New statistics released by DfE and Ofsted on the Early Years sector this reveal that recruitment and retention crisis remains prevalent while nurseries remain determined to keeping rising costs away from parents and support their children. The Department for Education’s annual Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey 2022 gives insights into childcare and early years… Continue reading Official reports show pressure building on early years providers
Tag: Department for Education
Kit Malthouse appointed as new Secretary of State for Education
As Prime Minister and new Conservative Party leader Liz Truss appoints her new cabinet, Kit Malthouse, Member of Parliament for North West Hampshire, has been appointed as the new Secretary of state for Education. The Member of Parliament for North West Hampshire has worked as Work and Pensions Ministers, Crime and Policing Minister, and served… Continue reading Kit Malthouse appointed as new Secretary of State for Education
New Children and Families Minister announced
Following on from the resignation of Will Quince from the Government on 06 July, Brendan Clarke-Smith MP has been appointed as the new Minister for Children and Families. This role is responsible for early years and childcare within the Department for Education. Mr Clarke-Smith joins new ministers James Cleverly, MP for Braintree in Essex who… Continue reading New Children and Families Minister announced
Government is underfunding us – 95% of nurseries say
A comprehensive survey probing private, voluntary and independent nurseries’ financial sustainability has uncovered a dire picture with 85% of childcare businesses in England making a loss or only breaking even. Ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) reveals the shocking landscape in which nurseries and childcare settings are operating, with 95%… Continue reading Government is underfunding us – 95% of nurseries say
Funding rates to rise for 22-23 by less than inflation
Today the Government has published its early years entitlement funding rates from the Department for Education to local authorities in England for two, three and four-year-old places. Most councils will receive an increase of 17p per hour for three and four-year-olds which for the areas with the lowest funding rate of £4.44 is an increase… Continue reading Funding rates to rise for 22-23 by less than inflation
Plans to reduce self-isolation in critical roles
The Government has announced plans for critical workers not to need to self-isolate. We have seen reports about employers needing to seek permission from their relevant government departments who will make a decision on a case by case basis for each individual. NDNA has raised this as a matter of urgency with the DfE to… Continue reading Plans to reduce self-isolation in critical roles
Updates to Development Matters
The Department for Education (DfE) has published a revised version of Development Matters following feedback on the original version first published in September 2020. Please note that the DfE has said the changes to the content are minor and you will not need to alter any planning based on the previous (September 2020) version. The… Continue reading Updates to Development Matters
Fewer children in nursery so Government must reverse funding decision
A snap poll by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) shows that the average nursery has a third fewer children than normal and figures published by the Department for Education suggest this could be closer to half across all early years settings. The situation is now critical as 58% of nurseries are not confident they will… Continue reading Fewer children in nursery so Government must reverse funding decision
Millions in early years funding not reaching providers to support families
Three quarters of local education authorities (LEAs) in England have reported underspending their Government funding for childcare places, another investigation by National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) reveals. Despite raising this issue a year ago with the Treasury and the Department for Education, with promises from the Government to look into the issue, millions of pounds… Continue reading Millions in early years funding not reaching providers to support families
Give equal access to testing for all early years workers
The Department for Education’s announcement that early years workers in private and voluntary run settings must attend community testing centres while maintained nurseries and nursery classes in schools get ‘at-home’ test kits delivered demonstrates how the sector has been treated. The announcement means that staff in private, voluntary and independently (PVI) run nurseries and preschools… Continue reading Give equal access to testing for all early years workers
Reducing ratios newspaper article – NDNA’s response
A front page article in the Telegraph on Saturday suggested that the Government is looking at reducing ratios of children to adults in childcare settings in England. The article – which gave no named sources for this information – said that “education officials” argued that this would drive childcare costs down for parents. Having been on the… Continue reading Reducing ratios newspaper article – NDNA’s response
Millie’s Mark celebrates 5 years this month
Millie’s Mark, the gold standard for nurseries in paediatric first aid, celebrates its fifth birthday this month after launching in 2016. The Mark is an accredited scheme for outstanding Paediatric First Aid practice, established by Dan and Joanne Thompson of Millie’s Trust following the death of their young daughter Millie. NDNA was awarded the contract… Continue reading Millie’s Mark celebrates 5 years this month