Industry News – May

Welcome to May’s Industry News.  May is a busy time in schools and there is also a lot in the news around proposed changes to education at either end of the school spectrum.

Majority of nurseries may not offer 30-hour childcare

Nurseries are still reeling from the proposal to provide 30 free hours of childcare.  Beset by an ongoing underfunding crisis, just 45 per cent of nurseries in England are likely to extend the number of hours they offer, while the majority of nurseries say they are unsure, according to the National Day Nurseries Association’s annual survey. The NDNA says the funding gap is now the highest ever, with the average nursery losing £34,000 a year, or £1.68 per hour on average for a three- and four-year-old place.

The NDNA warned that ‘tens of thousands’ of parents across the country could struggle to find places unless the Government takes action. From April the National Living Wage will also push up the average payroll by 10 per cent, the NDNA predicts, with nurseries forced to push up fees for parents. NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said, ‘The nursery sector is fully behind the principle of more support for parents. But serious funding shortfalls stand in the way of nurseries getting on board, despite their desire to help families with free childcare.

‘Private, voluntary and independent nurseries deliver most of the Government’s free places, currently 15 hours per week for all three and four-year-olds and some two-year-olds. But the nursery sector is reluctant to commit to offering more free hours when they already make a significant annual loss – an average of £34,000 per nursery – on the funded places they currently provide.’

Julia Margo, chief executive at the Family and Childcare Trust said, ‘The availability of expanded free early education for three and four year olds is absolutely crucial to helping parents who work or want to move back into work. In the short-term, the Government needs to make sure childcare providers get adequate funding so they are able to offer these extra hours. But without more radical reforms, the childcare system will not meet the needs of too many parents, children, childcare providers, employers, or the wider economy.’

This is a difficult dilemma nurseries face – wanting to provide the free childcare places yet not having the funding to do so. If you work in a nursery which is facing this problem we would like to hear from you. Post your comment on our Facebook page.

Childcare Recruitment Catastrophe

From September this year there is a requirement for level three nursery workers in England to have a minimum grade C in GCSE maths and English. The Save our Early Years campaign, launched to put pressure on the Government to reverse the decision say implementation of this new rule will have “catastrophic” results. Although nurseries will still be able to hire staff without good GCSEs, these staff will not count towards the ratios. Also, the nurseries ability to employ staff without the right qualifications will very much depend on their budget position, which is likely to already be extremely fragile.

The campaign wants the government to reinstate “Functional Skills” qualifications as a suitable alternative to GCSE for childcare staff. These qualifications are offered to the 40% of teenagers who do not achieve the benchmark English and maths GCSEs in school and are the equivalent C grades.

Julie Hyde, executive director of the childcare qualifications awarding body CACHE, said childcare was the only sector where they were not accepted. While Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, said he did not believe staff needed GCSEs to demonstrate they were literate and numerate.

Industry experts have already warned that the likely effect of this change will be a shortfall in the number of qualified Level 3 EYEs and an increase in childcare providers’ costs which will be passed on to parents.  On top of the 30 free hours proposal this change to required qualifications for level 3 nursery staff puts yet another strain on the nursery sector.

Will every school be forced to become an academy?

The debate around all schools, both primaries and secondary’s coming out from overall council control and converting to academies by 2022 is still dominating much of the education news. The evidence around academies is mixed, with most experts agreeing there is no conclusive proof the model is the single best way to improve education.

Under the draft plans, the role of overseeing standards will fall entirely to eight appointed senior civil servants called regional schools commissioners. A new national funding formula will mean money will go directly from central government to schools, rather than priorities being set locally. Ministers argue this will provide a high level of autonomy to schools, and help drive up standards through greater innovation and competition in the system.

The Local Government Association said changing the contracts of schools to convert them into academies would still cost “millions” and is calling on the government to drop its plans. The LGA says its own research, published on Monday, suggests local authority maintained schools continue to outperform academies in Ofsted inspections. And Labour said having councils running chains would still amount to “costly upheaval for thousands of outstanding schools”.

The Department for Education said converting England’s schools into academies would put control of children’s education in the hands of teachers and school leaders “who know their pupils best”.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has said that she is looking at some alterations to the original plan which may appease some of the back benchers. We are watching the debate closely to see where everything falls.

GCSE’s have arrived….

For Year 11 children May brings the onset of their GCSE’s, the exams which in many cases they have been working towards for 2 years. Coursework has been completed – almost – and it is the time for last minute revision and practising the exam technique.

It is always a time of huge pressure and staff, parents and carers alike do what they can to ease the burden. GCSE’s are the launch pad for that child’s next stage of their educational journey, be it apprenticeships, A levels or vocational qualifications.

At the age of 16, GCSEs can seem like the be all and end all. And they certainly are important. Whether the children are looking to progress through further study or are looking for an apprenticeship their GCSE grades are the gatekeeper holding the key to the next stage in their education or career. Put simply, good GCSE grades give them more options to choose from.  However, if expected grades are not reached there are always options open. Contacting the college to see if they’ll still accept, resitting some of the exams or applying for a different course or doing an apprenticeship. All these are paths which can be taken for students who fall at the final hurdle.

Whether a teacher, carer or parent, we all inject that final bit of effort during May and hope the children do the very best they can.

Originally written 3 May 2016