News

Our response to DfE consultations on funding and ratios

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 […]

Take-up of funded entitlements in England nears pre-pandemic levels

Comparing figures from January 2022 and January 2020, progress is being made towards previous levels of take up of funded early education. Latest figures from the DfE show that 92% of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds took up their entitlement to 15 hours of early education in January 2022, compared to 93% in 2020. However, this […]

New National Plan for Music extended to early years

Early Education welcomes the news that the new National Plan for Music Education has been extended to cover the early years.  We are glad to see that this includes recognition that many early years practitioners are not music specialists and an extension of the role of Music Hubs to include supporting the early years sector.  […]

Why we need anti-racism training in the early years

We deplore the recent article by The Telegraph which singled out Liz Pemberton for criticism of her anti-racism training, which she has delivered for many clients including local authorities. The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (as recently revised by the current Conservative government) states that: “The EYFS seeks to provide: …equality of […]

Ofsted’s new strategy and focus on the early years

Ofsted has today launched a new five-year strategy. Elements of this which affect the early years include commitments to “simplify the regulatory regime for childminders” “develop the evidence base about early years education, including curriculum and pedagogy, and act on it… develop the evidence base around the early years learning and development curriculum through our […]

Government’s new sustainability and climate change strategy

We welcome the government’s new Sustainability and climate change strategy for education and children’s services, and that early years is reflected through a range of strands including commitments to: provide opportunities to develop a broad knowledge and understanding of the importance of nature, sustainability and the causes and impact of climate change and to translate […]