Under 5 by Under 5

Under 5 the Magazine of the Early Years Alliance

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April 2019

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Life cycles

Springtime activity ideas

Breaking barriers

Working with EAL in your setting

Taking the lead Your safeguarding responsibilities

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Contents 4

News round up

All the latest news, research and policy updates from the early years sector

My Under 5

Letters to the editor

Minimum wages and pension increase – are you up-to-date?

Welcome

A chance for Alliance member settings to share news of recent events and projects Under 5 readers share their views on the early years sector

A guide to recent changes to the national living and minimum wages

Fighting fraudulent claims

Are you liable?

A helping hand

Taking the lead

RSA explains how you can protect your early years business from fraudulent insurance claims A guide to occupiers liability for early years settings

How the 5p carrier bag charge could help your local community Understanding the role of a safeguarding lead in an early years setting

20 Be the best: sharing early years excellence

A guide to this year’s Alliance annual conference

22 My early years: Emma Davies

One early years practitioner shares her experience in this new regular section

24 Breaking barriers

How one team is working to help children with EAL

26 Safeguarding: responding to your concerns

A free extract from EduCare course Effective Safeguarding Training

29 Parent engagement: keep persevering

How you can improve parent engagement at your setting

30 The circle of life

Fun ideas for exploring the theme of life cycles with children this spring

32 Key milestones in toddler growth

The Infant & Toddler Forum shares information and advice on normal growth

33 Competition

WELCOME & CONTENTS

Welcome to Under 5 The past few weeks have been another busy time for the early years sector. Last month, children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi announced an additional £24 million in funding to help support maintained nursery schools in the summer term 2019 (page four). While this is great news for these settings – at least in the short term – it will not help the rest of the PVI sector which is also struggling with rising costs. We had such a huge response from our members and readers on this news story that we’ve dedicated our letters page to the topic (page 10). After months of speculation, the government has finally confirmed timings for the next spending review. Last month, the chancellor announced that the review will begin before parliament breaks for summer recess and conclude in the autumn. This offers a huge opportunity for the early years sector to campaign for more funding – and the Alliance will continue its work on the Fair Future Funding campaign, so make sure you have signed up as a supporter for further details at www.eyalliance.org.uk/ fairfuturefunding. Looking further ahead, this year will also see some proposed changes to the Ofsted inspection framework. At the Alliance’s conference this year we will learn more about this from Ofsted’s Gill Jones and delegates will also hear directly from early years inspector Jude Sanders. We’ve got all the details of this year’s event for you (page 20). Looking further ahead, this year will also see key changes to Local Safeguarding Children Boards. Rachel Buckler, co-founder at the Early Years Hub and managing director of Safeguarding Training, has shared an update with us (page 19). Rachel will also be appearing at our conference this year. If you’d like to find out more, make sure you book your tickets this month: www.eyalliance.org. uk/alliance-annual-conference-2019. As ever, we’ve also got lots of great ideas for exploring in your setting. With Easter approaching, Alliance quality and standards manager Melanie Pilcher has shared some ideas for exploring the theme of life cycles (page 30). If you’ve been celebrating this spring season, please do share your pictures for our My Under 5 section. We’ve also heard from the Alliance’s English as an Additional Language Advisory service in Somerset about how they are helping children in their local area (page 24). I am also happy to introduce a new regular section in this issue. Our profile page will offer an Alliance member a chance to share their early years story with readers each issue. If you’d like to be included in a future issue, please do get in touch at editor.u5@ eyalliance.org.uk. Rachel Lawler, editor

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in brief...

FUNDING: Headteachers from 251 maintained nursery schools marched on Downing Street last month, calling for a long-term solution to their funding concerns.

Spring statement fails to address early years funding crisis

round-up Maintained nurseries get £24 million funding boost Maintained nursery schools in England will get an additional £24 million in funding to cover the summer term in 2019. Maintained nursery schools are run by local authorities and, like maintained schools, they have a head teacher and governing body. Currently, there are just 397 of them remaining, with 64% said to be operating in areas of deprivation. The future of these settings was uncertain after supplementary funding was due to come to an end in the next year. Additional funding was granted to these maintained nurseries in 2017-18 after the government recognised that the Early Years Funding Formula would not cover the cost of running these settings. The funding, said to keep funding rates at their 2016-17 levels, was granted for three years but was not guaranteed beyond this ahead of the next spending review, now due to take place later this year. Children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi made the announcement at an early years conference last month. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “While this announcement will understandably be welcomed by maintained nursery schools, it does nothing to address the wider funding crisis engulfing the early years sector. “Wrapped up in this promise of more funding for nursery schools is a tacit admission from the government that there is simply not enough money in the system. Sadly, the time for admitting there is a problem has long passed: the government

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must act now to increase funding across the whole sector. Doing nothing – or grabbing 100% of the headlines while helping a tiny percentage of the providers – is not fair on those struggling to stay open and lets down the overwhelming majority of parents who access their childcare in high quality PVI settings across the country.”

Chancellor Philip Hammond failed to mention early years funding in his spring statement, delivered last month in the House of Commons. Early years funding rates for the government’s childcare policies are currently frozen until 2020, putting pressure on providers, many of whom say they are struggling to remain open. Independent sector experts Ceeda estimated that there is currently a £615 million funding shortfall in funding for the early years sector – and this is likely to increase as the minimum wages and pension contributions rise next month.

“...the chancellor has again missed an opportunity to tackle the early years funding crisis.” However, the chancellor confirmed that the government will hold a spending review later this year. This will set departmental budgets for the next three years and is due to start before parliament breaks for summer recess this year and will conclude in the autumn. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “Many providers will be incredibly disappointed that the chancellor has yet again missed an opportunity to tackle the early years funding crisis, especially those wondering how they will survive past April’s minimum wage and pension increases. “While ministers continue to claim that all is fine in the sector, the simple fact is that even the government’s own research – which doesn’t take into account these upcoming cost increases – shows that a large proportion of parents are paying increasing fees as a result of underfunding, while many local authorities have warned that current funding levels are unsustainable.”

HEALTH VISITORS: 1,000 health visitors will be trained to support children’s early language and communication needs during home visits.

JUNK FOOD: The government is consulting on plans to introduce a 9pm watershed on TV and online ads for junk food and sugary drinks.

Schools invited to join baseline pilot scheme Schools are being invited to sign up to a pilot scheme that will trial the new baseline assessment, starting in September this year. The baseline test will see children in reception classes tested on their language, communication and literacy skills as well as early maths, in the first six weeks of their first term at school. The pilot scheme will start in September 2019, although the test is not expected to be rolled out nationwide until next year. Baseline assessments were previously trialled in 2015 but were scrapped in 2016 after the results were found to be insufficiently comparable. The National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) was selected to deliver the new tests last year and started running trials in September 2018.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “As the government has itself admitted, this policy is all about assessing the effectiveness of schools, rather than supporting children’s early learning and development. As a result, we have a system about to be introduced which is liable to place undue pressure

on young children at the very start of their educational journeys, without any real benefit to them at all. “We urge the government to rethink the introduction of these tests, and will continue to oppose this policy in partnership with our sector and union colleagues.”

Self-employed childcare providers risk losing Universal Credit payments Early years providers who are registered as being self-employed or sole-traders risk losing payments of Universal Credit as a result of offering funded childcare places. The Alliance has warned that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not currently make a distinction between direct income from parent fees, which are usually spread across the year, and larger payments of funding, sometimes made on a termly basis to providers. This means that when assessing eligibility for Universal Credit, a provider may see their total “income” pushed over the threshold for receiving payments during the month that their funding is paid to them. The provider may then see their Universal Credit payments either reduced or stopped altogether – despite the fact that the funding needs to be spent on the provision of childcare for the duration of the term. The DWP confirmed to the Alliance that early years funding is “regarded as part of the business’ income and therefore treated exactly the same as the fees paid by parents (any

customers/service users) to the childcare provider”. William Towgood, owner of Bishopstoke Pre-school in Eastleigh, Hampshire, raised the issue last year with the Alliance, and the DWP has only now responded to the Alliance’s queries. Towgood receives payments for early years funding three times a year and, while registered as a sole trader, he would lose his Universal Credit payments for those months. He has since registered his pre-school as a limited company, which means that he is treated as an employee and the funding is treated as a separate business income. He said: “Universal Credit adds to the stress of [being a] sole trader in the early years, on top of frozen funding, pension contributions, minimum wage and rising costs.”

The DWP has not advised that it has any plans to review the way that Universal Credit applies to selfemployed providers who receive early years funding. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “This is a truly ridiculous situation: the government is well aware that termly funding has to pay for the provision of care and education across the whole term. Why on earth, then, is the DWP treating such payments as if they are personal income that might be spent in full within the month? At a time when so many providers are struggling to stay afloat as a result of the government’s underfunding, the prospect of some being financially disadvantaged even further as a result of the DWP’s inflexible approach to Universal Credit payments is incredibly concerning.”

“Universal Credit adds to the stress of being a sole trader in the early years, on top of frozen funding and rising costs.”

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A third of local authorities say 30-hours has impacted sustainability Report calls for early years “revolution” The government should develop a strategy to improve support for children in the first 1,000 days of their lives, according to a new report from the Health and Social Care Committee. The report also calls for the current Healthy Child Programme to be expanded to include a focus on the health of the whole family, starting before conception. Currently, families are entitled to five visits from the health service between the child’s birth and their second birthday. The report suggests that this should be extended to include an extra visit after their third birthday. The report also calls for more support for children whose development is “off track”, based on the Flying Start programme in Wales and the Family Nurse Partnership in Scotland. The Committee is asking the government to address these concerns in its 2019 Spending Review. The report says: “We recommend that the government use the 2019 Spending Review as an opportunity to initiate the next early years revolution with a secure, long-term investment in prevention and early intervention to support parents, children and families during this critical period.”

Dr Paul Williams MP, who led the Committee for the inquiry, commented: “Quite simply, I want this country to be the most supportive and caring place in the world that a child could be born into.” Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “The importance of effective early intervention is no longer debated – but, as the committee’s report shows, there is still a long way to go. We have been waiting long enough to see this consensus turn into action. The integrated review should have been implemented in 2015 but, four years later, is nowhere near being fully rolled out. Instead, we have a programme implemented in some areas and not others with cuts to the very services, such as children’s centres and health visitor training, that makes early intervention possible. This report makes clear we’re a long way off seeing effective early intervention. That won’t change without a concentrated effort from ministers to ensure the integrated review becomes a reality for every young child. Without that effort, we will be stuck agreeing that early intervention is important, while some of those young children who need it most remain unable to access it.”

Report calls for focus on the early years to close disadvantage gap Local authorities should focus on the early years as a “key priority” in order to close the disadvantage gap, according to a new report from The Sutton Trust. Closing the regional attainment gap looks at the differing gaps between disadvantaged children and their betteroff classmates, which varies widely across regions in the UK. The report summarises evidence given to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility between November 2017 and June 2018. It calls for the government to complete its promised review of the children’s centre programme and asks for a national strategy on children’s centres. The report also recommends that early years teachers should be given

Qualified Teacher Status, alongside an increase in pay, conditions and status. Justin Madders MP writes in the forward: “While indications are that the attainment gap is narrowing, at its current rate, we are still over 40 years away from closing the gap between disadvantaged fiveyear-olds and their more advantaged counterparts.” Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “Ministers talk so often about the need to close the attainment gap as early as possible but to date have failed to back up with their rhetoric with action. If the government wants to improve the life chances of all children, and especially those from more disadvantaged backgrounds, then it needs to invest more in the sector that is pivotal to making this happen: the early years.”

“We are still over 40 years away from closing the gap between disadvantaged five-yearolds and their peers.”

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A third of local authorities say that the 30-hours offer has negatively impacted sustainability in the childcare sector, according to a new report from Coram Family and Childcare Trust. The Childcare Survey 2019 also found that a quarter of local authorities believe that the 30-hours offer has led to higher prices for non-funded childcare for three- and fouryear-olds. The report recommends that the government regularly reviews the funding rate for early years entitlements to ensure that they meet the true cost of delivering quality childcare. The survey also found that the average cost of childcare has increased – with 25 hours in a setting for a child under two costing parents £127 a week, up 3% on 2018. Childcare costs for children over two has also increased – costing an average of £124 a week, up 4% since 2018. While most local authorities felt there was adequate childcare for children eligible for the threeand four-year-old funding, fewer local authorities felt that there were adequate spaces for two-year-olds entitled to a funded space than last year. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “Enough is enough. It’s time for the government to commit not only to investing properly into the sector, but also reviewing funding level on an annual basis, an Alliance recommendation that has been echoed by the Treasury Select Committee. Without this, prices for parents will continue to rise, and more and more providers will be forced to close their doors for good.”

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Relax and un

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Watcombe C hildren’s Cen tre Nursery in To rquay has introduced fo rtnightly yoga sessions for the children in both its twoto three-year -old group and th ree- to five-ye arold group. Th e children ha ve learned diffe rent stretche s, yoga positio ns and breath ing exercises thro ugh techniqu es including stor y telling and the use of props, which the ch ildren have really en joyed.

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Red Nose Day

Children at Je llybabies nurs ery and preraised money school in Red for Comic Rel nal ie f with a pyjam children also a day. The learned abou t ho w the charity support disa ’s work helps dvantaged ch to ildren and th the world an eir families ac d celebrated ross w ith red nose-the including skitt med activities les, red nose hunts and sp races. Setting oon and red manager Jacq nose ueline Walke a wonderful r said: “They time learning had about the wid money for ch er world and arity.” raising

Outstanding achievement Blue Bear Pre-school and Nursery in Freckleton, Lancashire is celebrating after receiving an “outstanding” rating from Ofsted after its latest inspection. The inspector praised the staff’s teamwork and strong partnerships with parents. Anne Chauhan, manager at the setting, said: “We are all so proud of our achievements in reaching an outstanding grade across all areas. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to

showcase the amazing things we do within the setting.” UNDER 5

World Book Day

Children at Angels Nu rsery in Leeds celebrated World Bo ok Day 2019 with a special reading of Th e Tiger that came to tea. The children helped re-enact the story, using props to pretend they were drinking tea and ea ting buns. They made themselves tiger ma sks and bookmarks . The setting also helpe d raise funds for a charity that sends books to children across the world. Children at Hopsco tch Outdoor Day Nursery dressed up as characters from their favourite book s. Deputy manager Karen said: “We do n’t need much of an excuse to dress up and it was a really enjoyable day!” Bright Kids Nurseries in Crabbs Cross and Studley (below right) also celebrated the occasion by dressing up as some of their favourite book charac ters on 7 March. Selston Childcare in Nottingham (below) chose Aliens Love Un derpants as its favourite book this World Book Day. The children dresse d up as aliens and enjoyed making spac e ships, decorating underpants and paint ing alien pictures throughout the term.

What’s been happening in your setting? Under 5 wants to know! To share your own stories, please email editor.u5@eyalliance.org.uk with the subject line ‘My Under 5’.

Letters to the editor Funding for maintained nursery schools Earlier this year, the government announced that maintained nursery schools would be given an additional £24 million in funding to support the summer term in 2020. Previously, the future of these settings had been uncertain after supplementary funding was due to come to an end next year. While the news is certainly great for the 397 maintained nurseries in the sector, the Alliance strongly believes that more funding is needed for the early years sector as a whole. Here are some of the letters we received about this issue….

STAR LETTER Payment problems Our very first payment for the 30 hours offer in September 2017 was paid to another setting with the same name as us. We didn’t receive any funding until October 2017, after we chased the early years team. Payments have continued to be delayed and incorrect – including overpayments, with no paperwork to support them, and underpayments. We didn’t receive any payment advice or paperwork until well into 2018. The first report we received was for June 2018. We are a small charity-run setting and the confusion with payments has been very stressful for us. The daily management of the funding has been a constant concern and we have recently had to close the setting in the afternoons. The monthly payments taken to repay overpayment errors have left us short of funds. A deprivation payment we used to receive is no longer available – we previously used this bulk payment to fund our small mini-bus trips for the children. We are no longer able to offer regular trips due to this lack of funding. We offer a safe and positive place for children living in a deprived area. With things as they are, we may not be able to remain open. We feel disheartened. Shirley Chester, Windmill Pre-school

Wider sector concerns We are a large single setting nursery, based just outside of Bath and have fought really hard to insist that our council spreads the funding fairly across the sector. Previously, much more had been given to maintained nurseries. So this latest funding announcement is unbelievable. Already we are struggling to recruit quality staff but now we will struggle more as we will be unable to compete with the hourly rate that maintained settings will be able to pay their staff.

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The context that PVIs will now be forced to work within means that I will really struggle to maintain any profit margins at all. To my mind, this additional funding is proof that our current funding is inadequate. Charlotte, Free Rangers

Increasing wages The increase to my wage bill as a result of the increases to the minimum/living wages in April will not be far off £10,000. I have to increase wages across the board when the minimum wage goes up, otherwise the junior staff will catch up with the senior staff. Employer pension contributions have also gone up – another compulsory expense. My rent was due to increase last year, but I am still waiting on the result of the review, and all our utility bills are going up. Between 80% and 90% of children attending my setting are funded only so I cannot make adequate increases from any other source. I also have many children that require extra staff attention and input due to their individual needs. The pressure to deliver high standards is on from the local authority, Ofsted and various other organisations that we are answerable to. All their demands and requirements need to be met. This requires having adequate resources and funding. We have obligations to meet and are struggling – we are truly caught between a rock and a hard place. Felicia Adeyinka, Jack and Jill’s Nurseries

Increasing costs Our group operates in northwest England and Scotland in very mixed demographics. Therefore, we rely heavily on funding rates being fair and appropriate to avoid having fee-paying parents cross-subsidising and picking up costs associated with operating funded places. Ever-increasing operational costs in England mean that there is significant pressure on providers to cover costs through increasing fees. Is this the solution the government expected? I doubt it. We want to deliver high quality childcare, pay staff well and make choices to support the families who are relying on funding to access early years provision. If central and local government do not help by increasing funding rates, reducing or eliminating business rates, helping us by looking at VAT exemption, providers will struggle to the detriment of those most need the provision. Cary Rankin, Bertram Nursery Group

HAVE YOUR SAY

Underfunded sector The announcement that the government is going to help support maintained nurseries but not the PVI sector has infuriated me. Our PVI settings are breaking their backs to make the so-called free funding work. For me, that’s meant another steep price increase for my fee-paying parents. Without the PVI sector, the 30 hours scheme wouldn’t be possible. We cannot keep providing champagne quality care on, not even lemonade, but water funding. Something has to give. Why do we continue to be out of pocket? Because we love what we do and we have a passion for the early years. But this cannot continue indefinitely. I am an outstanding rated, multiaward winning provider and I pride myself on the quality and service I provide. The government needs to realise how important we are as more and more settings are closing. Laura Leigh Davies, Child’s Play Private Nursery

Contentious issue The news that the Department for Education will provide £24 million of supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools makes for interesting, if disappointing, reading. There’s no doubt that the funding will have a significant impact on the 397 maintained nursery schools benefitting from this announcement. However, these settings represent just 3% of the early years sector. Although I recognise that the costs of running a maintained setting are high, there seems to be little acknowledgement of the struggles faced by the PVI sector. Rising costs including wages, pensions and rent are becoming a burden. The cost of maintenance, equipment, resources, food and staff training means that many PVIs are facing an uncertain future. Add to this the financial pressures of implementing the 30-hours offer and it’s easy to see how the funding announcement leaves a feeling of bitterness for PVIs. It’s hard not to find it immoral that children’s care and education is not funded equally or adequately by the government. Pitching one part of the sector against another when it comes to funding is sure to lead to resentment – especially from those who see the wonderful opportunities offered to children attending PVIs. Funding will always be a contentious issue. Children are children whether they attend a maintained nursery or a PVI. We should be past the days when PVIs were seen as the poor relation of maintained nurseries. The sector has evolved in recent years and perhaps the perceived gap in quality between the two has narrowed considerably.

Gone are the days of PVI settings being staffed by unqualified mothers who made their way into the sector after having their own children. In recent times, there has been a drive to improve the qualifications of those working in PVIs, increasing the number of graduates and Early Years Teachers and therefore impacting on the outcomes for children. Pressure to increase the qualifications of the workforce can only be a good thing, including the drive for settings to be graduate-led. But investment is needed to ensure that PVIs are in a position to train and employ graduates. Increased funding would allow settings invest in the professional development of their practitioners and this would impact on the learning and development of children. This is one of the reasons why the £24 million investment for maintained nurseries feels like a stinging blow to PVIs. Emma Davis, Busy Bees, Ledbury Send your letters to Under 5 magazine, Early Years Alliance, 50 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8RT or email: editor.u5@eyalliance.org.uk using the subject line ‘Letters’.

This month’s star letter wins a bundle of early years books including a copy of Matisee’s Magical Trail by Tim Hopgood, with illustrations by Sam Boughton The book follows the story of Matisse the young snail who loves to create beautiful drawings with his trail. The story encourages children to be creative and is a great way to inspire art projects and new themes.

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Minimum wages and pension in The National Living and National Minimum Wages will increase this month, alongside an increase in the minimum pension contributions. Is your childcare business ready for the change?

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BUSINESS

ncreases – are you up-to-date?

ast year, the government confirmed in its budget that the minimum wages will increase again this month. At the same time, the minimum amount that both employers and employees must pay into their workplace pensions is increasing.

Minimum wages As of 1 April 2019, the minimum wages for staff will increase to: AGE 25 and over £8.21 21 to 24 £7.70 18 to 20 £6.15 Under 18 £4.35 Apprentice £3.90 The National Living Wage is the minimum hourly rate that must be paid to those aged 25 and over – it will increase by around 5% from £7.83 an hour to £8.21 this month, a change expected to impact around 2.4 million employees, including many in the early years sector. The minimum wage for apprentices must be paid to those aged under 19 and those aged 19 or over who are in the first year of their apprenticeship. Those aged 19 and over, who have completed their first year as an apprentice, must be paid the minimum wage for their age group. These changes all came into effect on 1 April 2019.

Auto-enrolment pensions Employers will also see increased pension costs from 6 April 2019 onwards. The minimum contribution for employers to pay into auto-enrolment pension schemes will increase to 3% – up from 2% in 2018. Unlike when the auto-enrolment scheme was first introduced, these changes will apply to all employers from the same date, regardless of the size of your organisation or the number of staff you employ. Therefore, you should be making the new minimum contributions from this month onwards. Employee contributions are also set to increase this month, with those enrolled on the scheme needing to pay 5% of their salary

into their pensions from 6 April onwards. All employees who are aged 22 or over and are below the State Pension Age (currently 65), who earn more than £10,000 a year or £833 a month, must be auto-enrolled into a pension scheme. Any employers caught paying less than 3% into their auto-enrolment pension schemes may be fined by The Pensions Regulator. If any employees do not want to contribute 5% of their salary into their pension scheme, they may choose to opt out. But employees who choose to opt-out of the pension scheme must be auto-enrolled again every three years, as long as they continue to be eligible for the scheme. This should occur on the third anniversary of whenever you launched your auto-enrolment scheme. You should make sure that staff are aware of the changes to their auto-enrolment pensions. You should also update any template letters or policy forms detailing your organisation’s pension scheme. As previously, employers are not allowed to encourage or force employees to opt out of an auto-enrolment pension scheme, or unfairly discriminate against those that choose to opt in. Employers cannot imply that someone will be more likely to get a job or promotion if they choose to opt out of the scheme.

Fair Future Funding Despite these increasing costs, alongside rising business rates and other expenses, the government has previously confirmed that early years funding rates will remain frozen until 2020. The Alliance believes that this is completely unsustainable, particularly as the National Living Wage is due to increase to £9 an hour in 2020. This means that many providers are forced to increase costs to parents, limit the number of funded places they have available and, in a growing number of places, may even be forced to close their doors. Our Fair Future Funding campaign is calling for the government to introduce a mechanism to ensure that funding covers the cost of delivering funded childcare places in the years to come. As the cost of delivering funded hours increases, the government

funding for these places should increase too. You can find out more about the campaign and sign up as a supporter at: www.eyalliance.org.uk/fairfuturefunding

Tools to help you We know that many early years providers have had to make the difficult decision to increase their fees and charges for parents as a result of these changes. If this is the case for you, it’s important to let families know as soon as possible and to be honest about why you have had to implement these changes. To help, the Alliance has created a template letter for providers to share with parents – available to download from the Members’ Area on our website at www.eyalliance.org. uk/members-area You may also wish to share our interactive explainer on early years funding, our mythbuster document and our printable 30-hours infographic with parents – all of which are available in the Members’ Area. We have also updated our template letters to MPs, explaining how these increased costs are affecting the early years sector. We’ve got a version designed for providers as well as one from parents, which you can share with your families. They are available to download, alongside up-to-date briefing notes to share with MPs, at www.eyalliance.org.uk/ FairFutureFunding Last month, the Alliance gathered more than 1,000 responses to its survey on how the minimum wage increases will affect the early years sector. Make sure you are following the campaign on Twitter for further updates as the campaign progresses this month – @FairFutureFund and keep an eye on our bi-weekly Under 5 newsletter for more updates.

More information If you have questions about workplace pensions or the minimum wage, or any other staffing or management concerns, you may contact Law-Call – the legal advice helpline available to Alliance members. Simply log in to the members’ area online to access their contact details at: www.eyalliance.org.uk/membersarea You may also find the Alliance publication People Management in the Early Years helpful. The title is available on the Alliance shop at shop.eyalliance.org.uk UNDER 5

INSURANCE

Fighting fraudulent claims Marie-Claire Gregory, delegated insurance arrangement lead at RSA, explains how you can protect your setting against fraudulent claims

ccording to the Health and Safety Executive’s 2017-18 report, 1.4 million people are currently suffering with a work-related illness. The HSE estimates that this costs employers, the government and individuals a total of £15 billion a year. If you purchase employers and public liability insurance, your insurer will handle claims for injury or ill health caused by or at work from your employees and volunteers. It will also cover third parties, such as children, visitors and contractors at your setting. This insurance is intended to cover genuine claims to help injured parties with their rehabilitation and offer financial compensation for their pain and suffering. The Association of British Insurers calculated that a total of 113,000 fraudulent claims were made in 2017, costing around £1.3 billion. Fraudulent claims vary from completely fictitious events that never happened to exaggerations on the severity or impact of an injury. By putting the right controls and procedures in place, you can help protect yourself and your employees. Complying with your obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act will not only reduce the likelihood of injuries in your setting, but also help protect your organisation against any fraudulent claims.

Risk assessments An effective, documented risk assessment followed by action to reduce or remove the identified risk will provide evidence that your duties have been fulfilled in the

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event of an accident. If you treat these assessments as a tick-box exercise they will be far less effective. Risk assessments should shape your policies and procedures, not the other way around. Evidence of the process you use could be key when defending against a fraudulent claim. Remember to document any action taken in response to your risk assessments, where required. Where you have policies and procedures in place to protect people, ensure they are always enforced. If they are not enforceable or workable in practice, consider how you can change them.

Claims defensibility The key to defending against any claim will be evidence. A good investigation into what happened will help in gathering all the available evidence. If you already have a system in place for documenting your risk assessment process, this will help. You will need to demonstrate that you have fulfilled your reasonable duty of care. This means that you can show that there was a system in place that identifies and minimises risks in your setting. Good housekeeping is essential – do what you’re supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it and always document it. If something is broken or leaking – do not ignore it. Assess the risk, make the area safe and restrict access or minimise the risk in the interim by using cones, tape or warning signs, as well as a verbal warning. Arrange for the repairs to be undertaken as soon as possible.

Training If you can show that your staff have been trained and have understood the training, you stand a much better chance of defending a claim. It is helpful to ask yourself: “What more could you have reasonably done to prevent this incident?” It is important that staff receive all the training they need to undertake their duties safely. Showing them videos or providing diagrams will not be sufficient to defend against a claim for an injury caused at work. Your staff files should demonstrate what training they have undertaken and show that their competency was assessed, where appropriate. Training also needs to be regularly updated and this should always be documented as well.

Accident reports Be aware of the words you use when writing up accident reports, and particularly post-accident reports. Make sure you are accurate in everything that you say. To be clear, this does not mean putting a positive spin on the content. It should be factually correct, but do bear in mind that what you write may come under scrutiny at a later date. Post-accident reports are very important. If something is wrong, correct it to avoid the accident happening again. However, don’t feel that you have to suggest something just to tick a box.

More information If you have any questions about insurance organised by the Alliance, or would like to get a quote, please get in touch at 020 7697 2585

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LAW-CALL

The team behind law-call, the legal helpline available to Alliance members, explains some common concerns surrounding occupiers’ liability Running a busy early years setting means that you are likely well-versed in policies and procedures to make a safe and welcoming environment for children and ensuring that they are returned home in, as close as possible, the same condition in which they were delivered to you. However, it is worth taking some time to consider the wider obligations of “common duty of care”, which will apply to you as you operate a business that brings a variety of visitors to your premises. The Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 deals with the responsibilities of an individual, business, partnership or other organisation that is in control of a property or premises. It outlines what you are expected to do in order to protect visitors from coming to any harm when they are visiting your setting. The Act outlines your obligations to protect those who are invited or permitted to be onsite including employees, or other official visitors, as well as uninvited guests, known as trespassers. Occupiers are obliged to: “take such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe using the premises for the purposes for which he is invited or permitted by the occupier to be there”. This is known as the common duty of care. For a visitor or staff member to be successful in a claim for injury or damage under occupiers’ liability, there must be: 1. a duty of care 2. breach of that duty of care 3. damage – usually an injury

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The standard for what is “reasonable” in these circumstances can vary, according to your specific circumstances. For example, early years settings must consider child visitors. Occupiers of these spaces must be prepared for the fact that children are likely to be less careful than adults. Therefore, the duty of care towards child visitors is higher. Conversely, a professional tradesman exercising their trade on your premises will not attract this same higher duty of care. The logical question to ask yourself is: what is reasonable? There is no one answer to this question as cases will always depend on specific facts. However, consider what the risks are and what you can do to remove or reduce them. This might include, for example, clearing spillages, or checking rooms and buildings for damage – both routinely and after events such as a storm. Once you have identified risks, if they cannot be removed or sufficiently reduced you should ensure that your visitors are made aware of the risks – unless these risks are so obvious that no sensible person would need to have their attention drawn to it. Any claim that your duty of care has been breached is unlikely to succeed if a visitor had previously been adequately warned about something before they were harmed. However, do not assume that a written notice will be sufficient to protect you in every case. It has been well established that terms or notices that attempt to specifically exclude liability for death or personal injury caused

on land or premises are not legally binding. Every case will be decided on its own merits and the presence or absence of suitable warnings will be used when establishing liability in court. A common concern relating to occupiers’ liability is icy footpaths. Early years providers often assume that as soon as you have gritted an icy footpath or car park, you are admitting liability. Some providers believe that it is better to leave footpaths untreated for this reason. However, if you consider the common duty of care and your obligations to protect visitors, including staff, from potential hazards, it is unlikely that a combination of sensible clearing, gritting and signage will leave you liable if there is subsequently an injury. Failing to deal with the known risk posed by icy conditions means that the chance of you breaching your duty of common care is arguably increased. Remember – accidents will still occur, but any reasonable steps you take to prevent them happening may help protect you from successful liability claims.

More information This article is a general guide only. If you need specific advice, please contact the Law-Call helpline. The contact details can be found on your membership card or in the members’ area of the Alliance website at: www.eyalliance.org.uk/members-area

COMMUNITY

A helping hand Could a community grant from the government’s carrier bag charging scheme help your setting and your local community?

ince October 2015, large shops in England have been required to charge 5p for all single-use plastic carrier bags. The aim of the scheme is to encourage customers to choose reusable alternatives and reduce the amount of plastic waste produced, but the scheme also offers potential benefits for local charities and community-led projects. The proceeds from the carrier bag charge are not returned to the government like a tax. Instead, retailers can choose good causes to donate the proceeds to. In 2017/18 a total of £51.6 million was donated to good causes through the carrier bag charge. The biggest supermarkets account for 60% of the carrier bags used in England and many of these offer local charities and not-for-profit groups a chance to bid for some of the proceeds of the 5p carrier bag charge – in 2017/18 a total of £20.5 million was donated to local causes chosen by staff and customers.

Are you eligible? If your setting is run as a charity, or not-for-profit organisation, you may be able to apply for a donation from the carrier bag charge. These grants are usually available for projects that will benefit your wider community, rather than just your setting alone. Check with your local store – either online or in store – to make sure that your setting, and the project you would like help funding, are eligible for the scheme. Make sure you read through the requirements online before you apply for the grant. You may need to provide a breakdown of any expected

costs and how long you expect the project to take in advance. You may also be required to demonstrate evidence such as photographs or a written report after the project has completed. Some examples of projects recently funded by Tesco’s Bags of Help grants undertaken by early years settings and schools include: building a new “kitchen garden” for a nursery, allowing children to plant and grow their own fruits, vegetables and herbs launching a sports programme for children under five, to help encourage them to try new physical activities replanting a ruined allotment so that children and their families could start planting and growing fruits and vegetables again creating a “quiet zone” for children to use for reading inside an old double-decker bus, refurbished especially for the children developing a forest school programme for children and their families creating a sensory room for children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities Supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Waitrose welcome approaches from local charities to their nearest store. Representatives from your charity will need to contact your local store online or in person to apply for a place on the scheme. Grants are usually open to new applications on an on-going basis and the amount you are given may be subject to a customer vote in store – often held using plastic tokens given to customers at the till.

Waitrose Community Matters Since its launch in 2008, this scheme has donated more than £30 million to good causes. Each supermarket donates £1,000 to three local causes every month, chosen by customers in store via a token scheme. Charitable organisations are instructed to get in touch with their local store for details of how to apply for a grant.

Asda Foundation This scheme offers funding for “significant local community projects”. Organisations can use an online eligibility checker before they apply for the grants. The Foundation’s board of trustees reviews applications on a monthly basis and has the final say on which projects will be chosen for funding.

Tesco Bags of Help Customers can help choose which causes the carrier bag charges will help support through a token scheme in stores. Charities and not-for-profit organisations are invited to apply online for a chance of a £4,000, £2,000 or £1,000 grant from their local store. Customers in store vote for the amount given to each cause, with new projects/causes being offered a chance every other month. In 2019, Tesco is offering larger grants to significant projects as part of its Centenary Fund to celebrate the retailer’s 100th anniversary.

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SAFEGUARDING

Taking the lead Rachel Buckler, managing director at Safeguarding Training Ltd and co-founder at the Early Years Hub, explains the role of a designated lead for safeguarding in the early years

hroughout my career in the early years, I have spent a significant amount of time undertaking designated lead responsibilities for safeguarding and child protection. My experience has included managing single site settings, groups of nurseries and multiple children’s centres on a citywide basis for a local authority. Whatever the position, the duties of a lead officer or practitioner always come with challenges – and of course huge responsibility. As someone who currently works supporting others in the sector, I acknowledge that this role is becoming even more demanding. The current climate within children’s services, social care and society generally impacts this role significantly. There are new considerations that reflect the modern complexities that now exist in the areas of child protection in a way that we have not seen before.

Changing landscape The latest figures from the government (Characteristics of children in need, 2017-18) show a year-on-year increase in the percentage of children on child protection plans. The term “toxic trio” is often used to describe the main parental risk factors – namely substance abuse, domestic abuse and poor mental health. These factors impact negatively on the lives of children substantially and the risk is said to be increasing. Last year, the children’s commissioner produced the Vulnerability Report, which estimated that there are now 300,000 children aged five or under “living with an adult who experiences domestic violence and abuse” and 180,000 children under five “living with an adult who is dependent on drink or drugs”. The report also said that the number of children “living with an adult who experiences severe mental health problems” is rising with 470,000 currently in this situation. These figures are of course likely to be even higher if we consider children and families not known to services and therefore not recognised statistically. We must acknowledge the current difficulties within social care and how they

impact upon our work with vulnerable children and families. The role of the designated lead for safeguarding and the extent to which this role is undertaken purposefully and effectively has never been more important.

responsibilities include liaising with the local authority and working with other agencies in line with other government guidance – Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.

The role of safeguarding lead

While meeting the expectations set out in both government guidance and legislation, the role of a safeguarding lead also requires leads to develop the skills and competences that make them effective in their role and not just compliant. A capable lead will have a good understanding and sound knowledge of what risks may present to children and how these may be manifested. They will underpin their implementation of policies and procedures with clarity and good communication systems so that everyone, including staff, parents and children, can engage in processes that safeguard and protect all children. Those managing staff will need to make possible opportunities for them to learn to become competent practitioners by helping them to identify abuse and neglect by encouraging them to respond appropriately as soon as concerns arise. An efficient lead practitioner will always lead by example. Their practice should demonstrate a child-centred approach at all times. This should be reflected in their decision making, professional judgements and will ultimately be driven by their desire to achieve the best possible outcomes for the child through the actions they take.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) makes it clear that a “practitioner must be designated to take lead responsibility for safeguarding children in every setting”. This includes childminders, who must take lead safeguarding responsibility themselves. The lead safeguarding practitioner has clear and distinct responsibilities including: liaising with statutory children’s services and the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB), soon to become Safeguarding Partners providing support, advice and guidance if they are responsible for staff. This should be on an on-going basis and cover specific safeguarding issues as required attending a child protection course that enables them to identify, understand and respond appropriately to signs of abuse and neglect. Those who are working in settings or schools must observe the government’s Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance. This was updated in September 2018 and refers to the designated safeguarding lead as being “an appropriate senior member of staff” and says that the role should be “explicit in the role holder’s job description”. This captures an interesting development, suggesting that the distinct expectations of this important function are clear and defined contractually. It describes further that these

Compliant and capable

Be the best: sharing early years excellence Rachel will be speaking at the Alliance’s annual conference on 31 May 2019. She will cover recent changes to LSCBs due to come into place in September, and other updates. To book your tickets, visit www.eyalliance. org.uk/conference2019

Find out more The Early Years Hub delivers safeguarding and child protection training. Their Safeguarding Hub offers on-going support, advice and tools designed to help keep early years practitioners and leaders up-to-date on all things safeguarding and child protection. www.earlyyearshub.co.uk

THE PROGRAMME* 09.00 Registration, coffee and exhibition 10.30 Graham McMillan, chair’s welcome

BE THE BEST: SHARING EARLY YEARS EXCELLENCE ALLIANCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2019 WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN US We’ve refreshed our event this year, so you’ll enjoy even more of your favourite bits. You asked for more of a practical focus on key issues and subjects affecting you every day so…

Lisa Potts is a former nursery practitioner who was given The George medal in July 1996 after protecting children at St Luke’s Primary School from a machete attack. She will share her inspirational story at the Alliance annual conference.

The conference formally opens with our first inspirational speaker Lisa Potts, a former nursery practitioner who has now established an amazing charity, Believe to Achieve, which encourages independence and enhances self-esteem in children. Lisa shares her powerful and moving story with us. To follow, we’re delighted to confirm that our line-up of speakers – five leading early years specialists and influencers – will deliver a range of thought-provoking and practical sessions. The sessions will cover key topics such as Ofsted inspections, safeguarding updates and supporting children with Special Educational Needs (SEND). You’ll have plenty of opportunities to share best practice, ask questions and interact directly with all presenters at these workshops. After lunch, we will celebrate other extraordinary individuals in our new Belle Tutaev Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony. Of course, we’ll also have an engaging exhibition with leading suppliers from across the sector and other organisations to keep you busy over lunch and during break times.

10.35 Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance 10.50 Special guest speaker, Mary Tutaev – daughter of Belle Tutaev 11.05 Lisa Potts, former nursery practitioner, author and chief executive at Believe to Achieve 11.25 Refreshments and exhibition 11.45 Aspire to outstanding, Gill Jones, deputy director, early childhood and Jude Sanders, early years senior inspector at Ofsted 12.45 Light lunch and exhibition 13.45 Belle Tutaev Lifetime Achievement Award celebration 14.00 Safeguarding with confidence, Rachel Buckler, co-founder of the Early Years Hub and managing director at Safeguarding Training Ltd 15.00 Refreshments and exhibition 15.20 R emoving barriers for children with SEND, Alex Grady, education development officer at Nasen 16.20 Refreshments, networking and exhibition 17.00 Conference ends

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*Programme is subject to change

CONFERENCE

EARLY BIRD SUPER -D FOR M ISCOUNT EMBE RS ONLY

£35!

THE WORKSHOPS 1 Aspire to outstanding Gill Jones, deputy director, early childhood and Jude Sanders, early years senior inspector at Ofsted Gill will lead this popular session, giving an update on the Education Inspection Framework (EIF), sharing the outcome of the consultation, what to expect, the practical implications of the changes and issues surrounding over-reporting. Gill will also introduce Jude, who will offer first-hand insight into an early years inspector’s perspective on what they have observed as exemplary best practice in the early years and what they believe makes an outstanding childcare service.

Gill will finish by opening up the floor to chair an informal Q&A with delegates.

BOOK NOW! Alliance members receive a 50% discount on every delegate place plus the special early bird superdiscount until Friday 26 April 2019 – only £35 for Alliance members. If you would like to find out more about the event, please contact our friendly member and information service team on 020 7697 295 or email info@eyalliance.org.uk

2 Safeguarding with confidence Rachel Buckley, co-founder of the Early Years Hub and managing director at Safeguarding Training Ltd Local Safeguarding Children Boards are on their way out. New duties for police, healthcare professionals and local authorities will replace them. These new arrangements come into force in September – how will they affect you? Rachel will cover these changes and their impact on the early years, along with the practical steps required to prepare your setting in the coming months. This interactive session will also address concerns in other areas of safeguarding, such as the implications of the GDPR for sharing records confidentially.

3 Removing barriers for children with SEND Alex Grady, education development officer at National Association of Special Educational Needs Alex will deliver a hands-on session, giving practical advice on ways to further improve and promote inclusive practice for all children in early years environments. Focusing on operational and strategic elements, Alex will give a brief overview of SEND legislation and policy framework, guidance on how to effectively meet children’s needs and support your team’s development, while covering potential barriers for some parents, who want the best support for their child. There will also be advice for practitioners looking to support families more broadly and a discussion of potential challenges for providers who want to offer consistent quality learning and support to every child in their care.

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My early years:

Emma Davis foundation degree through the University of Worcester, graduating with a BA in Integrated Working with Children and Families. I then progressed to Early Years Teacher status. I’m now progressing with my masters degree and am considering the possibility of doing a PhD at some point in the future.

ma Davis Name: Em n a g er ry Role: Ma e s , L e db u e B y s u B Setting: Why did you decide to start a career in the early years sector? I began volunteering in a reception class in 2008 as part of my teaching assistant studies through the Open University. The experience was so rewarding that when I saw a job for a temporary pre-school assistant I applied and, thankfully, was successful. I’ve now been at Busy Bees in Ledbury for more than 10 years. I started

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as a temporary, unqualified assistant and am now the manager. What qualifications do you have? Shortly after starting at Busy Bees, I began a Level 3 Diploma in Pre-school Practice. This really developed my interest in the early years and after that I was determined learn as much as I could to help me in my role. In 2011 I began a

What does your role involve? I manage the setting in Ledbury, Herefordshire. We offer pre-school, breakfast club and after school club for children aged 2-11 years old. It’s a challenging role with many different aspects and no two days are ever the same. I am responsible for the day-to-day running of the setting, ensuring that our high standards are kept and that children are enabled to become curious, independent learners. I am continually reflecting on our provision, ensuring not only that all requirements are met but also that children are able to thrive. I have worked hard to develop a partnership with parents over the years. Every half-term we host a stay and play session with parents and carers. These help showcase what we do and offer families ideas to try with their children at home. My role can be very admin-heavy at times, so a huge chunk of my time is spent in the office. However, this is necessary as it’s imperative that all our documents and data are accurate and up-to-date. I write

PROFILE

all our policies and procedures and it’s also my job to ensure that staff have a good understanding of them. I act as the setting’s designated safeguarding officer, which is probably the most challenging part of my work. Meeting the needs of vulnerable children and acting as their voice, is a huge responsibility. This type of task can have a real emotional impact on early years practitioners. What does a typical day look like for you? No two days are ever the same – one day might be quite admin-based but I might spend another with the children. I am very lucky in that I have a varied role and, as I am not included in ratios, I have the time to observe play and practice. I promote planning based on children’s interests so try to look for learning opportunities that evolve spontaneously. I usually arrive during breakfast club and will start by sharing any necessary information with the supervisor. Then, I will set up the pre-school with my deputy manager, ensuring that we have an inviting environment ready for the children to start playing at 9am. Throughout the day there are usually endless phone calls, emails and meetings that require my attention at different times. I’ll have to think on my feet and often make snap decisions, which can be challenging. I also spend time with key children and write up observations. It’s important to take

the time to respond to any observations or comments from parents as well. Before the end of the day I will also update our social media accounts – this is another good way of keeping parents up-to-date and helps to publicise some of the fabulous experiences children enjoy here. In the evenings, I try to catch up with paperwork, respond to comments on social media and will often join in with early years chats on Twitter.

investment in the early years – and specifically funding for practitioners looking to get more qualifications. Financial constraints have a significant impact on the opportunities for professional development for us, restricting practitioners from attending conferences, workshops and accredited courses. This limits our development as professionals and restricts the chance of us acquiring new skills that could help improve our work with the children.

“It’s so rewarding to play a role in the early learning and development of children.”

What do you like the most about working in the early years? Recently I become a key person again for a small group of children. I haven’t done this for quite some time but it’s made me realise how much I missed this type of work. It’s so rewarding to play a role in the early learning and development of children, nurturing them and responding to their interests. As a key person I get to research, plan and carry out some fantastic experiences with the children and we get to think and learn together. What would you change about the early years sector if you could? I would like to see much more financial

What do you plan to do in the future? I am excited to begin my dissertation for my masters degree soon. After that I will have to decide whether or not this is the end of my academic achievements or whether I want to proceed with a PhD. I am also working on writing, having work published in several early years publications and I have grown to love blogging. It’s very early days but I am also in the process of submitting a proposal for my first book on the early years as well. This is a huge deal for me as I have always wanted to write a book ever since I was a child. Now seems like the right time for me to finally tackle this challenge.

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Breaking

Sharon Bond and Louise Campbell, lead advisors from the Alliance’s English as an Additional Language advisory service in Somerset, explain how they are breaking through language barriers for local children

ince 2013, the team at the Alliance’s South West Hub has been working to support the needs of local children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). In the six years since our launch, the service

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we offer has evolved as we work to meet children’s needs on a wider scale. In early years settings across England, the number of children with EAL continues to grow. In Somerset, we are currently seeing

up to 10% of children in a setting having either EAL or one parent whose home language is not English. We work with both children who have moved to the UK with their parents, as well as those who were

barriers born in the UK and are growing up in bilingual households. All of the children we work with in the early years are learning and developing their communication skills, so many of the strategies that settings already have in place will be helpful for children with EAL. In the latest Somerset Census we saw that the population in this region is mainly white British, with 1% recorded as Polish and around 2% recorded as black and ethnic minority. These are small percentages but they could still present a challenge to childcare providers who have not previously had any diversity in their settings. Our EAL team is always on hand to work with providers to ensure that children and their families receive a warm welcome as well as the support and training they need to ensure that they can thrive. Since our project’s launch in 2013 we have worked with more than 300 settings, across 22 different languages and supported more than 1,500 children.

First steps We usually visit a setting and talk with practitioners so that we can begin to understand what support they need from us. This may be as simple as putting them in touch with a translator. The translators we work with are all DBS-checked and can visit settings to work with children directly or can help practitioners speak with parents. In Somerset, there isn’t often a need for permanent bilingual workers in settings so we collaborate with a community group called Diversity Voice. Their bilingual workers offer roaming support for Polish families across the county. These workers are really invaluable. We also work with the staff who know the children best, working

to create a combination of tailored support, training resource loans and partnerships with other settings.

Additional challenges Recently, a number of refugee families have moved into the area from Syria. In addition to their language needs, many of these children also face the trauma of family separation, memories of refugee camps and exposure to death and war. Linking with family support workers, housing and public health teams has allowed us to provide an informed and holistic approach when working with these children. Using dual language resources and the child’s home language in the setting can help make these children feel much more comfortable. Setting up a special box of toys for these children and creating a home-link book has also proved very successful.

or “please”. Each card includes the word in English, a picture of the object or action described and the word in the child’s home language – as well as the pronunciation of the word. These initially launched in 10 languages but have since been developed into a total of 23 different languages. We also offer an EAL toolkit of information cards and three short films, giving information to EAL parents and answering frequently asked questions for staff. More recently, we have been working to audit a setting’s EAL offer. We take a comprehensive look at the setting’s provision for children with EAL and their families, and how well they are meeting their needs. An EAL advisor will visit the setting to work alongside staff for the audit, observing the setting’s work and speaking with practitioners. The setting is then given detailed feedback, including practical advice on how they can improve and celebrating existing good practice.

Further support After running a series of successful workshops in Somerset and surrounding counties, we have started developing webinars as we found that taking time out of the setting was difficult for many practitioners. We now plan to convert all the training workshops we offer locally into webinars, although we will continue to deliver and develop new face-to-face workshops. We currently offer six different workshops covering best practice and offering strategies for supporting parents. Our most popular resource are our flashcard keyrings, which were inspired by something developed by one of the settings we work with. With their permission, we created our own version of the design. The cards all demonstrate common words that might be helpful when working with children with EAL such as “toilet”

Find out more If you have any questions or want to find out more about the resources mentioned, please visit the Early Years Alliance South West Hub at www.eyalliance.org.uk/southwest

Bilingualism in the Early Years Taking a holistic approach that does not separate language development from other aspects of development, this book aims to empower practitioners, as well as parents, to support children’s development in more than one language and literacy mode. Visit shop.eyalliance.org.uk to purchase a copy.

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EAL

Safeguarding: responding to your concerns In this extract from Effective Safeguarding Practice, a training course developed in partnership between the Alliance and EduCare and recently updated, we consider how practitioners should respond to child protection concerns

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EDUCARE

afeguarding concerns should always be reported to your setting’s designated person. If you are ever unhappy with a response from your designated person, or your local authority, you should know how to escalate your concern. You should follow escalation procedures accordingly. The designated person should: take responsibility for making a safeguarding referral liaise with social care ensure attendance at case conferences or reviews and ensure the right information is presented to social care about a child/family make a professional judgment about whether a referral needs to be made to social care, and if so, whether it should be a child protection referral or a children in need/early help referral make a judgment about whether or not to notify parents before making a referral to social care.

The Children Act 1989 requires that you work in partnership with parents. If you have safeguarding or child protection concerns, usually you would raise this with parents or carers before you make a referral. However, it is important that you do not speak to a parent before making the referral if this may place the child at risk. Parental consent is required for early help referrals. The designated person can liaise with children’s social care for advice and guidance if there is concern that speaking to a parent or carer before making a referral would place a child at risk. Examples of circumstances where notifying a parent beforehand may place a child at risk include a: suggestion that an offence of sexual abuse has been committed likelihood that a child may be abducted likelihood that an offence has been committed, and either the offence is of a serious nature (e.g. violence), or if notifying a parent or carer may interfere with the course of prosecution child at risk of female genital mutilation child’s disclosure; for example, if a child has disclosed that they were beaten by an adult the day before

Multi-agency working Children’s social care has a legal duty to make enquiries and if necessary investigate, either as a single agency or with the police, when they receive a referral indicating a child may be at risk of significant harm. This will involve gathering information and talking to the child or children and parents concerned. Children’s social care will decide whether a referral fits their criteria and should be assessed, or if no further action is required. If you believe that a child may be suffering from abuse, neglect, or significant harm then you should ensure a referral is made. Children’s social care should be able to tell referrers what action they are going to take within one working day. It is important that the outcomes of all safeguarding referrals are followed up in the event that a referral is not responded to promptly or satisfactorily, and recorded. Practitioners have an obligation to share all relevant information with children’s social care when they are conducting an investigation. You should be familiar with the key guidance issued to practitioners in both ‘Working Together 2018’ and ‘What to do if you are worried a child is being abused 2015’.

Information sharing Practitioners should adhere to the guidance contained within ‘Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services 2018’. The Information Commissioner’s Office also offers guidance. Practitioners should also be aware of the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 and, in particular, the lawful reasons for processing and sharing information. How to share information Check there is a clear and legitimate purpose. Do you have consent to share? (if not you must identify a lawful reason to share without consent). Does the information identify a living person? Identify how much to share (proportionality). Distinguish fact from opinion. Give the right information to the right person. Share securely. Advise the individual that the information has been shared, if they weren’t already aware, as

long as this does not create or increase the risk of harm. The duty of confidentiality is owed to the individual to whom the information relates and the person who has provided the information on the understanding it is to be kept confidential. When should consent not be sought to share information? You do not necessarily need the consent of the information subject to share their personal information. Wherever possible, you should seek consent to share information at the first opportunity. There may, however, be some circumstances where practitioners should not seek consent initially but even so should obtain consent/or inform at a later stage when it is appropriate to do so. For example, do not seek consent to share if doing so would: place a person (the individual, family member, yourself or a third party) at risk of harm or increase the risk of harm prejudice the prevention, detection or prosecution of a serious crime lead to an unjustified delay in making enquiries about allegations of harm. If it is unsafe or unreasonable to do so. If consent is withheld and the concern remains to protect an individual from neglect, or physical, mental or emotional harm and/ or to protect the physical, mental or emotional wellbeing of an individual. Can I share information when I cannot obtain consent or consent is refused? Where information is confidential, and consent is refused, that should be respected unless, in the practitioner’s professional judgment on the facts of the case, there is justification for sharing information. Where consent cannot be obtained to share information or consent is refused, or where seeking it may undermine the prevention, detection, or prosecution of a crime, the practitioner must judge from the facts whether there is justification to share it.

New EduCare course Updated EduCare course Effective Safeguarding Practice is available free to Alliance members through our partnership with EduCare. Please visit www.eyalliance. org.uk/educare to find out more.

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PARENTS

Parent engagement: keep persevering New government-funded trials are currently underway in nearly 400 schools and nurseries in the north of England, trying to establish the best ways of involving parents in their children’s learning and improving home learning environments. These parenting projects, run by two different charities, include showing parents videos of positive parenting techniques and sending ‘tips by text’. Persevering in your efforts to reach out and engage with parents is vital. It is key to building the strong partnerships required by the EYFS. Research continues to show that parent involvement in the early years has positive benefits in improving children’s learning and development. A clear ethos of valuing parents and wanting them to be equal partners in their children’s learning is necessary in developing this close relationship. From the outset, the key person has a vital role to play in creating a beneficial two-way sharing of information about the child. Yet, it is also about seeing the childcare provision through the parent’s eyes and asking: Is the setting environment welcoming for parents and carers? Are staff equally friendly and approachable to all family members and carers?

Welcoming for all parents Knowing how to engage with the families at your setting stems from understanding and respecting their diverse make-up. This is an important part of being inclusive and should be reflected in the images and pictures you share in the setting. Understanding a child’s family gives you a clearer insight into their needs and any potential barriers to their involvement. For example, where you have children from separated families you will need to be sensitive to the requirements of both parents and, where possible, keep in contact with them both, building relationships from the start. Barriers to parents’ engagement with your setting may include: work commitments language fluency lack of confidence in their skills juggling commitments with older siblings

Parent engagement should be an on-going project that includes reaching out to less engaged parents. No one strategy will work for all parents, so it is important to use different approaches. As well as taking the time to speak to them,

use a range of ways to communicate, including newsletters, notices, a display board, emails and your website and social media pages. Be patient and don’t always expect an immediate response. Parents may need a reminder in a different format or a quick word at picking-up time, for example. Parents who are not confident readers may struggle to understand written information that is sent home. You can overcome this by having key points in simple language with images that help make the message clear.

Hear what they say Ask parents how they would like to be involved with your setting. Gather their thoughts and ideas through suggestion boxes or online surveys, as well as speaking to them directly. Are there any interests or skills they would like to share or develop with their children? Can you run activitybased learning sessions that promote this? When you get feedback, make sure you respond by letting them know that you’ve listened and what their feedback has enabled you to do. This is likely to encourage them to feedback again.

OFFER: 3 FOR £10! Purchase three publications for just £10, quote: TEN19 and order by 30 April Engaging Mothers and Fathers (Ref: A154) £7.80 members, £10.95 non-members With case studies throughout, this publication offers practical guidance on engaging parents in their children’s early learning and involving them as active partners in the early years setting. Where’s Dad? (Ref: A052) £7.95 members, £10.95 non-members Highlighting the importance of involving fathers in their children’s learning and development, this book advises on how to make your setting ‘father-friendly’ and includes a check list, audit form and action plan. The XY Factor: Addressing Gender Issues in the Early Years (Ref: A053) £7.95 members, £10.95 non-members Insights and opinions are presented in this thoughtful publication on how early years settings can provide a more gender-neutral environment encouraging father involvement and supporting men to follow a profession in childcare.

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The circle of l C

hildren are naturally curious about the living things in the world around them. At this time of year, nature offers its usual abundance of opportunities to promote children’s learning. As the earth warms and wakens, trees and plants revive and begin to grow, seeds sprout, leaves unfurl and flowers open their petals wide, turning their faces towards the sun. Meanwhile, many animals will be laying their eggs or giving birth, their offspring often unrecognisable from the animals they will one day become. There is something utterly magical about the metamorphosis that takes place when, for example, a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. This will capture children’s imagination and ignite the characteristics of effective learning as children make links between what they are seeing and experiencing first hand.

Promoting the areas of learning The more obvious area of learning to place life cycles in is “understanding the world” as children make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes. However, there are also plenty of opportunities for maths, as children explore the characteristics of everyday objects and shapes, using mathematical language to describe them. There are also plentiful opportunities for expressive arts and design as children represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance and role-play. Use nature’s colours, designs, sounds and movements to recreate what they are observing and experiencing first hand.

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Some life cycles you could explore: Butterflies It is really hard to explain how a small, slow-moving caterpillar can ever become a delicate, colourful butterfly that flits across the garden on a warm summer day. The metamorphosis from egg to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly is quite magical. Some settings may like to purchase a butterfly garden kit, complete with caterpillars, food and a hatching habitat. This will allow children to observe the metamorphosis first hand, especially if any caterpillars emerge from a chrysalis during one of your sessions. For an alternative hands-on experience, try planting a few cabbages in a small patch of your garden or in a flower pot. Watch out for any eggs laid by butterflies, which will become caterpillars in just a few weeks, who will munch their way through the leaves. Of course you can’t eat the cabbages afterwards, but you will observe two lives consecutively if you can grow a cabbage from a seedling. Try planting flowers that attract butterflies in your outdoor area. You won’t need much space – plant pots again would work. Try nasturtiums, lavender or any other insect-friendly plants that children can observe daily.

Frogs If you have access to a pond or lake, it is very likely that you will be able to find some frogspawn and tadpoles. If you have a fish tank it is possible to keep frogspawn and tadpoles indoors, but they will need the right conditions – no chlorine in the water and some gravel in the bottom. They will also need feeding and must be returned to the pond they came from as soon as they become frogglets. Better still, take the children outside to try pond dipping, if you can. You will only need clean jam jars, nets and magnifying glasses. Or if you have space, try building your own pond in your outdoor area, making sure that it is safe for the children. There is guidance on the Woodland Trust’s website.

ACTIVITY CORNER

life Alliance quality and standards manager Melanie Pilcher shares some ideas for exploring life cycles with children

Chickens Which came first – the chicken or the egg? You may not reach a definitive conclusion, but the life cycle of the chicken is fundamental to every bird that lays eggs. A nest is built, the eggs are laid and a small chick pecks its way through the shell to emerge, unable to fly or care for itself. Some settings will borrow an incubator so that they can watch the eggs being kept warm and children may even see an egg hatch. But there are other ways to observe the process. Ducks will often nest in the same place each year – so you may be able to return to the same spot to observe a family each spring. Try counting the number of ducklings as they emerge from the nest.

Broad beans Plants also have life-cycles and offer probably the easiest way for a young child to experience growth and change using all their senses. A broad bean is particularly tactile for young children. It should be large enough for children to handle and can be planted in a clear plastic container or jam-jar sized glass. 1. Dampen your container, tipping out any excess water. 2. Roll a sheet of kitchen roll and press it against the inside of the container. 3. Place the bean between the glass and the kitchen roll. 4. Place the jar on a windowsill with plenty of light. In just a few days, the bean will begin to develop roots and a shoot. 5. Once it reaches a reasonable size it can be planted outdoors.

Sunflowers As a medium-term project, sunflower seeds demonstrate the full cycle of growth for young children. Seeds planted now will grow over the summer and the flower heads will produce the same seeds that you started with. Involve the whole family by setting a challenge to grow the tallest sunflower or the biggest seed-head over the summer months. Collect seeds in autumn ready for next year’s cycle.

Non-living things Why not consider the life cycle of a plastic bag? It takes longer to make a plastic carrier bag than the 20 minutes the average one is used for. You could follow its journey into landfill and compare it to recycled items of waste that find new life as other products. Whatever you decide to focus on, remember to take the children’s lead at every opportunity. Utilise as many additional resources as you can to deepen children’s understanding and create every possible opportunity for hands-on experiences.

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NUTRITION

Key milestones in toddler growth The Infant & Toddler Forum shares information and advice on normal growth and development in toddlers

n the first five years of life, children grow and develop at varying rates. In view of these important development stages, there are frequent measurement check-ups that help to determine whether a child is growing at a normal rate. These check-ups can also help to identify nutritional health problems, including whether a child is over or underweight. Evidence suggests that the rate of weight gain in the first five years of life can determine the risk of obesity in later life. With childhood obesity on the rise, it has become increasingly important to monitor and be mindful of growth during this critical window. Parents and carers must take responsibility for giving children a healthy lifestyle.

Monitoring growth Growth and development measurements are included in the Personal Child Health Record (PCHR) – the red book given to parents after the birth of their child. Healthcare professionals use it to record weight, height, vaccinations and other important information during regular health and development appointments. To know whether or not a toddler is growing appropriately, it is important to understand that growth should be proportional. Rather than comparing height or weight at a certain point or age, it is more reasonable to make sure that growth is proportional in relation to height and weight. A child’s weight will usually fall on the same centile, or within two centile lines, of their height centile line. This offers a better indication of whether a toddler is growing at a healthy rate or not.

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Over the age of two, weight and height can be used to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI) and this can be plotted on a child-specific BMI chart. If parents are unsure about their child’s growth or development, they should speak to their health visitor or GP.

Influences on weight and height Height is mainly determined by genetics, as the height growth of toddlers is largely under the control of growth hormones. While weight growth has been linked with some genes, it is mostly influenced by food intake and lifestyle. Adequate nutrition will ensure that normal, healthy toddlers maintain their genetically determined growth rate. Inadequate or inappropriate food intake can cause faltering growth and, in severe cases, malnutrition. Excessive intake of food and/or sugary drinks may cause children to become overweight. The risk of both of these can be significantly reduced with a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

Growth milestone facts The birth weight of a healthy baby should triple within a year. The circumference of a baby’s head is usually measured after birth and again after six to eight weeks as this gives an indication of whether the baby’s brain is growing. On average, toddlers gain around 2.5kg and grow 12cm taller between their first and second birthdays. By the age of two, a healthy toddler is usually roughly half their adult height.

On average, toddlers gain around 2kg and grow 8cm taller between their second and third birthdays. After the age of two, children the same age can noticeably vary in weight and height. A toddler with small parents is likely to be small as well. At least two consecutive measurements of weight and height over time are needed to give a picture of a child’s growth rate. If a child is growing normally then their height will steadily be rising, or be parallel to, the centile lines marked on the growth chart in their red book. A toddler’s weight and height will not necessarily be on the same centile chart. Toddlers whose height is below the 0.4th centile, or whose height drops from a higher to a lower centile, may have a health problem. If you are worried about any child’s growth, you should suggest that their parents or carers consult a doctor. Toddlers on a much higher centile for weight than height may be overweight or obese. Getting enough sleep is important for regeneration and essential for growth. Toddlers should sleep for a total of 12 hours a day, including naps. This may help to reduce the risk of obesity in childhood. increase the risk of anaemia.

Find out more For more information and advice on monitoring growth in toddlers, download the Growth and its Measurement Factsheet (3.1) at www.infantandtoddlerforum.org

The Infant & Toddler Forum is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition. The views and outputs of the group, however, remain independent of Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition and its commercial interests.

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The views expressed in Under 5 are not necessarily those of the Early Years Alliance. The editor reserves the right to shorten submitted material and to reprint copy from newsletters. No responsibility can be accepted for loss of MSS, photographs or artwork. Unused material will be returned if submitted with a stamped, addressed envelope. The editor is unable to enter into correspondence about unsolicited copy. Unless copyright is indicated, material from Under 5 may be reproduced without charge, for non-commercial purposes only, on condition that the source is acknowledged. Acceptance of advertisements for Under 5 does not constitute endorsement by the charity of the advertisers’ products.

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