Childcare News
Conor Burns, MP pledges support for local childcare providers
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Conor Burns has met with local childcare provider Tops Day Nurseries at the nursery in Herbert Avenue, Parkstone and pledged his commitment to support local childcare providers, parents and children. Conor...
Tops Day Nurseries Celebrate Vegetarian Week by Sharing New Vegetarian Recipes
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Tops Day Nurseries, an award-winning sustainability driven nursery chain, have been celebrating vegetarian week by sharing their new vegetarian recipes with children and their families. National Vegetarian...
Colleagues supporting each other
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Tops Day Nurseries has supported a colleague’s Just Giving efforts for chosen charity, Corpal, with a donation to help increase awareness of Complete Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC). Director of Early...
Upminster children meet egg-citing visitors
Press release from: Little Adventurers Nursery & Preschool Children at Little Adventurers Nursery are learning all about caring and nurturing animals, with the arrival of 11 chick eggs. The eggs arrived in an incubator on Monday 16th May,...
Local Nursery Enhance Children’s Learning and Development with Schema Play Accreditation
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Tops Prince Rock, on Lucas Terrace, Plymouth, have achieved their Schema Play Accreditation. This helps children to develop much more effectively by tuning into their interests and schemes and then seeding...
Government confirms plans to relax early years ratios
Children and families minister Will Quince has confirmed that the government is considering increasing the number of two-year-olds per adult in nurseries and pre-schools in England from four to five. Writing on Twitter, he said that "This...
LEYF encourages more male practitioners into the sector
To help address the early years industry staffing crisis, London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) will this summer, be encouraging more men to work in the sector. As a social enterprise, LEYF is run not only as a profitable business but with a...
Department for Education releases results of wave 4 of research with childcare providers in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Department for Education has released the results of the latest wave of a series of rapid surveys which have been specifically designed to capture evidence throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. This survey, the 4th (November/December 2021),...
Fundraising for your setting
Let’s face it, who doesn’t need some extra money for their setting? Fundraising is an option that many nurseries use, and there are tried and tested ways to do this. We’ve put together a list of some old favourites as well as some new ideas to...
Stephen Morgan, MP pledges support for local childcare providers
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Stephen Morgan has met with local childcare provider Cheryl Hadland of Tops Day Nurseries at the nursery in Bruce Road, Southsea and pledged his commitment to support local childcare providers, parents and...
Mothers “disproportionately making sacrifices in their careers”: Centre for Progressive Policy
Think tank Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) has analysed gender-based inequalities in the workplace in its report ‘What Women Want’ and found that women are ‘disproportionately the ones making sacrifices in their careers to meet these caring...
Easing nurseries’ staffing ratio in the UK would be childcare ‘disaster’
A government study warns that attempts to find saving to help parents by childcare fees, by loosening the rules around the number of children nursery staff can care for could only trigger an exodus of low-paid staff. Increasing the number of...
Development of young children particularly worrying following Covid: Ofsted Chief Inspector
Ofsted’s chief inspector, Amanda Spielman has said that she finds the development of young children, following the Covid pandemic “particularly worrying”. In a report on the recovery of children, she said there were "lingering challenges". The...
Tops Day Nurseries and Aspire Training Team commits to ‘earn and learn’ by joining the 5% Club
Press release from: Tops Day Nursery Tops Day Nurseries, one of the most sustainable day nurseries in the UK, and Aspire Training Team, a training provider, specialising in the Early Years sector, has showcased its commitment to developing its...
Nursery has a ‘hoppy birthday’ with egg-cited Easter bunnies
Press release from: Little Adventurers Nursery Children at Little Adventurers Nursery looked egg-cellent as as they transformed into Easter bunnies to celebrate the nursery’s 7th birthday on Wednesday (6th April 2022). The day marked a special...
“Specific Strategic Focus” on Early Years from Ofsted’s Chief Inspector
Ofsted wants early years education to be a "specific strategic focus" over the next five years, its chief inspector has announced. At the Nursery World Business Summit on 8th March, Amanda Spielman said that early years is "the area in which our...
Childcare funding and affordability review rejected by the Government
The government has rejected a petition supported by tens of thousands of people to review the cost of childcare in the UK. The petition, which gathered 113,713 signatures, called on the government to launch an independent review of childcare...
Half of all children are not school-ready: KindredSquared
Fifty percent of all children starting Reception are “not ready to start school”, according to a new teacher survey, conducted by YouGov. Eighty eight percent of teachers and teaching assistants said that they were having to spend additional...
Four in a row for Boys & Girls Nursery Croxley Green!
Press release from: Boys & Girls Nursery We are over the moon to announce the results of our latest Ofsted inspection. Our Croxley Green nursery was inspected on 28th January and achieved its fourth GOOD rating in a row! The inspector...
Local nursery show their appreciation to staff at local care home
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Tops Southsea, located on Bruce Road in Portsmouth, recently paid a visit to their local care home, Aquarius Care. The children at Southsea created some beautiful artwork to give to the staff and the...
Nursery worker who saved children from machete-wielding attacker honoured
A brave nursery worker, who saved the lives of dozens of children under attack from a machete-wielding man, will receive a ‘Freedom of the City’ honour in Wolverhampton. Lisa Potts was just 21-years-old on 8 July 1996 when she fought to protect...
Tops Winchester Supports local Hampshire Hospital
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Tops Winchester, located at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, have been supporting their local NHS hospitals in Hampshire. The children took part in lots of activities,...
Practical challenges caused by Universal Credit highlighted to the Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee
NDNA’s Director of Policy and Communications, Jonathan Broadbery, has given evidence to the Department of Work and Pension’s Select Committee regarding how parents on Universal Credit accessed quality early education and childcare places. He has also highlighted the wider issues the early years sector is facing, advancing NDNA’s case for increased investment and a simplified childcare system for parents and providers.
Government launches campaign to increase take-up of the MMR jab.
The early years industry is being urged to get behind a new Government campaign to increase the number of children vaccinated against MMR - as new figures released reveal that there has been a ‘significant’ drop in take-up of the jab.
‘Levelling up’ white paper condemned for failing the early years sector
Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, has said the government’s levelling up white paper will “raise our expectations and aspirations for children by transforming education for the disadvantaged. The paper sets a mission to ensure that 90% of children leaving primary school in England are reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by 2030.
Chinese New Year celebrations at Milton Hall Montessori School
Press release from: Milton Hall Montessori School Children from Milton Hall celebrated Chinese New Year by learning about Chinese culture and making a origami Tiger card children painted orange and black on a paper plate used scissors to cut the...
Tops Day Nurseries Teams Up with Local Farm
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries The catering team at Tops Day Nurseries have recently made their first pick up from Sopley Salads, a working farm based in Christchurch who grow some of the best produce in Dorset. Tops’ parents are excited...
Carl The Beekeeper Comes To Milton Hall Montessori School
Press release from: Milton Hall Montessori School On Friday 21st January 2022 we had a visit from Carl The Beekeeper, who very kindly gave a talk to the children about bees, which included showing the children the life cycle of bees and their...
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week
Children’s Mental Health Week is taking place in the week of the 7th – 13th February 2022 and is a time to not only raise awareness of mental health issues amongst children, but to also offer advice and information and showcase some of the work...
Apprenticeship Opportunities open up at Boys & Girls Nursery
Press release from: Boys & Girls Nursery The start of the new year often leads many to explore new avenues and adventures for the year ahead. With this in mind, Boys & Girls Nursery, a local, family run nursery group with settings in...
Boys & Girls Nursery help make Christmas morning special for all
Press release from: Boys & Girls Nursery Families and team members of Boys & Girls Nursery helped put a smile on the faces of women & children who were in need of the local refuge service this Christmas. An incredible number of gifts...
The “exceptional circumstance” of Covid-19 allows early years settings to relax ratios
The DfE has confirmed that all early years settings can relax their ratios - in line with the EYFS – should they struggle with staff absences, which have risen due to rising cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
ALL SAINTS CHURCH IS REOPENED
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Last Friday saw the end of a six-year project to secure the future of All Saints church in Lymington. Services in the church ceased in 2013, but Lymington PCC were determined that this lovely building...
Ofsted report: 98% still good or outstanding but more recent inspection concerns
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman has launched Ofsted’s Annual Report 2020-21. The report covered the year to September 2021 during which the Inspectorate carried out fewer inspections than normal due to closures and restrictions....
Inequalities have worsened during pandemic: Child of the North report
A report published by the Northern Health Science Alliance, Child of the North: Building a fairer future after Covid-19 paints a bleak picture, caused by chronic underfunding in the North of England. Inequalities which were in existence before...
Toddlers struggling with sharing post-pandemic
Ofsted has revealed that observations that were made during November showed that many two- and three-year-olds are struggling with social skills, like sharing and taking turns, post pandemic. Two-year-olds - who have spent nearly 80% of their...
Ofsted releases updated Education Inspection Framework
On 15th December, Ofsted updated its inspection framework (EIF) to reflect the new EYFS framework which came into force in September. In the updated guidance, the following questions are answered in more detail: “Will Ofsted expect providers to...
Lucky nursery had visit from the National Nursery Manager of the year award winner
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Tops Day Nurseries in Southsea had a visit from this years’ Nursery Manager of the Year award winner, Hannah Jennings. Hannah was awarded this prestigious award at the Nursery Management Today (NMT)...
Dorset Council Helps Educate Children at Local Nursery
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Dorset Council are in the process of creating a cycle path the length of Leigh Road, Wimborne which passes across the entrances to Tops Day Nurseries Wimborne. Throughout this project Tops Wimborne and...
Children encouraged to focus on speaking and listening to avoid low achievement
Early years settings around the nation have been invited to take part in ‘No Pens Day Wednesday’, which takes place on 24 November. The aim of the day, organised by the children’s communications charity, I CAN, is to encourage children to focus...
New children and families minister commits to SEND review in open letter
Children and families Minister Will Quince has written an open letter to all parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities to talk about his ambitions for them and their children. In the letter,...
Education Secretary puts climate change at the heart of education
Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has promised to put the fight against climate change "at the heart" of education in England. During his speech at the recent COP26 in Glasgow, he spoke about plans for a new 'model science curriculum', due to be...
Lest we forget: Milton Hall Montessori Nursery School Commemorates Remembrance Day
Press release from: Milton Hall Montessori Nursery School Armistice Day was commemorated on the 11th November. Also known as Remembrance Day, it marks the day World War One ended, at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, in 1918. This year...
Diwali celebration at Milton Hall Montessori School
Press release from: Milton Hall Montessori School Every year, we celebrate the Indian festival of Diwali. The children and teachers celebrated Diwali at Milton Hall Montessori School. We began our week of Diwali celebrations on Friday 5th...
Celebrating Diwali, Festival of Lights in your setting
practiced religion in the world behind Christianity and Islam, and is considered to be the world’s oldest religion, dating back more than 4,000 years. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Muslims and Buddhists around the world, and...
Game-based learning and gamification
Education is evolving, and over the years it has changed a great deal. Gone are the days where the teacher stands and dictates from a book whilst students write down the information word for word, and learn it by rote. Things have changed....
Are you watching me?
Cameo said it like it is. Don’t worry about anyone watching, just glide by, as it’s not about them or you. All you are thinking about is the children and what they are asking you to do and be, at that moment in time. A couple of weeks ago, I had...
Problem-solving : the foundation of all learning?
From birth, children are wired to problem-solve. At every stage of their development we observe them trying to find a way to solve a problem, whether it is by crossing the room or going down a slide, building a tower out of bricks or building a...
How to support the reluctant eater
Many children experience a level of reluctance around certain foods at some point in their development. The transition to solid foods is not always straightforward and new colours, textures and tastes can challenge familiarity. This uncertainty...
Keeping children safe in early years provision
Last month, we were privileged to welcome Yvonne Sinclair to the Parenta family when she gave us the benefit of her incredible safeguarding knowledge and took us through crucial statutory information during our monthly webinar. If you missed it,...
Egg-cellent advice: Hand over hand work
In this series of articles we are going to share his insights with you, if you are keen for more, there is an ever growing collection on my Facebook profile: come and make friends. www.Facebook.com/JoannaGraceTSP This is article 1 out of a...
World Toilet Day
There are some statistics we read that raise eyebrows, some that cause us to look twice, and then there are the ones that shock us into action – or they ought to! At Parenta, we think that the following fact is one of those statistics that we...
Road Safety Week
This is a vision of the world from Brake, the national charity who promote road safety, campaign for safer roads, and look after those who have been adversely affected by accidents on the road. Every 20 minutes, someone is killed or seriously...
Increase your occupancy levels… with a blog!
November is National Blog Posting Month – and to celebrate this, we are giving you our top tips on how having a blog can boost your ranking on search engines and ultimately increase your occupancy levels! The aim of a blog is to not only create...
Petitions Committee calls for independent review of childcare funding
A report by the Centre for Progressive Policy “Women in the Labour Market” has revealed that lack of affordable and accessible childcare is a barrier to maternal employment, resulting in billions in lost earnings.
Sector returns to pre-pandemic employment levels
A report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released on 12 October shows the numbers of employees in early years returning to pre-pandemic levels with unemployment down and vacancies growing.
New report shows increasing childcare funding rate would give economic gains
A report by the Centre for Progressive Policy “Women in the Labour Market” has revealed that lack of affordable and accessible childcare is a barrier to maternal employment, resulting in billions in lost earnings.
Supporting staff with social, emotional and mental health needs
In my September article, I talked about supporting children who have high social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH). This article will be looking at how we also need to support staff who have high SEMH needs. We need to view SEMH within a...
An introduction to supervision in the early years
Securing a robust supervision system into each settings practice is a challenge, yet it is a key component to our work for many reasons. The role of supervision in early years settings remains a requirement in the latest statutory framework for...
The hope of story
They sweep us up in the anticipation and excitement of adventure. We find ourselves intrigued by mystery or fascinated by the inner workings of complex characters, involved and invested in the actions they take and the resulting consequences....
National Adoption Week
Depending on which statistics you read, there are between 2,000 and 6,000 children in the UK who need adopting at any one time. Many are sibling groups who need to be adopted together, which often makes it more difficult to find the right...
Mackerel pate
You will need: 1 mackerel fillet (tin)½ lemon or lime12 fresh chives2 tbsp. sour cream/Greek natural yoghurt/soya yoghurt Instructions: 1. Squeeze the lemon/lime to remove the juice. 2. Flake the mackerel using a fork into the mixing...
Nutrition for learning
Children tend to be naturally inquisitive and boundless in their approach to understanding the world around them and learning new concepts. The early years setting provides an opportunity to work with children and their families/carers on the...
Fire Prevention Week
One of the things that we as practitioners worry about a lot is how we can keep the children in our care safe. You can see our Safeguarding article on page 34 for more information about how to look after safeguarding more generally in your...
Sustaining the future of the early years – and beyond
In the depths of the COVID pandemic, I wanted to (and needed to) look forward. The national narrative was depressing and hopeless, yet the children in our nurseries were alive and made the staff feel positive. I wanted to capture that sense of...
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
It’s hard to imagine but in this day and age, there are still two women each week who are killed by a partner or former partner in England and Wales. In the Northeast, the area with the highest recorded rate of domestic abuse, there are an...
Developing movements to improve physical literacy in the early years
Movement is for ALL children and sometimes they just need a little extra assistance, and their goals and level will vary/ and that’s OK! So, with this in mind here is your super-fast, 3-minute guide Let’s get back to basics Before children can...
Safeguarding children
The safeguarding of children comes before all other requirements in childcare and education and should not only be a fundamental part of your practice, but embedded throughout everything you do as childcare practitioners. Safeguarding is not an...
Hearing “No”
“Put your coat on” “No” “Put your coat on, you have to, it is cold outside.” “No!” What do you do next? “Eat your vegetables” “No” “Eat your vegetables, you have to, they are good for you.” “No!” What do you do next? “Get down from there.” “No”...
6 ways to ease children’s worries
Children worry about lots of different things. At times, it can be hard to understand why something so trivial can cause so much distress. However, it is important to remember that worries are relative. Cast your mind back to when you were...
New features for Footsteps 2 for web and app
We have released a new version of Footsteps 2 for both web and app – we hope you like the new features: New Progress 2021 report A new progress report for the 2021 curriculum is now available. New Statement Gaps 2021 report This new statement...
Don’t underestimate the power of high-quality imagery on your website!
Your fabulous new website is built, you have the back-office login details in your hand, and now you can access your site to make changes yourself… hooray! But… when you’re making these changes, are you giving enough thought to the quality of...
Double Award Finalists for Watermead Nursery!
Press release from: Watermead Nursery Staff are bursting with pride at Watermead Nursery as they become finalists in two categories for two separate national award ceremonies. Nursery Manager, Kyla Fory said: We so absolutely thrilled to...
Parents’ relationships with children improved during lockdowns
Research has shown that parents feel that the Covid lockdowns have improved their relationships with their children, due to them being able to spend more quality time with them at home. Academics at the University of Essex have found that...
Government to provide early years funding for language and numeracy
The government is to provide funding for specialist training to help 2 to 4-year-olds with language and mathematic skills, as part of the early years recovery plan. The government announced on 6th September that the early years professional...
New children and families minister appointed
During Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle on 15th September, Will Quince, MP for Colchester, was appointed Children and Families Minister, taking over the helm from Vicky Ford, MP for Chelmsford – now junior minister at the Foreign, Commonwealth...
A GOOD result for Tops Day Nurseries Yeovil
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries A GOOD result for Tops Day Nurseries Yeovil Staff and Children at Tops Yeovil are pleased to be celebrating a GOOD rating from Ofsted following their recent inspection. According to the Ofsted report,...
Welcome to the family Topsies Yeovil!
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Topsie’s Yeovil is the latest nursery to join the Tops Day Nurseries family. This new addition brings the total number of nurseries owned by Tops Day Nurseries to over 30, providing Early Education and...
A local Nursery Manager Selected For The Final Nursery Manager Awards 2021
A local nursery manager has been selected for the final for the Nursery Manager Award category in the NMT Nursery Awards 2021. Hannah Jennings is a Nursery Manager at Tops Day Nurseries - Newport She was nominated for the Nursery Manager Award....
Nursery Managers clock up 37 years’ service of cherishing children
Press release from: Shenfield Day Nursery Shenfield Day Nursery where children are cherished is definitely a special place and it certainly has some milestones to celebrate this summer. Not only is it the nursery’s 20th anniversary year but...
A GOOD result for Tops Day Nurseries Efford
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Staff and Children at Tops Efford are pleased to be celebrating a GOOD rating from Ofsted following their recent inspection. According to the Ofsted report, children feel safe and secure as they confidently...
Self-isolation and ‘pingdemic’ causes nearly half of all early years settings in England to close
Nearly 50% of childcare providers in England have had to either fully or partially close at least once since 1st June, due to self-isolation requirements, according to a new survey. The survey, published by the Early Years Alliance polled more...
Education minister urges parents to seriously consider apprenticeships over university for their children
Education minister, Gavin Williamson, has urged middle-class parents not to rule out apprenticeships for their children as figures reveal that apprentices could be £50,000-plus better off than the average degree student after three years of...
‘Help educate parents to sign up for Government’s Healthy Start Scheme’: Marcus Rashford
In an open letter published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), footballer and child food poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford has urged more low-income families to sign up for the government’s Healthy Start Scheme. He is calling on health...
A GOOD result for Tops Day Nurseries Devonport
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Staff and Children at Tops Devonport are pleased to be celebrating a GOOD rating from Ofsted following their recent inspection. According to the Ofsted report, Children feel safe and secure and confidently...
Updates to the NEW EYFS-compatible Footsteps 2!
Last month we reported on our customer and industry research into the imminent EYFS Framework changes and how these will affect our Footsteps 2 EYFS tracker, advising that we would be incorporating the new Development Matters framework into...
5 Ways to Ensure You Have Strong Branding
Your brand is arguably one of the most important assets of your childcare business. It gives it an identity; one that is recognisable, which can connect with existing parents/carers, that can encourage new customers, and can bring your...
Tops Day Nurseries Awarded the ‘Top 20 Top Rated Nursery Group 2021’ Award
Press release from: Tops Day Nurseries Tops Day Nurseries, were awarded the ‘Top 20 Top Rated Nursery Group 2021’ Award from daynurseries.co.uk. This award recognises Tops Day Nurseries as one of the 20 top rated Nursery Groups in the UK based...
Milton Hall Montessori summer project – Around the World in 55 days
Press release from: Milton Hall Montessori This year has been a trying year full of restrictions and rules for all of us. Milton Hall Montessori Nursery School we decided to take a different approach to the restrictions and have taken the...
Department for Education’s latest figures show fall in demand for ‘free childcare’
The DfE has released figures which reveal a fall in demand for 'free childcare' places. The number of eligible two-year-olds registered to receive funded early education entitlements has fallen by 13% to 124,500 in 2021. The number of three...