Here ! I am going to try and keep you all updated on reverent topics about the Early Years sector and the Primary school sector.
Childcare fees and the cost it may have
Here are to articals that are related to a situation that we are having to consider at the moment with regards to National Living Wage and what affect this will have on our business alonge with the new Pentions that we also have to start paying in to starting in November. These are big impacts on the childcare sector, and it is now that we have to think about how we are going to be substainable, until we are told what increase we will get for child free plases, then we can not work out how we will charge to mack up the increase in costs due to staff increases.
Jan 20156
Childcare fees Ofsted
Any proposal to increase Ofsted registration fees must not jeopardise nurseries’ sustainability, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) says.
Childcare Minister Sam Gyimah (pictured) has written to sector organisations regarding Government plans to consult about a potential increase.
Ofsted’s fees are currently subsidised by the Government, but Treasury guidance determines that regulators recover the economic costs of their operations through the fees they charge.
Purnima Tanuku OBE, NDNA’s Chief Executive, said: “We understand that there is a cost to Ofsted’s registration and inspection service, but it’s paramount that nurseries don’t have to endure a heavy burden of additional costs at this sensitive time. This year, many nurseries will be piloting the new scheme to provide 30 free hours of childcare to three and four year olds, ahead of it being rolled out across the country next year.
“Childcare providers are still uncertain of the exact level of funding they will receive per child, which needs to be sufficient for nurseries to offer high quality early years education and to do so sustainably.
“Any uplift in Ofsted’s fees will also need to consider that nurseries will be paying an average of 10% more in salaries once the new National Living Wage is brought in from April.
“The Government should continue to subsidise fees for providers.”
She added: “While it is reassuring that the Minister acknowledges and understands the pressure of costs that are currently facing childcare providers, this needs to be reflected in a fair settlement. We need the Department for Education to engage fully with the sector and be transparent so childcarers can understand Ofsted’s costs compared to the current fee levels charged.
“As the voice of the nursery sector, NDNA will be seeking the views of our members and engaging with the Government.”
Jan 2016
Childcare fees struggling to match costs
Nurseries and childminders have been sharing their experiences following last week's publication of the Daycare Trust's annual childcare costs survey, which revealed the growing gap between parents' wages and childcare fees.
She added, ‘My costs are usually 50-60 per cent of my income, after expenses, but before tax and national insurance. Having recently completed my tax return for 2010-11 my net profit worked out at around £5 per hour, well below minimum wage.’
Early years learning - the fights we do not need As the teaching unions join the polarised debate over the best way of educating the under-fives, there is middle ground, saysEstelle Morris
So why is there this never-ending friction between those who should be on the same side? The present government's preference for traditional teaching styles and apparent antipathy to creativity in the curriculum understandably stokes concerns, but the divisions pre-date this. Early years is not part of compulsory education. Significant state funding and the accountability that goes with it is a relatively recent development and, as a result, this part of the sector is far more diverse than any other. It has many different roots and public funding embraces private, voluntary and public providers. It has disciples of different philosophies – Steiner, Montessori and Reggio Emilia to name but a few – and it has a different relationship with parents.
Budget 2014: Childcare tax break worth up to £2,000 unveiled by Government
A childcare tax break for working parents will be more generous than expected and expanded to older children more quickly, the Government announced ahead of the Budget tomorrow.The new scheme - due to come into force from the autumn of 2015 - will be worth up to £2,000 per child, compared with the £1,200 originally proposed.And it will apply to all children under 12 within its first year of operation rather than the seven-year programme envisaged when it was first announced by Chancellor George Osborne a year ago.Around 1.9 million families could benefit, twice as many as under the present voucher scheme which is only available where adopted by an employer.But the policy has faced criticism for excluding couples where one parent does not work and being available to high-earning households with a joint income of up to £300,000.
'Start School Too Young': Expert Children s
Parents fear holiday childcare problems for families with children at different schools if head teachers are allowed to set term dates, suggests a poll.The government wants to let all state schools in England decide their own terms and holidays from September 2015..
Children 'Start School Too Young': Experts
A group of education experts says four-year-old children should be able to play and then start formal lessons a few years later.
2) Parents 'failing to get children ready for school', say heads
Schools are to issue advice to parents on how to raise their children amid fears too many pupils are turning up to lessons unfit for the demands of full-time education, it was announced today.
3) Pushover parents' blamed for unruly children
Behavior in schools is deteriorating as “pushover parents” indulge their children, according to a leading psychologist.
4) Good early years get children off to a flying start, says Ofsted 19th Apr 2013
Plans to ensure that good is the only acceptable standard of education and care provided by nurseries, pre-schools and childminders for our youngest children were unveiled today by Ofsted.
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, formally launched a consultation on changes to the inspection framework aimed at improving the quality of early years provision during a visit to the Thomas Coram Early Childhood Centre, in central London.
Inspection evidence shows nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are not improving fast enough...
5) Stricking a balance what do Pre-Schoolers do all day
6) Many of Parents have commented about sleep confusion and “normal” sleep routines for LOs.
The truth is you can look on any website to find out average sleep needs for babies and LOs – so here a web sight and blog have tried to make our blog a bit “different”. However – it seems from the many comments we’ve had that you would like more information on average awake/sleep times.
7) Department for Education: Drop plans to increase child to adult ratios
8) Children need fresh air and play