Government policy to relax early years staffing ratios and boost free hours for families is part of an “ignorant and disrespectful narrative” that sees professionals in the sector as “formal baby sitters”, according to...
Nearly half of childcare providers struggling to cover costs, DfE finds
Nearly half of early years providers say that their current income is not sufficient to cover the cost of delivering childcare in their setting, a report from the Department for Education has found Read the full article...
Nearly half of early years providers say that their current income is not sufficient to cover their costs
One in 10 of all childcare providers asked said they were likely to close as a result of cost pressures, and two per cent were already planning to do so. Some 12 per cent of respondents said they did not know if they...
Local Authority Early Years Entitlement – underspends and overspends
Currently in England all three and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of funded early education for 38 weeks of the year. Eligible three and four-year-olds are entitled to an additional 15 hours per week. From...
Children’s minister faces scrutiny from MPs over childcare reforms
Claire Coutinho addressed MPs’ concerns over the reforms, which include an expansion of funded childcare places and a relaxation of staff:child ratios in settings, at the education select committee’s final...
Early years toolkit
The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) and the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development & Learning (PEDAL), have launched a new resource to support local areas in a shared...
