early years alliance - Q&A

Ofsted inspections return on 4 May. Gill Jones answers your key questions...

rachel.lawler — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 10:27:37 +0000

Ofsted inspections are returning 4 May 2021. Gill Jones, deputy director for schools and early education policy at Ofsted, answers some key questions…

As you may know, the secretary of state recently announced plans for Ofsted inspections during the summer and autumn terms of this year.

Back in November 2020, we previously set out our plans to start assurance inspections from January 2021, but of course this was before we knew about the next national lockdown. Throughout the spring, our inspectors have continued with their regulatory work, responding to concerns by visiting or contacting early years providers.

The government’s roadmap for easing restrictions is continuing to progress. Because of the changing landscape, in January, we confirmed that we would not introduce non-graded assurance inspections as a temporary measure. Instead, we said that we would return to our routine graded education inspection frameworks (EIF) inspections when we thought the time was right.

Recently, we announced that we will resume full graded EIF inspections of registered early years settings from 4 May 2021. We’ve also published an updated early years inspection handbook, alongside the summary of changes on gov.uk.

Here, we address some of the key questions that we know many early years providers will be thinking about ahead of the return to full EIF inspections…

What is the rationale for returning to full EIF inspections on 4 May?

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve continued to speak with key stakeholders, including the ��. Through these conversations, we’ve found that the preference among providers is to resume routine inspections under the EIF as soon as it is safe to do so.

We know that providers prefer to receive a graded overall effectiveness judgement following an inspection as this enables them to give reassurance to parents, stimulate their business, and allow access to funding from local authorities. 

Our interim visits, research calls, and on-site fieldwork have helped us to determine some minor amendments to the inspection handbook. This is so we can take the COVID context into account when we inspect, and to inform our inspector training. 

As set out in our inspection handbook, we will continue to be sensitive to the challenges presented by the pandemic. �� have worked hard to provide a safe place for young children, which has helped working parents and the community to withstand the pressures during difficult times. It’s important we do the right thing for children right now.

We know that the EIF, built on research and 26 years of inspection experience, is the right tool for us to find out how well settings are helping children to thrive, both emotionally and in their education.

It is particularly important for children from poorer families, who may have lost out on the vital foundations of early learning during the pandemic, to get back on track. We want to make sure that no child gets left behind.

What format will inspections take?

All inspections will be carried out on-site. However, we may sometimes need to carry out elements of the inspection through video or telephone calls and this will be agreed with the provider at the start of the inspection. These channels will mainly be used to involve parents/carers and those with leadership responsibility who are unable to physically attend the setting.

When will I have my EIF inspection?

Last autumn we announced that we will move to a six-year inspection window. This means each provider has their own inspection window determined by their last inspection judgement. As we prepare for a return to full EIF inspection we will take a proportionate and risk-based approach to who we inspect first.

We will prioritise providers who:

were judged less than good at their last inspection, including those who received an interim visit in the autumn term
registered recently and have not yet been inspected and whose first inspection is overdue
were not inspected in the last inspection cycle due to the pause in routine inspections.

We will also continue to carry out any urgent inspections where we have significant concerns about a provider.

Unfortunately, we are unable to answer specific questions about the timing of an inspection for individual providers.

What safety measures will be in place during an inspection?

We take the safety and welfare of everyone involved in inspections, including children, carers, staff and inspectors, seriously. We will follow the most up-to-date guidance from Public Health England.

In the notification call before an inspection, providers and inspectors will agree safety measures to ensure the inspection is Covid-19 secure and how inspectors can work effectively within the protective measures in place.

Inspectors will also take a Covid-19 test before arriving at the setting. Private, voluntary and independent and childminders now have access to these tests too. Where possible, any interactions with practitioners, leaders and parents will be in a socially distanced manner. This could include, but is not limited to, standing two metres apart in a large room and conversations/meetings taking place outside or by telephone.

What precautions are needed will vary from provider to provider and activity to activity, but inspectors will always ensure that they are acting safely and within the clear guidance given.

What if a provider has active cases of Covid-19 or staff / children self-isolating?

Where a provider has active cases of Covid-19 in their setting, they can request a deferral of their inspection at the point of notification. We will consider all requests in line with our published deferral policy.

Useful links

The Education Inspection Framework

The Early Years Inspection Handbook

Watch our free webinar on Ofsted Inspections 2021

Guidance on Ofsted registration and inspections

Q&A

FAQS: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and early years funding

rachel.lawler — Sat, 18 Apr 2020 09:54:24 +0000

Full guidance:

What is the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?

The Job Retention Scheme is a government scheme where employers can apply for a government grant to cover a proportion of the monthly wages for furloughed employees. Furloughed employees are staff who are still employed, but not currently working.

More general information about the scheme is available here.

Who can access the Job Retention scheme?

The scheme only applies to settings who employ staff. This includes nurseries, pre-schools and childminders who employ assistants.

If you are a childminder with no staff, you will receive support from the government via the Self-employment Income Support Scheme, not the Job Retention Scheme. More information on that scheme is available here.

I receive government funding. Can I furlough staff?

If you receive a mix of government funding and private income, which most providers do, then the amount of government support you can claim through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will now depend on how much of your income from government funding has reduced as a proportion of your ‘normal’ monthly income.

The government has previously said that providers should use February 2020 to represent a ‘normal’ month in terms of income. However, as of January 2021, providers can take the decision as to what would reasonably represent a usual monthly income.

How do I calculate how much support I can get for furloughed staff wages?

Let’s say a setting’s normal income is £10,000, with £4000 (40%) of government funding and £6000 (60%) coming from private income.

The government guidance states that where it is difficult to distinguish whether or not staff are funded through continuing public funding, then “the total proportion of staff (based on gross payroll) that are retained (for example, not furloughed) should, as a minimum, be equivalent to the continuing DSG funding, as a proportion of all income that the provider usually receives.”

So how does this work in practice?

Let’s say our example setting, which has a normal monthly income of £10,000, with £4,000 usually coming from government funding, saw income from government funding fall to £2,500.

£2,500 represents 25% of the total normal income of £10,000, which means that 25% of the setting’s payroll is NOT eligible for Job Retention Scheme. This means that, theoretically, 75% of the setting’s payroll is eligible for furlough support – however, the actual furlough claim would depend on how many staff the setting still needs to meet current demand.

If the setting’s government funding income was instead, say, £1,000, then theoretically 90% of the setting’s payroll would be eligible for furlough support (because £1,000 is 10% of £10,000, which means that 10% of the payroll is not eligible for furlough). Again, this is a theoretical maximum, and the actual number of staff furloughed would depend on the level of need for staff.

I operate more than one setting. Can I base my furlough calculations on the combined income/payroll of the whole group of settings, or does it have to be done on a setting-by-setting basis?

The Department for Education has confirmed to the �� that calculations can be done across a group of settings that are part of one business.

How do I work out which members of staff I can furlough if some are using flexi-furlough?

If you are furloughing some or all employees on a part-time or flexible basis, then you should first calculate out what proportion of your paybill is eligible for furlough support (using the steps outlined above - see 'How do I calculate how much support I can get for furloughed staff wages?'. You can then furlough employees whose wages for hours not worked add up to that amount.

For example, imagine a setting had three members of staff:

Staff member A, who earned £1200 a month
Staff member B, who earned £1000 a month
Staff member C, who earned £800, but would like to be furloughed part-time on half their normal hours. This means that the value of their hours not worked would be £400 per month.

If this setting had calculated that it could apply furlough support to, say, £1600 of its wage bill, this means that it could fully furlough staff member A, and flexi-furlough staff member C on half their normal hours (because £1200 + £400 = £1600).

I have so few children attending my setting that I’ve had to take the business decision to close and so have lost all funding. What support can I get from furlough?

In this situation, government funding is zero, meaning that 0% of your payroll is not eligible for support i.e. 100% of your payroll IS eligible for furlough support. This means you can access the scheme fully.

However, the government have stated that the intention of the Job Retention scheme is to support business where they have seen a reduction in income due to Covid-19 – this could be because of a severe reduction in demand as in this example, a landlord not allowing access to your normal premises, or a government directive to close. As such, the scheme would only apply as above if a provider had no choice but to close for, for example, business, logistical or regulatory reasons, not if they themselves had taken the decision to close for another reason.

When applying for the Job Retention Scheme you need either a UTR or CRN or Corporation Tax Unique Taxpayer reference. As a charity pre-school we do not have those references. What should I do?

Where an organisation has a CT UTR, SA UTR or CRN, they must enter it when making a claim. For those entities such as charities that don’t have one or more of those references, they should enter “no” into each of those fields and they will be asked for their employer name, which they must then enter. The HMRC guidance says:

You also need to provide either:

your name (or the employer’s name if you’re an agent)
your Corporation Tax unique taxpayer reference
your Self Assessment unique taxpayer reference
your company registration number

Read the full guidance - Use of free early education entitlements funding during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Further questions

We know that there are many other questions on how this scheme will work in practice. For example queries on what exactly can be counted as ‘private income’.

These, and the many other questions we have received, have put to the Department for Education, who are currently in the process of putting together answers to each of them. In the meantime, please continue to send questions you have to feedback@eyalliance.org.uk so we can push for answers to these too.

WATCH NOW!

Webinar: Furloughing for the early years

Useful links

Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care

Use of free early education entitlements funding during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Business Advice page: FAQs for providers

Q&A

Q&A: Lisa Potts

rachel.lawler — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 15:34:05 +0000

This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Under 5. Find out more and subscribe to the magazine here.

Lisa Potts is a former nursery practitioner who was injured in July 1996 while protecting children at St Luke’s Primary School in Wolverhampton from a machete attack by a man with severe paranoid schizophrenia. Aged just 21 at the time, Lisa suffered severe cuts to her head, back and both arms. Three children and three other adults were also injured, but all survived the ordeal, which began as the setting as enjoying a teddy bear picnic outdoors. Lisa was awarded The George medal for bravery in recognition of her heroic response.

Lisa has since retrained as a counsellor and in 2001 launched her own charity, Believe to Achieve. She now works as a health visitor and inspirational speaker. Lisa Potts will be opening the day at the ��’s annual conference and sharing her inspirational story with us on 31 May 2019.

What made you decide you wanted to work in the early years?

I had always wanted to work with children – my mum worked as a Sunday school teacher and I used to help out. I’d also started babysitting. So after I left school I completed an NNEB diploma at a local college and qualified as a nursery nurse. I started work as a nanny shortly afterwards, which I loved. I then started working in a private nursery in 1994, before moving into education.

What was your experience like at St Luke’s?

It was while I was working part-time supporting a reception class that I began volunteering at St Luke’s. For about six months, I used to get the bus there to join the afternoon sessions, before I started work full time at the nursery. We used to have 30 children in the morning and 30 children in the afternoon.

I absolutely loved working with the children – in everything I did from nannying through to working at the school. I really loved it!

How did the 1996 attack change your career?

I’d been working at St Luke’s for about 18 months when everything happened and after about six to eight months, I decided to go back. I loved my job but I struggled – I had several injuries still and I was often invited out to various awards and of course there was the trial. [The attacker was detained indefinitely in a secure mental health hospital in 1997.}

So I decided to take some time out and left St Luke’s the following year. After that I did a lot of charity work. I worked with Oxfam in Vietnam and helped build a house for children in Romania. I also wrote two books – Behind the Smile and a children’s prayer book – Thank You God.

Have you worked with children in the early years since?

In 2001 I set up my charity Believe to Achieve, and this work is still on-going although we tend to work with slightly older children aged eight to 11 in Wolverhampton schools. It’s about helping children to believe in themselves, through healthy living and developing a healthy mind.

After a while, I went back to college and completed a diploma in counselling in 2004 and started work at a Sure Start centre, doing a lot of family support and work with teenage pregnancies. I also got married and had my two children.

Then, in 2010 I took the plunge and went back to university to train as an adult nurse. I have been working as a health visitor for about five or six years now.

How does this compare to your previous work in the early years?

I work with families of children aged under five, so I am doing a lot of similar work. I do all the post-natal checks with young children, as well as checking up on the mental health of new mothers. I am at an advantage really with my background in the early years – I know all about children’s development and what stages they should be at! I still love working with children and I really love making a difference.

Do you still think that the early years are important?

Absolutely, those years from birth to age five are so important. Children are like little sponges at those ages and that’s when you are really shaping a child’s mind. At Believe to Achieve we talk a lot about healthy minds and mindfulness. It’s a real trend at the moment but it’s important.

We need to help children, and their parents really, learn to live in the here and now instead of worrying about the future or the past. If children can learn to be in the here and now, they can take this skill with them for the rest of their lives.

Be the best: sharing early years excellence

Lisa Potts will be opening the day at the ��’s annual conference, and sharing her inspirational story with us on 31 May 2019.

Find out more and book your tickets here.

Under 5

Q&A

Q&A: Tracy Brabin

rachel.lawler — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 10:41:06 +0000

Editor Rachel Lawler speaks to Tracy Brabin, shadow early years minister, about Labour’s proposed plans for the early years sector. This piece originally appeared in the November/December issue of Under 5 magazine, which is available for �� members to read online in the members' area.

The Labour Party has promised a “radical expansion” of the current government’s childcare offer if elected at the next general election. The party says that its plans will help to “dramatically raise standards of childcare” in England.

First unveiled in a speech by leader Jeremy Corbyn at the party’s national conference in September, the plans include:

an extension of the 30-hours offer to all two-, three- and four-year-olds
an increase in the funding rate to £7.35 an hour
a subsidy for additional hours purchased by parents, with low-income families paying nothing and those on the highest incomes paying up to £4 an hour
creating a new online portal for all funding, which will be paid directly to providers
a requirement for all practitioners to have at least a level 3 qualification, or be working towards one
an increase in the number of staff qualified to level 4 or above from 20% to 45%
a move towards a “graduate-led workforce”
establishing a national pay scale for early years staff
introducing a requirement for one SENCO for every 100 children
recruiting 150,000 additional staff over seven years to help increase the ratio of staff to children.

Corbyn said: “Opportunity matters most in the earliest years of life. It is a crucial time to open up children’s life chances. Driving up standards of childcare will make that vital difference for millions of children.”

Under 5 has spoken to Tracy Brabin, shadow early years minister, for some more detail on these proposals and how the party plans to bring about these changes if elected.

The current 30-hours offer has come under criticism from many providers. Do you think the Labour Party’s scheme will get a better response?

I fully understand that many providers have found the introduction of the government’s 30-hours policy difficult. I’ve been one of your biggest supporters in your campaigning efforts for support and a better deal. And those meetings I’ve held and those visits I’ve made have informed an important part of our policy making process.

We’ve really listened and produced an exciting package of policy which pays providers a fair rate – £7.35 an hour, provides for families with the introduction of subsidised childcare and makes sure that no child is left behind by making our funded hours universally available.

It's for all these reasons and more that I believe that we’ve had an excellent response from the sector so far, and if in government, those same policies will prove popular in practise.

Do you think Labour’s new policy will be beneficial for children?

Absolutely. We have a social mobility crisis in this country. There’s concrete evidence to show that children who show up to their first day of school, having already fallen behind their peers, may never catch up.

I’ve said many times that when in government, I’ll put opportunity at the heart of what we do. Better paid staff to help with retention, higher funding rates to support providers and transitioning to a graduate-led workforce are all intended to help children achieve as much as possible in the early years and beyond.

Of course, the biggest single difference is that our funded hours will be available to all children, meaning the poorest – who are often the very ones who benefit the most from early years education – are no longer excluded.

How much do you estimate that this policy will cost?

We’ve been very open and transparent about the figures. We’ll invest an additional £5.3 billion a year in the early years. That’s £500 million on Sure Start and £4.8 million on extending the 30-hours offer, transitioning to supply-side funding, introducing subsidised childcare and more.

It sounds like a life-changing amount and it is. We’re incredibly proud to be the only political party offering this investment in our future generations.

How will the subsidised childcare offer work in practise?

Labour will be providing subsidised support for the hours that families require. We won’t put an upper limit in place because we know that families will use what’s best for them and their children. It will be up to PVI settings to decide whether they want to partake in government policies, including free hours and subsidised childcare. I certainly expect that the majority will offer these incredible opportunities.

Will early years settings be able to charge for additional services?

Additional costs on funded hours is certainly something I am very aware of –providers have told me that they wouldn’t be in business without them, but on the other hand I’ve had families tell me that they struggle to take advantage of funded hours because of them.

The truth is that this is something we’re still looking at and considering. We should have an answer soon, but I would say that I think the funding on offer is a very significant uplift and I certainly wouldn’t expect the need for additional fees to be as high.

How does Labour plan to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

I’ve heard some truly heart-breaking cases of children who have high levels of need being sent straight to the bottom of the waiting list and staying there. That’s not right and it has got to stop. But equally, we need to make sure that settings have the right resources in place to support these children.

Our modelling shows that one special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) per 100 children would sufficiently cover all children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, as well as being able to support children with additional needs that have not yet been diagnosed.

This bold policy will radically change and improve SEND provision in the early years.

How will you support current staff that aren’t yet qualified to level 3?

Current staff working in the sector are absolutely crucial to our plans. Their experience and passion must be retained. I’m aware that 79% of staff in group-based settings are already qualified to level 3, and there aren’t going to be any sudden, overnight changes.

As the funding rates are increased, we’ll give settings the opportunity to invest in upskilling and training staff. This will take place over several years and qualifications are unlikely to become compulsory until the last two years of the seven-year transitional period.

How do you plan to increase the number of staff qualified to level 4 and above?

I think having more staff in training and trained to a higher level is good for children and supports staff so they enjoy their work and perform better. It’s a win, win.

There’s also clear evidence that having higher qualified staff improves outcomes, which is in everyone’s interest. But we also want to promote the early years as a career choice and improving training opportunities is a great way of doing that.

Likewise, how do you plan to ‘shift to a graduate-led workforce’?

Much like with the level 3, there won’t be any sudden changes out of the blue. There will be time for these changes to be implemented.

For graduates entering the workforce, they need to know there will be jobs for them once they’re qualified and with the increased funding there will be. We also need to make sure there are progression opportunities for graduates.

But there is a wider opportunity here to really sing about how rewarding a career in early years education is – much like what already exists for teachers. Alongside increasing job opportunities and pay, we need to encourage the best and brightest to come and stay in the sector. I believe with our policies we have a real chance of achieving that goal.

Do you plan to consult with the sector further?

Of course. We’ve laid out our intentions for government, but we are absolutely determined to get this right. I’m hoping to survey settings soon. I regularly meet with key stakeholders, including Neil Leitch from the ��, and visit settings across the country.

What I would say to anyone reading this who has something to say about our proposals is: please don’t be a stranger. My email address is tracy.brabin.mp@parliament.uk and I’m always happy to listen. The response to what Jeremy Corbyn laid out has been overwhelmingly positive but I know that this brilliant early years sector is diverse in the way it works and it’s requirements and I am always happy to listen.

This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine. Find out more about the magazine, request your free taster copy, or sign up to the newsletter mailing list here.

Under 5

Q&A

Q&A - Robert Goodwill, minister of state for children and families

sarah.evans — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 09:34:06 +0000

Under 5 Magazine Editor Rachel Lawler catches up with minister of state for children and families, Robert Goodwill. This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine.

How do you feel about your new role as minister for children and families?

I’m delighted with the role and I’ve enjoyed my first few months at the Department for Education enormously. With such a challenging and busy portfolio, I wanted to spend as much time as possible speaking to lots of different people and travelling all over the country. I’ve been as far as Oldham and York, where I spoke to nurseries involved in our 30-hours free childcare early delivery pilots, and down to Merton and Tower Hamlets to speak to their children’s services team so I’ve seen some really excellent work to get me started.

My wife Maureen previously ran a community playgroup so I know just how dedicated and hardworking the professionals in this sector are. High quality early education is something that has a real impact on outcomes later in life, so I truly appreciate the work that goes in to providing this.

As this issue reaches our readers, the 30-hours offer will be available nationwide. How prepared is the sector?

We’ve seen such a positive impact from the evaluation of the first eight areas already delivering the 30-hours free childcare offer – both on parents, who have been able to increase their working hours and increase their household income, and for children who are spending more quality time with their parents together as a family. The offer is also having a positive impact on providers, who have responded well to the increased demand from parents. Indeed, in York, where many nursery owners initially had their doubts about the scheme, 100% of day nurseries offering the original 15 hours are now also offering 30 hours and seeing the benefits.

I don’t underestimate the hard work that’s gone into achieving this early success, and that’s why we will continue to support professionals going forward – the September roll out is the beginning, not the end. We have recently updated our operational guidance and our business support resources providing further advice, and we have published a bank of case studies demonstrating how 30 hours is working for a range of delivery models. Our contractor, Childcare Works, will continue its regular contact with all councils to support their progress, and they will soon begin another series of termly events to encourage councils and providers to share good practice and helpful learning. There will also be targeted support and specialist workshops available as required, based on demand.

Lots of our readers are concerned about the level of funding for the 30-hour offer – is this likely to be reviewed in the future?

We’re putting an additional £1 billion per year into funding our childcare offers, meaning that the national average hourly rate being paid to councils has increased. Of this, 93% is going directly to providers, rising to 95% next year, and these rates are far higher than what recent research has shown the average hourly cost of providing childcare to three- and four-year-olds to be. As with any new policy, we keep the details of how it is being implemented under constant review – but we know from the independent evaluation of the early delivery of 30 hours to 15,000 children that finances are not acting as a barrier to providers offering the scheme.

Do you have any concerns about settings charging top-ups or limiting the number of 30-hours place available?

We’ve tried to make it clear in our operational guidance what providers can charge for. This includes meals, ‘consumables’ such as nappies or sun cream, and additional activities like trips or classes – but they cannot be a requirement for taking up a 30-hours place. Many parents may not need or want these extras, so there must be alternative options available – for example, by parents providing a packed lunch, or bringing enough nappies for their child. It’s absolutely right that these extras aren’t part of the free offer and we are seeing that in many areas delivering the 30-hours so far, parents are happy to pay extra for these things.

Many childcare settings have been affected by the increase in business rates. Do you have any plans to support these settings?

Support is already in place. Not only are we investing an additional £1 billion every year to pay for our free childcare offers, there are also a number of schemes available for business rate support. This increased investment was based on our review of childcare costs which the National Audit Office said was “thorough and wide-ranging”, and looked at both the current cost of providing childcare and future cost pressures.

"The evidence from the independent evaluation of our early implementers, as well as anecdotal evidence we hear directly, indicates the huge boost that 30-hours of free childcare is giving parents."

How have the early implementer schemes fared and what have you learnt ahead of the 30-hours launch?

The benefits of the 30-hours offer for working parents cannot be underestimated. I’ve heard from parents who some days would only pass each other in the hallway as one finished a shift and the other was picking up the childcare responsibility. Now, using the 30 free hours, they are able to change this pattern – and more than three quarters of parents surveyed in the first evaluation of the scheme were able to be more flexible in their jobs as a result. Others reported more money in their pockets and many others increased their working hours: 23% of mothers and 9% of fathers.

Overall, more than 15,000 30-hours places have been delivered in 12 council areas. We were clear that the programme would allow us to test any challenges associated with the offer and despite initial concerns from some nurseries, there was no evidence that financial implications were a significant barrier to the 30-hours. My team at the Department for Education is working through any issues or concerns raised as part of the evaluation to address them.

How do you think parents will receive the scheme?

The evidence from the independent evaluation of our early implementers, as well as anecdotal evidence we hear directly, indicates the huge boost that 30-hours of free childcare is giving parents. In Staffordshire, one parent who split her 30-hours between a pre-school and childminder said that it was the “greatest gift a working parent can be given”.

"...a thriving early years sector must be at the heart of improving social mobility. Although there has been some excellent progress around the country in narrowing the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, much more can be done to close it."

What do you see as key challenges for the early years sector in the coming years?

Investment in the number of childcare places available to parents must go hand in-hand with investment in our early years workforce. It’s vital that we continue to do this so that we raise the profile of the profession, making it easier to attract, retain and develop the best people. Not only is it essential for career development and improvement, it’s also an essential part of driving better outcomes for children.

We’ve seen more than 70% of eligible disadvantaged two-year-olds taking up the free 15-hours available to them and a recent SEED survey showed the positive impact early education can have on a child’s development. Evidence like this proves that a thriving early years sector must be at the heart of improving social mobility. Although there has been some excellent progress around the country in narrowing the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, much more can be done to close it.

Is there anything else you would like to say to the sector?

I’d like to thank all those individuals who have taken the time to meet me and speak to me about their experiences – I’m mindful that I’ve taken up this role at a busy and crucial time. Above all, thank you for the hard work you put in every day to educate our youngest generation. I am determined that 30-hours will be a huge success, and the evidence I’ve seen so far gives me enormous confidence that we are on track to accomplish this.

This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine. Find out more about the magazine, request your free taster copy, or sign up to the newsletter mailing list here

Under 5

Q&A

Q&A - Tracy Brabin, shadow minister for the early years

sarah.evans — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 10:53:13 +0000

Under 5 Magazine Editor Rachel Lawler catches up with shadow minister for the early years and MP for Batley & Spen, Tracy Brabin. This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine.

Are you excited to be Labour’s new shadow early years minister?

I’m really enjoying life as the minister. The sector has been incredibly welcoming and very honest about its concerns. My door will always be open to those who are passionate about making the first years of life the best they can be and I know I’m not going to be short of offers.

What experience do you have of the early years sector?

Well, I’m a mum of two young women myself. I was also one of Britain’s best known mums as Tricia Armstrong on Coronation Street for a few years and I know what it’s like juggling a job, progressing your career and bringing your children up the best you possibly can. I haven’t worked in the sector but hopefully I can bring a clean slate to the role – I’m here to listen, to learn and to offer the solutions we all want to see.

Do you have any concerns about the 30-hours ‘free childcare’ offer?

The 30-hours offer has been the top issue landing in my mailbox since I was appointed. To be clear – I want the policy to be a success. I think it could transform the lives of thousands of children and allow parents to work the hours they want but we also need it to work for the sector. My overriding concern is that there are still so many unanswered questions. Are providers going to be able to remain viable with the funding settlement from government? Well, a lot are telling me that they won’t. What’s going to happen to the children whose parents can’t afford additional charges? I understand that settings feel forced to charge for additional services, such as food, but what must not happen is a two-tier system where poorer parents can’t find a place because the Tories are too tight to fund their own policies properly.

Many providers are concerned about funding rates. How do you think these concerns should be addressed?

I recently conducted a survey and 68% of settings felt that providing the 30-hours offer would have a negative financial impact on their business. That shouldn’t be acceptable. I’ve held many conversations with sector leaders, including Neil Leitch of the ��, so I’m in no doubt about the potential impact the funding rates are going to have.

In terms of how we address it, I think to freeze funding rates until 2020 is irresponsible – the government should commit to an annual funding evaluation and review that meets the needs of settings. One of our manifesto pledges was to use capital funding for the first two years to make sure the transition to 30-hours was as smooth as possible – the government would do well to take up that suggestion.

"I think to freeze funding rates until 2020 is irresponsible – the government should commit to an annual funding evaluation and review that meets the needs of settings."

Do you think the government is doing enough to support children with special educational needs in early education?

I’ve heard some really sad stories about children with special educational needs accessing early education – parents who feel that their child has been locked out of childcare and settings that want to provide, but feel that it’s financially impossible. Is the government doing enough? In short, absolutely not! The additional funding in many cases won’t even scratch the surface of what’s required. It wouldn’t be acceptable in the mainstream school system so it shouldn’t be acceptable in the early years. This is an area I’ll be pursuing in the coming weeks.

Labour’s 2017 election manifesto pledged to create a graduate-led workforce for the early years. How would you implement this?

Not only do we want to move towards graduate-led, but we also want to see wages rise. Such dedicated and important workers deserve a fair wage. I want to be clear that we’ve got some excellent providers that aren’t graduates at the moment and I don’t want them to feel discouraged in any way. I’m really looking forward to building on this offer in the coming months through research and conversations.

The Labour Party also pledged to extend 30-hours to all two-year-olds. How would you plan to implement this?

Again, I’m a big supporter of this policy too. I think access to high-quality childcare would benefit two-year-olds and allow parents, especially mums, to get back into their careers without the financial concerns that can sometimes make it impossible.

"Early years can and should be transformative to young lives"

Are you concerned about the number of Sure Start children’s centres closing?

Sure Start Centres were an incredible step forward for our childcare system. It’s still incredible to me that a government could be so callous as to let so many close on their watch. If the government wants to show that it’s on the side of the people, it needs to take stock of the situation, guarantee that no more will close and announce a policy aimed at reopening centres that have closed. I won’t hold my breath though.

Why do you think early education is so important?

Early years can and should be transformative to young lives – it’s of paramount importance and we’ve got to get it right. I’m determined to be part of that process and I know your readers will be behind me all the way too because they want what’s best for children.

I’d like to repeat my message from before: I’m here to learn from you, my door will always be open.

This article originally appeared in the ��'s Under 5 membership magazine. Find out more about the magazine, request your free taster copy, or sign up to the newsletter mailing list here

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