DfE have today announced the early years funding settlement for 2023-24, which leaves the early years sector struggling on below inflationary increases. While an additional £10m for the least well-funded maintained nursery schools (MNS) is welcome, and an additional £20m for the Early Years National Funding Formula represents a token acknowledgement of the additional wage […]
Ofsted’s latest annual review highlights the impact of recruitment and retention challenges and finds a link between inspection outcomes and the proportion of graduates in a setting. It recognises the work which settings are doing to address the impact of the pandemic on young children. It found that 96% of providers on the early years […]
With heightened concern about the possible spread of Strep A and scarlet fever, here are some useful links to further information: Back to school advice issued amid high levels of flu, COVID-19 and scarlet fever, UKHSA (2 January 2023) Group A Strep – What you need to know – from the UK Health Security Agency […]
The Department for Education have just published the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) data for 2021/22. This is the first set of published data since the EYFS reforms of 2021. No EYFSP data was published in 2019 and 2020 due to the assessments being made non-statutory during the pandemic. So what does the data […]
The open letter below was sent to Ofsted in November 2023. Download Ofsted’s response We the undersigned are writing to you about the recently published Ofsted document Best start in life part 1: setting the scene. While we welcome Ofsted’s recognition of the vital role of the early years, we are concerned that as a […]
In his Autumn Statement today the Chancellor failed to offer any financial help to an early years sector which is already struggling to stay afloat. While it is good news for the low-paid early years workforce that the minimum wage for those over 23 will rise from £9.50 to £10.42 in April, there is no […]
A coalition of Early Years organisations convened by Kindred2 , including Early Education and providers such as LEYF and Ark Start, has identified a series of practical and affordable options for improved Early Years spending in England. The analysis, by one of the largest economic consultancies in Europe, Frontier Economics, is based on current government […]
Early Education welcomes the announcement by Bridget Philipson MP, the Shadow Education Secretary, that Labour intends for an expansion of the maintained nursery sector to be at the heart of its plans to reform the early childhood education and care sector. According to coverage in the Guardian, Labour’s plan to grow the sector will remove […]
The tenth early years minister in ten years, Kelly Tolhurst, is now in post. It’s good news that early years is part of a Minister of State’s portfolio rather than given to a more junior post. However, the rest of her brief is extensive, leaving a risk that early years is not a priority. We […]
We urge members to respond to the two DfE consultations on funding and ratios which close on 16 September. For information, you can view the text of our draft responses below to inform your own thinking. We welcome any comments from members on these drafts. These should be sent to us by 15 September at […]
Early Education
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