Nursery News Cast

Analysis: EYSFF - Striving for fair shares

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:10:30 GMT

How are the second wave of pathfinder local authorities going to slice their single funding formula for childcare providers when they start next month? Melanie Defries asked them.

Some providers 'could delay 15 hours free entitlement

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:10:20 GMT

One London local authority is considering allowing some early years providers to delay extending the free entitlement to 15 hours until April 2011, Nursery World has learned.

Nannies with false documents on Ofsted childcare register

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:10:10 GMT

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has slammed Ofsted for not being rigorous enough when checking the suitability of nannies applying for its childcare register.

Grandparents risk hardship by taking on childcare

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:20 GMT

Grandparents in some of the UK's most vulnerable families are risking hardship by taking time out of work to provide free childcare, a report claimed today.Research commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the charity Grandparents Plus found that working-class grandmothers of working age on low incomes were more likely to have given up work or reduced their hours to care for grandchildren than those in wealthier families.

Sex offender disclosure scheme to go nationwide

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:10 GMT

A scheme allowing parents to check if someone is a sex offender will be rolled out across England and Wales by March 2011, the Home Office says. A year-long pilot has already protected 60 children, ministers say. A similar scheme is to be launched in Scotland. Under the scheme, police can give parents more information about someone who has access to their children.

Future of privatised early years inspections revealed by Ofsted

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:10 GMT

Ofsted has confirmed the appointment of two companies to take over the inspection of childcare providers in England.Prospects Services, an education consultancy that employs around 1,200 staff in 60 offices, has been named as the firm that will take over inspections in the Midlands and the north of England.

Formal childcare boosts Foundation Stage Profile scores

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:30 GMT

Children who attend formal childcare before the age of three do better at the end of the reception year than those who do not attend a nursery or are looked after by a childminder, a new study suggests.Dr Kirstine Hansen of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at London's Institute of Education, research director of the Millennium Cohort Study, analysed the Foundation Stage Profile results of 10,600 children, born in 2000 and 2001, whose development is being tracked by the study.

Sure Start staff could opt out and be in a co-operative, say Tories

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:20 GMT

Staff at government Sure Start centres will be the first in the public sector to be able to opt out of their current employment and sell their services back to the taxpayer through co-operatives or as partners with a charity if the Conservatives win the next election.

Early years graduate pilot scheme should pay more

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:10 GMT

Concerns have been raised over the levels of pay being proposed to attract top graduates into the early years workforce.The Children's Workforce Development Council is currently inviting tenders to run a pilot based on the Teach First scheme, which aims to attract top graduates into teaching. But the financial package on offer for the early years scheme would only amount to between £16,000 and £18,000 a year.The three-year pilot will see 60 graduates, who have achieved at least a 2:1, train for two years, gaining Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) in the first year.

56 Local Authorities Have Been Chosen To Pilot The Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF)

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:30 GMT

A clearer and more consistent system of childcare funding, which will benefit children and families across the country, has been announced for 56 local authorities who will implement the Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF), Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo announced today.Fifty-six local authorities will be invited to join the pathfinder programme from today, ahead of the full rollout in April 2011.