NEWS
Just 2% of early years providers say that changes to ratios would result in lower fees for parents, according to a new survey by the Alliance. Of the 9,000 respondents, 87% said that they were opposed to the principle of relaxing ratios, with 80% describing themselves as ‘strongly opposed’.
85%
of parents were opposed to plans to relax ratios
If the rules were changed, just 13% of respondents said they would ‘regularly’ or ‘permanently’ use the new ratios and just 2% said the changes would result in reduced fees for parents.
Of those respondents working in nursery and pre-schools settings who would not be responsible for any ratio change decisions, a huge 75% said that they would be likely to leave their current setting if ratios were relaxed there.
A poll of 19,000 parents conducted by campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed on Instagram found that 85% of parents were opposed to plans to relax ratios even if it meant that childcare costs were lowered as a result.
Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Alliance, said: “Our survey results show that if the government does push ahead with any plans to relax ratios, most settings won’t change their ratios, even fewer would do it regularly, fewer still would save any money from it and hardly any would reduce parent fees as a result – so what exactly is the point of this policy?
“All it will mean is that is that at the minority of settings that might relax ratios, staff will be even more overworked and overstretched than they are already and children will receive less individual care and support at a time when they need it more than ever, without any difference being made to childcare costs.”
New research from the Education Endowment Foundation has revealed the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s learning. The report found that just 59% of children were reaching the expected levels of development in all areas of learning by the end of Reception year in 2021. This is down from 72% in 2019.
The EEF says that this is the equivalent to having an average of three more children in every classroom not meeting the expected levels of development. A survey of schools conducted as part of the research also found that 76% found that the children starting school in 2020 needed more support than those who joined before the pandemic.
Sir Peter Lampl, chair of the EEF, said: “We must ensure we are recruiting, retaining and developing the best staff in the early years, especially in the poorest areas. If the government are to meet their rightfully ambitious targets on numeracy and literacy by 2030, there needs to be a concerted focus on the early years. Making our school system fairer must start with giving every child the foundation to succeed.”
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “This research highlights just how important early education is in laying the foundations for a child’s future. Despite the disruption brought on by the pandemic, early years providers have gone above and beyond to help young children catch-up on vital education. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so in a sector that is so grossly underfunded, and will become all the more challenging if the government proceeds with its plan to relax ratios at a time when children need more support than ever.”
The government has responded to a petition opposing the relaxation of staff-child ratios in early years settings by reiterating its plans to consult the sector on the proposal this summer.
The petition was started by the parents of Oliver Steeper who died after an incident at his nursery in 2021 and has gathered more than 60,000 signatures. It asks the government not to make the suggested changes to early years ratios, and states: “There are surely better ways to reduce the cost of living – potentially endangering children in trusted care is not how it should be done.”
61,422
people had signed the petition asking the government not to change early years ratios
(at time of press)
In response, the Department for Education said that it would still be consulting on “moving to the Scottish ratios” for two-year-olds – which would mean an increase from four children per adult to five children per adult. It said: “Whilst these proposed changes to ratios would amend the existing statutory minimum requirements, providers would continue to be able to staff above these minimum requirements if that is their preference.”
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Alliance, commented: "While we know that most providers would be unlikely to make any changes to their ratios whether or not the rules change, the fact is that those children attending the minority of settings that might would see the quality of care and education they receive decline - and we as an organisation simply cannot sit by and watch that happen.
"There are so many ways in which the government could support early years providers to deliver the quality, affordable care and education families need. Wasting time on ratios is not one of them."
Toddlers are more likely to eat vegetables if they are rewarded for trying them, according to new research presented at the European Congress on Obesity. Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands offered 598 children at nurseries in Limburg a range of vegetables each day, offering some of the children non-food rewards such as stickers or toys in return for trying vegetables.
Children’s ability to recognise different vegetables and their willingness to eat them were tested both with and without rewards. Children’s knowledge of different vegetables increased in both groups but the willingness to try the vegetables only increased in the group that was offered rewards.
Researcher Britt van Belkom from the university’s Youth, Food and Health programme, said: “We know from previous research that young children typically have to try a new vegetable eight to 10 times before they like it. And so, we looked at whether repeatedly asking children to try some vegetables would make them more willing to eat their greens. We were also interested in whether providing a fun reward would make a difference.
“Regularly offering vegetables to toddlers at day care centres significantly increases their ability to recognise various vegetables. But rewarding toddlers for tasting vegetables appear to also increase their willingness to try different vegetables.” However, she added: “The type of reward is, however, very important – it should be fun but not food.”
New research, published by the Department for Education, has revealed the extent of pressures facing early years providers in a series of reports.
New research, published by the Department for Education, has revealed the extent of pressures facing early years providers in a series of reports.
49%
of childminders have had to use their personal savings to manage setting costs
The reports state that setting managers “identified low funding as one of the main causes of instability in their settings”. In total, 54% of nurseries and pre-schools and 49% of childminders report that their overall costs have notably increased since before Covid-19.
Overall, 34% of nurseries and pre-schools have been using business contingency reserves to manage their setting finances, while 24% have used savings previously set aside for future improvements and 49% of childminders have had to use their personal savings to manage setting costs.
Only 39% of private providers and 21% of voluntary providers recorded a financial surplus in 2021. For childminders this fell to just 19%.
Setting managers also raised concerns that the relaxation of ratios would be an “unsuitable approach that could impact on the quality of childcare provision and increase workload and dissatisfaction among staff”.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “What we need is a clear, comprehensive strategy for the early years sector, one that prioritises the provision of quality early years education alongside affordable childcare for parents, and recognises that substantial investment is needed to make any of this possible. Anything less is just a waste of all our time.”
Ofsted has revealed a new five-year strategy, with a focus on improving the earliest years of education to help support children’s recovery after the Covid-19 lockdowns.
The strategy comes after recent Ofsted reports have noted the “serious impact” of the pandemic on children’s learning.
In the next five years, Ofsted says it will: