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The Independent - Government has more work to do to ensure families secure quality childcare – MPs
Eleanor Busby |
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Plans to expand the number of subsidised childcare places for working parents in England “should not come at the expense of quality”, the Commons Education Select Committee has warned. The Government has more work to do to address “structural problems” in the early years system to ensure families benefit from high-quality affordable childcare under its reforms, MPs have said. |
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The Guardian - Tory plan to expand free childcare is ‘undeliverable’, nurseries in England warn
Michael Savage |
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A survey of hundreds of childcare providers seen by the Observer reveals a sizeable mismatch between the free places parents are expecting and what nurseries and childminders can provide. They also warn that many parents will continue to be charged, or face higher fees, as providers face a growing shortfall. |
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BBC News - Families struggle with rising cost of summer childcare
Yasmin Rufo, Lauren Stanley & Alpa Patel |
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A mum of three has told the BBC she has had to go into debt to pay for childcare. Jane Carmichael who has three children said affording summer childcare was "impossible". Research shows London parents pay a weekly average of £177.13 per child for summer holiday childcare, 25% more than the figure in the east of England. A government spokesperson said it was "rolling out the single-biggest investment in childcare in England". |
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The Metro - You can claim a childcare credit if you’re a grandparent – find out what you could get and if you’re eligible
Caroline Westbrook |
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Grandparents who are looking after a child under the age of 12 can potentially claim what is known as ‘specified adult childcare credits’ for doing so – although it largely depends on whether or not they qualify for the full state pension. |
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BBC News - Nurseries urged to practice security lockdown drills |
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Nurseries are being encouraged to practice emergency lockdown drills, in case intruders manage to gain access. A body representing nurseries has created a plan to help staff practice with children without scaring them. The chances of such an emergency are extremely rare, but some schools in the west of England have used their lockdown procedures in recent weeks. |
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Nursery world - Political parties told to simplify early years funding system
Katy Morton
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Ahead of the next general election, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) is calling on the political parties to simplify the early years funding system and weight it ‘more heavily’ towards children with SEND and from low-income families. |
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Children and Young People Now - Address eligibility criteria to offer world-leading early years support, research finds
Fiona Simpson |
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England could be among the world’s leading systems for access to early years if disparities around eligibility for children from the poorest families are addressed, according to new research from the Sutton Trust. |
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Blogposts, Podcasts and more
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Campaign for Learning - Bringing childcare and family learning together
Susannah Chambers |
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Campaign for Learning have released a new series of articles exploring childcare. The series is broken down into six parts and can be access via the FE News website. |
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New Economics Foundation - Investing in universal early years education pays for itself |
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Extending high-quality provision to those on low incomes brings biggest benefits. The New Economics Foundation conducted an analysis into the 30 free hours of childcare offer announced by Jeremy Hunt in the March Budget. Their findings revealed that while around 70% of high-income parents will gain access to the expanded 30 free hours early years education offer, only around 2% of the poorest 10% will. To analyse the case for borrowing to invest in early years education, they have modelled the fiscal costs and benefits of funding a universal early years offer entirely through an index-linked gilt (a government bond whose return is not eroded by inflation).
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Research and Policy Developments
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Institute of Fiscal Studies - How did parents’ experiences in the labour market shape children’s social and emotional development during the pandemic? |
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The Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that the pandemic set back social and emotional growth of children in England. Half of children from all economic backgrounds were affected, especially those whose parents’ jobs were hit during lockdowns. |
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Department for Education - Statutory guidance: Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework |
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The standards that school and childcare providers must meet for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5. |
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Department for Education - Official Statistics: Childcare and early years survey of parents: 2022 |
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Findings from the 2022 survey of parents on childcare and early years. This publication provides information on a survey of parents with children aged 0 to 14.
It covers parents’ use of childcare and early years provision, and their views and experiences, including: what childcare is used by different types of families what childcare is used by different types of families and children changes in take-up of childcare over the years parents’ reasons for using or not using childcare and for choosing particular providers parents’ views on the providers they used and on childcare provision in their local area in general the perceived impacts of the 30 hours of childcare policy on families and children the influence of childcare arrangements on mothers’ decisions about whether to go out to work and working patterns children’s use of digital technology in the home learning environment
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Education Committee - Gov’t ‘has more work to do’ on landmark childcare reforms, Education Committee report says |
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The Education Committee welcomes the Government’s focus on childcare in the Spring Budget, but warns it has more work to do and should consider wider policy changes to ensure children benefit from high quality affordable childcare and to help parents and providers who are struggling.
The findings come in a new report which concludes the cross-party Committee’s inquiry that was launched amidst warnings that state and private providers had been closing at an alarming rate. This has been coupled with a major recruitment and retention challenge and a decline in the number of childminders. |
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Campaign for Learning - Expanding childcare: time for children, parents and family learning |
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Expanding Childcare: time for children, parents and family learning includes analysis and recommendations from experts including labour market economists, children development and parental engagement experts, organisations representing working families, childcare groups and family learning specialists.
The paper considers in particular the advantages and disadvantages of the new childcare entitlements announced by the Government. These extend the existing free childcare entitlements so that by September 2025, working parents with children aged 9 months to 2 years old will join those of 3- to 4- year-olds, who are already entitled to 30 hours free childcare.
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EEF - Training senior staff in in early years settings to improve the maths skills and confidence of children |
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Training early years practitioners in maths skills could reduce the attainment gap among disadvantaged young children and their peers, evaluation of a teaching programme suggests. |
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University of Oxford - New funding announced for NIHR Policy Research Unit in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care |
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The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford Population Health has received renewed funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)’s Policy Research Programme to continue running the Policy Research Unit (PRU) in Maternal and Neonatal Health and Care for the next five years from January 2024.
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Archives of Disease in Childhood - Pandemic-born babies may have communication gaps, study finds |
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A study involving RCSI researchers has found that a small proportion of babies born early in the COVID-19 pandemic had gaps in their communication skills at age two and could benefit from additional support. |
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University of York - Two-child limit and the benefit cap fail to meet their own aims, study concludes |
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The benefit cap and the two-child limit has caused hardship to tens of thousands of families, with both policies failing to meet their original aims, according to the findings of a new study. |
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