Regions: England

Chancellor fails to address sector crisis in latest budget

The Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, delivered a ‘mini’ budget, announcement this morning, called his Growth Plan, to the House of Commons that had a number of policies that will affect childcare providers. Earlier this week the Department for Business, Energy and Infrastructure announced the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme designed to help businesses with the cost… Continue reading Chancellor fails to address sector crisis in latest budget

Childcare businesses must be classed as vulnerable

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy headed by the new Secretary of State Jacob Rees-Mogg have announced a package of support for businesses, households and the public sector to alleviate the pressure of energy bills. The package has revealed a new Government Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers which will provide a… Continue reading Childcare businesses must be classed as vulnerable

NDNA’s response to ratios consultation

The previous Children and Families Minister Will Quince announced plans to look at ratios earlier this year. He visited other countries including Scotland to see how childcare and early education is delivered there. On the back of these visits the Department for Education launched a consultation on childcare regulation with a key proposal that, for… Continue reading NDNA’s response to ratios consultation

Queen’s Funeral and Bank Holiday 19 September – Q&A for nurseries

The Government announced the date of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will be Monday 19 September and will be a Bank Holiday. Today the Department for Education has issued guidance for educational settings regarding the closure. Scottish Government issued this guidance. Welsh Government has said opening is down to the discretion of individual settings. It’s vital your… Continue reading Queen’s Funeral and Bank Holiday 19 September – Q&A for nurseries

PM announces support for businesses with energy bills

Prime Minister Liz Truss announced that she will put support in place from October to assist all businesses with their energy costs for six months. This will be “equivalent” to the support for householders, which will mean that a “typical household” will pay no more than £2,500 in energy bills for the next two years.… Continue reading PM announces support for businesses with energy bills

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

Sharp rise in summer nursery closures ring alarm bells for winter months

Many more nurseries have closed during the summer term than previously, setting course for a disastrous year for early years settings, says National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). NDNA, the voice of the early years sector, has tracked nursery closures since the 30 hours policy was introduced in 2017. During the summer term April to July… Continue reading Sharp rise in summer nursery closures ring alarm bells for winter months

Tax-Free Childcare: Parents only using half of accounts

The Government has published its latest statistics for Tax-Free Childcare showing that half of all open accounts are not even used. There was a dip in numbers of people using TFC in June but otherwise more people are using the support than previously. However, only 50% of open accounts were used in April which means… Continue reading Tax-Free Childcare: Parents only using half of accounts

Sector returns to celebrate achievements in annual nursery awards!

Staff and practitioners made a triumphant return to NDNA’s annual awards to celebrate their achievements in glitzy ceremony at the Chesford Grange Hotel in Kenilworth. NDNA’s annual conference returned during the day, bringing members and sector experts together before finalists and their families gathered in anticipation at the awards dinner. The biggest award of the… Continue reading Sector returns to celebrate achievements in annual nursery awards!

NDNA July network chairs meeting

Monday, 4 July 2022, 11.00am-12.40pm (via Zoom) Please find in this article a summary of the England Network Chairs’ Meeting of 4th July 2022. We have summarised the key points raised by the Network Chairs. They represent 44 networks across England. Networks allow nursery providers to share experiences and establish a collective voice to ensure… Continue reading NDNA July network chairs meeting

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

Ofsted updates to Education Inspection Framework don’t go far enough

Education watchdog, Ofsted, have published updates to the Early Years inspection handbook and to the guidance for early years providers that sits alongside it. They have also published a summary of the changes. The new inspection handbook will be in use from September 2022 and Ofsted have said it will not result in a change… Continue reading Ofsted updates to Education Inspection Framework don’t go far enough

Children’s Minister resigns and Education Minister becomes Chancellor

Children and Families Minister Will Quince, who has the brief for childcare and early education, resigned after defending the Prime Minister with information that later emerged as “inaccurate”. The MP for Colchester who has been Children’s Minister since September said in his resignation letter: “I wish my successor well. It is the best job in… Continue reading Children’s Minister resigns and Education Minister becomes Chancellor

Government announce consultation on ratios changes

The Government has announced a consultation on ways to tackle the soaring childcare costs amid the cost of living crisis. The Minister for Children and Families, Will Quince, gave notice of the consultation in May 2022, and has confirmed that it will look at increasing the number of children that can be looked after by… Continue reading Government announce consultation on ratios changes

1 in 5 nurseries inspected since September inadequate or require improvement

Ofsted has published its official statistics for Childcare Providers and Inspections, their latest report, since August 2021 before the Cost of Living Crisis. Worryingly, inspection data from the report suggests that in the last seven months before March 2022, more providers received ‘Inadequate’ and ‘Requires Improvement’ judgments than previously and once ‘Outstanding’ providers found it… Continue reading 1 in 5 nurseries inspected since September inadequate or require improvement

Less than 1/5 of parents recognise unique importance of age 0-5

The Royal Foundation has unveiled its newest findings of research into the public perceptions of early childhood development. The Duchess of Cambridge’s Foundation, which aims to drive awareness of and action on the extraordinary impact of the early years, published the research based on a survey of 4,682 adults and over a 1,000 interviews with… Continue reading Less than 1/5 of parents recognise unique importance of age 0-5

Urgent funding boost for childcare sectors is needed as costs rise £2000 a year since 2010

New analysis published by the Trades Union Congress on Monday reveal that the cost of childcare for children under two has drastically increased by more than £2000 (£185 per month )in the last decade since the Conservatives took office. Parents saw an average annual nursery bill for a child under two of £4,992 in 2010.… Continue reading Urgent funding boost for childcare sectors is needed as costs rise £2000 a year since 2010

We are failing our children – MPs debate education recovery

MPs accused the Government of failing our children at a House of Commons debate about education recovery and the cost of childcare. The Opposition Day debate was led by the Shadow Children’s Minister Bridget Philipson a year after Sir Kevan Collins of the Education Endowment Foundation resigned as Education Recovery tsar. She pointed out that… Continue reading We are failing our children – MPs debate education recovery

TAX FREE CHILDCARE: Less than half of eligible families accessing support

HMRC have published the statistics on the usage of their Tax Free Childcare offer for the 2021/22 tax year. The Government scheme offers up to £2,000 a year per child towards childcare costs, including nursery provision. The latest statistics show that only around half of the estimated 1.3 million eligible families are accessing the support… Continue reading TAX FREE CHILDCARE: Less than half of eligible families accessing support