy. Explaining their thinking and learning supports the development of critical thinking and cognitive skills. Researchers Neil Mercer and Lyn Dawes state “They learn to use language as a tool for thinking, collectively and alone.” (Dawes & Mercer, 2015). So, oracy is important for language development and language is central to children’s development and learning. A level of language is required to be literate, and we know that children from disadvantaged families enter early years with much lower levels of communication and language skills than those from more affluent and language enriched homes. Children with a large vocabulary bank at the start of school also have better outcomes than those with language deprivation. Limited vocabulary restricts ways of communication and impacts directly on children’s development and learning, and in general life. The rise in children entering early years with growing language and communication gaps over the years has been a significant concern within the sector. The recently published Speak For Change report (April 2021) by the Oracy All-Party Parliament Group highlights “the impact of the pandemic on an already marked ‘language gap’ between disadvantaged children and their peers.” The Covid 19 pandemic has widened that impact across society. Many young children have missed out on vital social interactions and key early language development, which is crucial to later learning. Now more than ever, there is a need to raise the profile of oracy in the early years and close that language gap. In the early years, oracy can be easily linked to the Prime Area of Communication and Language. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage March 2021 (page 8) states “The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development.” However, the communication and language area has no greater status than all the others and lies alongside all the other Early Learning Goals of the Early Years Profile. Oracy education is not prioritised. Learning across all the areas of learning and development is highly dependent on language development. Young children are required to learn to read, to form strong relationships, to express their feelings, to articulate ideas and structure them in speech. Good communication skills are essential be able to talk and listen, feel confident and make friends. Poor language puts children at risk of not being school ready - developmentally, emotionally, or academically. I CAN, the children’s communication charity’s enquiry into oracy (September 2019) highlights the need to place more value on the spoken language and recognises that development of language and communication skills do not just happen. Children need adults around them who understand how to support the development of the language skills needed for oracy education which provides a communication supportive environment. This is particularly important for children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN). It is also important for children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). So, what can we do to support oracy in the early years? An oracy aware and enriched environment has direct positive impact on children’s outcomes. It gives children a voice and helps them to communicate confidently to those around them; develop strong and positive relationships with adults and children; communicate their ideas; express their emotions and their needs; access everyday life; understand and engage with the world around them and that early language underpins later learning. It cultivates the acquisition of vocabulary necessary to better communicate and access the learning. I would recommend some strategies for developing oracy: · Make oracy a priority. Give children the best opportunities to develop their oracy skills. · Create a holistic and consistent approach. Raise the status of oracy through policy and practice - developing a collective responsibility. · Empower staff confidence. Provide training in oracy and language development to develop knowledge, skills, and confidence. Build capacity by supporting any language planning and delivery. · Talk! Talk! Talk! Close the vocabulary gap! Identify the vocabulary hindering access to the communication and learning. Plan to introduce and model new vocabulary within context. Explore meaning and clarify any misconceptions. · Support sentence building. Model and recast different sentence forms clearly. You want to leave the children with a good, modelled sentence. Unless they hear a variety of ways of constructing sentences, they will be orally limited. · Develop receptive language alongside expressive language. Have a clear language focus for all activities to avoid missed opportunities. Explore key and peripheral language. Plan for numerous opportunities for structured and purposeful talk so you can support children to understand what is being said to them and how they need to respond. · Think quality before quantity. Beware of the amount of language used during interactions with the children. Consider the excess language children must negotiate to understand what they are being asked. Pace the language, so it is clear and coherent. Do not make assumptions that children will understand colloquialism or nuances but equally do not dumb down the language. They need exposure to copious amounts of rich language. · Embed rhymes, songs, and storytelling within provision. They are very effective tools due to the repetitive nature of the language and refrains. When supported by props and actions, they create the hanging pegs for recalling and re-using. · Play language games such as ‘Guess Who’ and what I call ‘car games’, where there is repetition with building up of language, all providing great opportunities for ample oral rehearsal through fun activities. · Determine the home language of your children with EAL. They may be code switching without realising and if this skill is not used, it will be lost. · Ensure all the staff have a clear understanding of SLCN - how language develops and can identify the difference between SLCN/SEND/EAL. · Implement interventions - for example, talkingpartners @primary (Education Works), Helicopter stories and Pie Corbett Talk for Writing are some proven effective tools for language development in the early years. · Provide home language books for children with EAL. Use dual language books for prior learning and to involve the parents in supporting oracy through home language. If children are skilled in one language, they can build on another language. · Use culturally relevant books and resources. Children are more likely to engage if they connect with points of interest. They will be motivated, be the ‘experts’ and are likely to have some language in place already. Finally, by building on the good practice of early years pedagogy, we can truly enhance the role of oracy and make a considerable difference to the lives of our young children. I leave you with this quote which captures the essence of oracy and the crucial role it plays in the development of our young children. "‘The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.’ Lugwig Wittgenstein (Austrian philosopher) If you would like to hear Sejal discussing oracy, including how to support children who use predominantly non-verbal forms of communication, you can listen to our podcast here. We also have a forum post with further reading supplied by Sejal here.

In context… Research has long shown the relationship between strong leadership and the quality of the setting. We know that leadership is a driving force behind the experiences and outcomes for children and therefore there is a need to get it right. This is what can make the role so rewarding – knowing there is an impact. Leaders hold on to this as a motivational tool, especially in light of the many challenges associated with the leadership role in early years. The challenges of leadership Like all those employed in early years, leaders are accustomed to working long hours with poor pay and terms and conditions. Unfortunately, their role simply does not come with the respect afforded to other leadership positions within education. The lack of understanding and recognition of the sector means that morale can often be low, particularly evident throughout the pandemic. With little appreciation of the leadership role and where the sector sits within education, policy makers further harmed the sector at a time when support and appreciation was greatly needed. Leaders have buoyed up staff during these difficult times, acknowledging the amazing talents, skills and values held by those employed in the sector. The leadership role is multifaceted and often misunderstood or misinterpreted. There are many aspects to the role which have evolved over time, impacting on the challenges a leader faces. Poor pay across the sector, the current recruitment crisis, COVID, workload, hierarchy factors and consistently poor funding rates influences the experiences of the leader. These pressures can unfortunately impact on their wellbeing which, in turn, can impact on the quality of practice and provision. To be a successful leader requires a drive and determination to do the best for children, families and staff. Early years professionals will experience emotional challenges related to their work and require support from their lead. In recent years, this has become even more noticeable, for instance with the closure of children’s centres, meaning settings are having to pick up some of the vital work these hubs did. Educators are often having to have sensitive conversations with families which can lead to feelings of worry and stress. In these circumstances, a good leader will be listening and acknowledging the feelings of the team, in some ways becoming a container for the emotions of the staff. They assure them that their feelings are valid and work to develop an environment where staff wellbeing is prioritised. Not in a tokenistic way but through ongoing, thoughtful interactions whereby everyone feels valued and able to voice their feelings and concerns. It is vital to appreciate the pressure leaders can feel when supporting the emotions of staff. Leaders can become so consumed with managing others that their own wellbeing is impacted. This leads us to question – who safeguards the leader? It’s a difficult question to answer. Leaders can’t confide in others outside of the setting due to confidentiality. Within the setting, the leader needs to maintain a professional stance which can often make it difficult to share feelings. Similarly, offloading to an owner or committee member could lead to feelings of unease. We all want to be seen to be preforming well. Because of this, it can be challenging to communicate feelings about our emotions or workload to those we are reportable to. This leaves few options, meaning leaders often struggle through the mental demands of the role on their own. Accountability It is the leader who bears the brunt of the emotional strain. They have many groups to whom they are accountable, and therefore need to ensure quality and systems are maintained. Their role is such that stress, worry, apprehension and turmoil goes hand in hand with responsibility. Firstly, there is the responsibility towards the children: ensuring the provision is meeting the needs of all children attending and that all children see themselves reflected in the provision, with diversity, equality and inclusion at the forefront of practice. Families put complete trust in the setting and this needs to be respected, with staff understanding their role of ‘in loco parentis’. Children need to be valued and have their voice heard within an environment which is safe, happy and meets their individual interests and requirements. To achieve this, it is the role of the leader to ensure all staff have thorough inductions, ongoing supervisions and regular professional development opportunities to maintain the quality of the setting. Families need to know that their children are at the heart of the culture and ethos of a setting. Finally, leaders need to monitor the quality of the provision, ensuring all requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are met. This incorporates learning and development, staff recruitment, safeguarding, ratios and more. Without this, the setting would not be meeting Ofsted standards. What can we do Settings need their leaders to feel valued and supported in their role. This enables them to be fully focused on their job of empowering staff and maintaining a high quality environment in which all children can thrive. Early years leaders do need to be resilient. This can be challenging for some who naturally overthink and worry – criticism of the setting, their leadership skills or the pressure of accountability can be difficult to manage. In these situations, it is important to step back in order to gain some perspective. To protect their own wellbeing, leaders need to remain objective rather than take things personally – easier said than done, of course. As much as possible, the stresses of work should be left at the door, with clear definition between ‘home’ and ‘work’. Having ways to wind down and relax help a leader to manage their own head space. This could be reading a book before bed, watching a favourite tv programme, a hot bubbly bath or an evening walk. It’s about finding what works for you. However, the most important thing is for the leader to limit the pressure they put on themselves. Rather than needing to be resilient, perhaps instead the sector needs to recognise that leadership is a diverse, challenging role, and different to other leadership roles in education. Leaders still need support networks and time and space to share worries, concerns and pressures. Finally… Although the role of a leader does come with significant responsibility and factors which can cause emotional strain, it is still the most rewarding of roles. Playing a part in the lives of young children, creating environments where they can thrive, should always be valued.

Five things I’ve taken from working in Early Years to teaching across Key Stage 1 and 2 1. Behaviour support 2. Creativity 3. Childhood development 4. Expectations 5. Parental engagement I started my teaching career in Key Stage 1 for the first two years, I then moved to Early Years and after that year I moved across Early Years to Key Stage 2. The experience I had in Early Years changed my future teaching practice and my understanding of children’s learning and development. Here are the top five things I took away from Early Years to working with children across Key stage 1 and 2. 1. Supporting children with distressed behaviour Simply moving away from terms such as “challenging behaviour” or “behaviour management” can change your perception of these behaviours, children, and your approach to addressing these issues - being able to understand that a child may not be able to identify why they are behaving in a particular way let alone articulate themselves when questioned by a teacher. In Early Years I was conscious of asking how the child was feeling and what maybe caused X behaviour. If a child was unable to share this, I’d act as a co-regulator of their behaviour and emotions. Ensuring I explained calmly why such behaviour isn’t appropriate, acknowledging their feelings and sharing different tools or verbal skills to apply instead. I see a lack of this approach as children progress through the school years as we assume children are older so they should know right from wrong, how to behave and control their feelings. Knowledge of children’s development and the Early Years framework can help us to understand that if children don’t receive support from grown-ups (parents/carers/educators) acting as co-regulators, children will struggle to self-regulate their feelings and behaviours. Raising our voices doesn’t lead to “desired” behaviours of children and we can often see children as “attention seeking” when most likely they are “seeking connection”. It could be validation, acknowledgment, or there might be underlying issues which we need to consider and effectively “address”. 2. Creativity Having worked in different schools, with different guidelines, SLT expectations, colleagues and most importantly children, being creative is vital – but it is important to understand creativity will look different for one child to another and an activity might be considered more appealing or engaging to some rather than others. In the Early Years there is more freedom with the structure of the day, but I was able to take some of this creative approach into Key Stage 2 when differentiating and planning resources or the delivery of the lesson. Reflecting on what works well for some children and what doesn’t work so well for others really does help. Being versatile with resources and providing concrete resources for those who need it, rather than as a tick box exercise, rotating adult support depending on the task and grouping children who can work well together, discuss and share ideas, rather than focusing on ability. Of course, with different lessons and groups of children, you need to see what works best for you and the resources you have available (Covid permitting) but it doesn’t always have to be ‘ability groups, starter, activity, plenary’ as the generic primary school lesson structure suggests. Ultimately class teachers know what works best for their children. 3. Understanding of childhood development As briefly mentioned in paragraph 1, working in Early Years gave me the opportunity to plan an environment, activities to support the development of children, and to learn more about the areas which are not shared beyond Early Years. Let’s look at personal, social, emotional development. I was conscious to support this effectively, whether asking children about what makes them happy, sad, scared, angry or worried etc. and share “role play” with my assistant where we would both want the same thing or were upset with each other. We would model language to use to resolve issues, say how we felt and why. Also using text to discuss feelings, emotions and behaviour and reflecting on this, as well as creating a space for children to go and reflect, resolve or have a bit of space to themselves away from everyone – I know this isn’t always practical or achievable as we move through the school years, but it is something we should consider. Another example where understanding child development has helped me when teaching older children is with handwriting. There has been debate about commenting on children’s handwriting in their workbooks, and setting aside time for handwriting practice. But if a child doesn’t grip their pen or pencil firmly, their handwriting won’t be the best it can. Taking their physical development, posture, core strength and pencil grip into consideration, these are all areas that can impact a child’s handwriting. Instead of perhaps thinking the child is being “lazy” and not putting care or effort into their work – which I have heard verbally said to children and read as feedback in their books. Of course, sometimes children might not put the effort in, but it’s also being able to differentiate and understand the mechanisms when it comes to writing. 4. Expectations Honestly, working in Early Years was refreshing and changed my approach in many ways (including out of the classroom). A big one for me is expectations. A child can only do what they can and do it how they know to do it. Sometimes it’s easy to think if I model this to a class, they will be able to understand. It might take more than once to show them but then they should be able to do it - I’m sure all classroom practitioners are aware of this, but how wrong! It’s refreshing to understand all children process, understand and work differently, so if they don’t understand the first time or third, maybe we need to change the language, or the resources and cater to the child. I know it’s hard to do that effectively for each child in a class of 30, when lesson timings or long-term plans and end of topic assessments don’t allow for this. This is something that needs to be addressed effectively on a much wider scale, our expectations determine our lesson structure, topic plans etc. but if we cannot support a child effectively and ultimately teach them the depth and breadth required because we’re having to skim over topics and work with 30 children at the same time, there’s not a lot we can do individually – government funding, CPD, resources, adult provision, SLT all have a part to play here. But we can reframe our expectations which will support us with planning, delivery and assessment. 5. Parental/carer engagement We can see how our parental engagement differs from younger children to older children, from parents with English as an additional language, to children with additional needs and children with distressed behaviour or those who are performing “below expected” in their academic studies. With Covid we can see how parental/carer engagement has differed, limited or been restricted, and I’ve heard and seen the impact from school staff and parents/carers. There may be parents/carers we communicate with where it feels there is a lack of interest. Thinking about how we can support them and changes we can make to our approach can help. It’s important to think about whether other children/adults are nearby and whether the parent/carer and child appreciate others hearing the conversation. We can also think about what is the purpose of our communications, and what would we, and the families, like the outcome to be? Are we telling parents/carers something or involving them in the discussion? Engaging in conversation first and sensitively opening the discussion of behaviour for example, asking the parent/carer what they think, how they feel, any suggestions they have. I remember doing this with a child in Year 5, in the same way I would have conversed with the parent if the child was in Early Years, about their behaviour – how can we move forward, this is what we have tried, what works well or not so well at home? On the other hand, when recognising a child’s achievement, not just sharing the work, but sharing how they persevered, asked questions, were creative and how proud we were of this achievement (also encouraging the child to recognise their effort and to feel pleased/proud). Another example, if a child is struggling in a particular area, discussing how we can move forward, what resources would support them, like we do in end of year reports, because we want to encourage this relationship and effort both in school and at home throughout the year. In conclusion, there’s a lot we as teachers already know and do but when working with 4 and 5 year olds it does change and this practice will have a positive impact on our role as we move across the school, even out of the classroom – understanding the nurturing experiences a child has from birth to 5 years of age will support them in different ways as they grow up. All our primary articles have been moved to Tapestry.info. You can read them and lots of other articles there.

Almost ten years ago, in 2013, More Great Childcare was published by the then Minister, Liz Truss. A watershed policy document, this paper included the proposal to reduce the number of adults:children in early years provision in England: More Great Childcare (Department for Education 2013) Many will remember the headlines, the debate and petitions around this highly contentious issue. Later that year the proposal was overwhelmingly rejected by the early years sector and quashed by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. Fast forward to late April 2022 and reports emerged from a government Cabinet meeting that the Prime Minister wants to relax staff to child ratios in nurseries to help cut childcare costs for parents, and tackle the cost of living crisis. The BBC reported that the proposal came directly from the prime minister, who wanted to lower the legal limits on adult supervision for children in England, as part of a drive to reduce living costs. So the early years sector is faced yet again with a proposal to prioritise cheap childcare for parents over quality early education for children. Cue a collective intake of breath from the sector. It has been, and is likely to continue to be, a debate in which the needs and priorities of multiple stakeholders are at the centre of the fray. Here, I highlight what I think are the five most prominent arguments circulating against changes to ratios: 1. Safety and welfare of children would be at risk It is widely felt that children’s safety and welfare would be compromised if fewer adults care for more children. The EYFS framework is clear: Children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure, when their individual needs are met, and when they have positive relationships with the adults caring for them (p.21) Staffing arrangements must meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. Providers must ensure that children are adequately supervised… Exceptionally, and where the quality of care and safety and security of children is maintained, changes to the ratios may be made. (p.28) Safeguarding concerns remain at the forefront of the arguments against a change to ratios with many colleagues who are working in practice voicing their fears about the implications for reduced number of adults, particularly in group-based care. Several commentators have highlighted how common sense tells us even the highest-qualified practitioner only has one pair of hands and one pair of eyes. 2. Quality of experience for children and their outcomes will suffer. As we emerge from the pandemic and the government presses the need for children to ‘catch up’ on ‘lost learning’, there are greater expectations about the importance of quality experiences for children. At the same time the social, emotional and communication needs of young children have been described (by Ofsted): The pandemic has continued to affect children’s communication and language development, and many providers noticed delays in their speech and language progress. Providers are making more referrals for external help than before the pandemic and are waiting longer for this specialist help. To compensate, providers were making sure that children were learning in an environment rich with language, with a focus on extending vocabulary and practising speech. The negative impact on children’s personal, social and emotional development has also continued, with many children lacking confidence in group activities. This is born out in the experiences of many educators in the sector. Author and Pre-School Chair Sue Cowley recently tweeted: ‘There are such high levels of need at the moment, that a lot of settings are doing more 1 to 1 than ever before. If a child needs 1 to 1, they need 1 to 1. Increasing ratios doesn't change levels of needs’ So it is difficult to see how a reduction in the number of adults to children supports a commitment to quality provision and the needs of children in a post-pandemic context. Research by Bonetti and Brown (2018) highlight the iron triangle of ‘structural’ elements of quality provision, namely: workforce training and professional development, child to staff ratios and group/classroom size. Bonetti and Brown summarise: The evidence on child to staff ratios is fairly conclusive: having fewer children per staff leads to better children’s outcomes as it provides the opportunity for more individualised attention and leads to better teacher and child behaviour. (p.6) Therefore, it is likely that any proposal to increase the number of young children cared for and educated by adults would jeopardise the ratio and group size elements of this quality triangle. 3. Staff wellbeing will be worsened with further implications for recruitment and retention An important and pressing argument is the suggested impact on staff wellbeing and on resultant recruitment and retention issues. We know from multiple studies that recruitment challenges in the sector are intensifying (Hardy et al 2022, EYA 2021, NDNA 2021). Indeed, in April 2022 in research on ‘Education recovery in early years providers’ Ofsted highlighted: ‘Staff shortages were affecting the quality of teaching and implementation of catch-up strategies. Having fewer staff on site could also result in behaviour management issues.’ It is difficult to see how increasing the number of young children cared for and educated by early years staff, and thereby increasing educator workload, would remedy either the wellbeing of existing staff or the ongoing recruitment and retention challenges. 4. Cost savings will not be passed on to parents There is also little evidence that the proposed savings from changes to ratios (i.e. fewer adults or more children and resulting cost savings) will be passed on to parents in the form of fee reductions. Over 70% of providers’ costs go on staffing; with the adult minimum wage increasing annually (+6.5% in 2022). Coupled with increases in the employer contributions, providers are facing a substantially higher wage bill. Alongside this, the longstanding and continued underfunding of the entitlement hours (EYA 2021a) creates little alternative but the subsidy of this through ‘paid for’ hours. Thus, as this gap between income from funded places and costs is sustained or widened, income generation rather than fee reduction remains of paramount importance for provider sustainability. There is also the argument that the risk of a two-tier childcare sector will emerge, with more prosperous areas retaining the current ratios because parents can afford the higher fees, while nurseries in disadvantaged areas will either be forced to close or relax ratios to take more children in order to remain solvent. 5. There are limitations to the applicability of international comparisons A further claim is the limitations of international comparisons. Ministers appear to look to (and seemingly cherry pick) the early years systems in other nations to compare adult:child ratios. But such benchmarking needs to be undertaken with extreme caution given the multiple factors which differ in each context. The selective quoting of ratios in particular nations often masks additional support staff employed in settings but not always counted in mandated ‘teaching’ ratios. In addition, it is interesting to note that UNICEF found: ‘In 21 countries the ratio fell between 2005 and 2018 reflecting rising standards or falling fertility rates that allowed for formation of smaller groups.’ (p.17) As I write this, early years membership bodies are seeking members’ views, sector media reflects the arguments and a gov.uk petition is gathering momentum with tens of thousands of signatories already secured. Arguments and action on the issue from early educators, parents, carers and supporters of the sector appear as strong as they were ten years ago. In the proposed review of deregulation, DfE have stated ‘health and safety as well as quality of provision will continue to be of paramount importance', and many will continue to cite these words. If the Minister is to honour his word and not ‘compromise quality and safety’ it is difficult to see how a reduction in adult:child ratios would support this commitment. Increased investment is the answer.