As expected, a revision to the statutory guidance will be issued this year to take into account the new paediatric first aid requirements and Safeguarding advice. There will also be a new model agreement for Local Authorities. Although issued…
The consultation is open until 19th April 2017 and as early years professionals we should take the time to respond. You can open the consultation documents from here
CYPNOW is today reporting that the 'Champagne Nurseries for Lemonade Funding' group has reported the DfE to the Competition and Markets Authority complaining that many childcare providers will be forced to close because the money offered by …
James Bowen, writing in the TES says "If ministers want to close the disadvantage gap, they need to properly fund early years". You can read James' article here and discuss it on this thread.
Save the Children are campaigning "for an early years teacher in every nursery in England – focusing first on the poorest areas that need this support the most" you can read their report here and comment on this thread.
In a meeting with early years providers, Caroline Dinenage has reminded business owners that they should ensure that they charge for any extra services provided as part of their 30 hours 'offer' this will include any food, nappies, wipes or e…
Further to the Pre-school Learning Alliance's (PLA) freedom of information request (which was granted back in November) Deloitte have released the data upon which the 'cost of childcare' report was based. Neil Leitch of PLA has expressed his …
More than half of the local authorities surveyed by Family and Childcare Trust (FACT) are unsure they will have enough availability to double funded hours. The survey, was sent to all Local Authorities who would be implementing the 30 hours i…
The 30 hours debate was further fuelled this week when Matthew Wright discussed it on 'The Wright Stuff'. The antagonistic debate created much anger and upset amongst the early years sector, particularly Wright's comment that childminders and…
On Friday 3rd February FSF were at the Nursery World show in London attending the 'self-regulation masterclass'. The first two speakers, Clancy Blair and C.Cybele Raver are extremely eminent psychologists working in the field of self-regulati…
The MP quit in response to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's confirmation that Labour MPs would be expected to back the upcoming Article 50 bill, which will trigger the UK's exit from the EU, in parliament. Tulip will remain as MP for Hampstead a…
The additional 4 four local authorities brings the total number of early implementers to 12. Hopefully the information gained from these trial providers will help inform and educate settings and parents when the full roll out occurs in Septem…
The page, designed to help childminders navigate the application and registration process, has been launched as a 3 month trial. Links to useful documents and frequently asked questions are all addressed on the page. You can access the trial…
The headteachers' union NAHT review group has called for the abolition of tests at the end of KS1 and has asked that the baseline assessment be reintroduced in Reception classes. Their view is that there is too much testing in KS1 and that a …
Sean Harford's blog clarifies inspectors' expectations when they are looking at safeguarding in schools and early years settings. Read his blog and access additional documents from here.
Research conducted by Ceeda and commissioned by PLA has highlighted serious miscalculations in the DfE's predicted figures regarding the number of children that will be seeking to claim 30 hours free childcare from September 2017. You can r…
10 years on from the Bercow review a new inquiry is underway following up the findings regarding children's language and communication skills. The Royal College of Speech and Language is working together with the I CAN charity (who developed …
The NDNA have released their annual survey about the state of the EY sector. The NDNA are great advocates for providers and so completing their survey accurately and honestly makes it easier for them to represent the sector comprehensively. T…
The government has announced the successful bidders for the capital funding attached to the 30 hour provision. There will be 6 focus areas to begin with and then there are other additional Local Authorities who will receive funding to enable …
Children and Young People Now (CYP) have been told that "the children's centres consultation is still going ahead, and is likely to launch in early 2017 as a departmental priority, separate of the social justice green paper". You can read the…
The report summarises the responses sent by various sector contributors and lists the findings clearly. The findings include Provider difficulties with the Ofsted registration and inspection processes, changes to statutory requirements, the i…
Sir Michael Wilshaw's final annual report has been released and the sector has had a chance to digest the contents. Gill Jones HMI has spoken to Nursery World to explain and clarify the findings as they relate to Early Years. There are sever…
The National Association of Headteachers(NAHT) has called for a reallocation of funds from the government's grammar school plans towards investment in early years. The NAHT state that investment in early years has more impact on social mobili…
