Under 5 February 2020

Under 5 the magazine of the early years alliance

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February 2020

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Fair future funding Where next for the campaign?

Flower power Learning from nature

Toilet training for toddlers Tips for early years providers

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contents 4

News round up

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

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My Under 5

10

Letters to the editor

12

Toilet training for toddlers

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Together we can: giving children the future they deserve

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

12

Information and advice from children’s bowel and bladder charity ERIC

Book your tickets to the Alliance’s annual conference 2020

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Knowing is not enough

The rules on safeguarding for early years settings

20 Fair Future Funding: where next?

An update from the campaign following last year’s election result

22 Safeguarding update

News and updates to be aware of in your setting

24 Learning from intergenerational care How Apples and Honey Nightingale is supporting children and adults

26 Getting social

How to market your early years setting on social media

29 Using social media safely

How to keep your setting safe online

30 Flower power

Ideas for exploring flowers in your setting

32 Have a healthy pancake day

Healthy recipes and ideas for celebrating Shrove Tuesday

33 Competition

26 30

WELCOME & CONTENTS

welcome

Welcome to Under 5 Welcome to the February issue of Under 5 magazine. As 2020 is a leap year, this month will have one extra day than usual – something that I am sure will be particularly welcome to everyone in the early years sector. I hope you all get to take advantage of the extra day on 29 February and enjoy a much-needed rest!

February also sees the start of Lent, with the popular Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day celebration. To help you celebrate in your setting, we’ve got a healthy pancake recipe and some tasty ideas for toppings too (page 32). If you’re looking forward to Valentine’s Day as well, we’ve also got some ideas for exploring the theme of flowers with children (page 30) for a bit of colour to help see you through the last few weeks of winter.

Looking ahead, we’ve also heard from the Alliance’s Fair Future Funding campaign team about the next steps in the fight for fairer funding (page 20). To keep up to date with the campaign make sure you are following @FairFutureFund on Twitter and have ‘liked’ the Early Years Alliance Facebook page, as we know that funding is still a key issue for everyone in the sector.

Another increasingly common concern for providers is potty training.

With rising numbers of parents struggling with this, we’ve spoken to the children’s bowel and bladder charity, ERIC about best practice for providers (page 12). If you’d like to download a copy of their potty training policy for early years, visit bit.ly/EYERIC. Intergenerational care is another common theme, with a huge increase in the number of providers partnering with elderly groups following Channel 4’s Old People’s Home for Four Year Olds. Two years ago, we spoke to Apples and Honey Nightingale who were in the process of opening England’s first nursery to share its location with a residential care home. We’ve caught up with the team to see what they have learned about intergenerational care since then (page 24).

Trends aside, safeguarding is always one of the most important considerations for any setting. This issue we’ve heard from the team at Law-Call about the rules settings are expected to comply with (page 19). We’ve also summarised some of the most pressing safeguarding news from the past few months to make sure you are all up-to-date on the latest concerns (page 23).

Looking ahead, we’ve got the latest updates about the Alliance’s annual conference, due to take place on 12 June 2020 (page 16).

To book your tickets and find out more, visit eyalliance.org.uk/ conference2020.

As ever, please do stay in touch with us and keep sharing your good news for My Under 5 and views for our letters page. You can reach us at editor.u5@eyalliance.org.uk.

Rachel Lawler, editor

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in brief...

SCOTLAND: Settings in Scotland are starting to offer the government’s new childcare funding scheme, which sees families offered up to 1,140 hours of education and care each year.

“Lost decade” for early years workforce

round-up Tulip Siddiq replaces Tracy Brabin as shadow early years minister Tulip Siddiq has been appointed shadow early years minister, replacing Tracy Brabin, who has been promoted to the role of shadow culture minister.

Siddiq previously served as shadow early years minister from October 2016 to January 2017. She quit the shadow cabinet previously so that she could vote against triggering Article 50 and has since been appointed chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Childcare and Early Education.

Brabin replaced Siddiq in July 2017, remaining in the position until last month when she was promoted to the shadow culture secretary role. She replaced the outgoing deputy Labour Party leader Tom Watson who resigned ahead of the election last year. Brabin has served as MP for Batley and Spen since 2016, following a by-election triggered by the murder of previous MP Jo Cox. Angela Rayner, shadow education secretary, tweeted: “Absolutely delighted to announce that @TulipSiddiq has been appointed shadow early years minister and will be joining our shadow education team. I have worked with Tulip before and she will be tremendous addition to our shadow front bench team scrutinising the government.”

Brabin tweeted: “I loved my time as shadow early years minister and learnt so much.”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “We’re very pleased to see Tulip Siddiq return to the role of shadow

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early years minister. During her time as chair of the APPG for Childcare and Early Education she was a passionate and dedicated advocate for funding levels that cover the true cost of delivering quality childcare who understood the challenges the sector faces. The coming months are an especially vital time for the sector with the end of the funding freeze, the Budget and a probable Spending Review giving the government ample opportunity to reset the debate when it comes to the sector’s ongoing sustainability. We look forward to working with Tulip to ensure these chances are not wasted.”

Qualification levels in the early years sector have not improved since 2011, according to a new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI).

Early years workforce development in England says that there is little evidence that government policies have improved qualification levels in the sector and that the last policy to have a positive impact was the Graduate Leader Fund, which ended in 2011.

The report highlighted a previous government policy that required early years staff to hold a grade C GCSE in English and maths in order to be counted in ratios. It said that this “meant that there were fewer workers available who had high enough qualification levels to meet the staff:child ratio requirements”. The EPI has called for a long-term strategy and additional support to support the workforce’s qualification levels.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “What does it say about the government’s approach to the early years that this report found the last effective policy for improving the sector’s workforce qualifications was abandoned almost 10 years ago?

“While higher qualifications are no guarantor of quality – passion, a caring disposition and an in-depth understanding of child development are all equally as vital – if the government is to argue that we should be aiming for a well-qualified workforce, there is simply no excuse for the current lack of strategy.

“Add to this the lack of adequate investment into the early years, which prevents so many businesses from paying staff the wages they deserve, and it’s no surprise we have a recruitment and retention crisis. We know that almost half of the early years workforce are in receipt of benefits: if the same was true of the primary or secondary sectors, there would be an outcry – and rightly so.

“We need the best people working in this sector, and that means paying a fair wage and ensuring they have a clear route to career progression. If the government wants to avoid another lost decade, then ministers need to set out a clear strategy and start funding the early years properly.”

UNIVERSAL CHILDCARE: Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips has called for “Scandinavian-style universal childcare” to support families.

OUTSTANDING: Schools and colleges rated ‘outstanding’ will no longer be exempt from regular Ofsted inspections from September 2020 onwards.

Low Pay Commission notes the impact of funding on sector The Low Pay Commission’s 2019 report has highlighted the impact of government funding on wages in the childcare and early years sector.

The report describes employers in the childcare sector as “price-takers” because they are “heavily reliant on government funding” and says that in many cases this funding has not risen in line with costs.

The Alliance submitted evidence to help inform the Commission’s report, which has committed to taking a close look at the childcare sector in the future.

“The minimum wage does not exist in isolation,” the report says. “Government policies also play a part in some sectors and affect how we evaluate the impact of the National Living Wage. This is most notable in adult social care and childcare, where the funding ‘crisis’ continues to put pressure on providers.”

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “Supporting the

learning and development of young children is one of the most important and valuable jobs there is, and so it is absolutely right that early years practitioners should be paid a fair wage. The fact is, however, that without adequate funding from government, every time the national living and minimum wages go up, rather than being a cause for celebration for the sector, we see more and more providers being pushed to the edge of financial collapse.

“As such, we welcome the fact that this report highlights the challenges facing the

sector, and recognises that government funding ‘has not risen in line with employers’ statutory costs’. We are also pleased to note that the Commission plans to look at the childcare sector particularly closely going forward.

With minimum wage levels set to rise by more than 6% in April, compared to funding increases of no more than 2%, many providers across the country are being put in an impossible situation. We urge the government to stop trying to ignore this growing crisis, and to finally commit to investing what is needed to ensure the viability of the early years sector in the long term.”

“We urge the government to stop ignoring this growing crisis and to finally commit to investing what is needed to ensure the viability of the sector.”

Parents in deprived areas less likely to use childcare Children living in the most deprived areas of England are less likely to attend childcare settings than those in more aflluent areas, according to statistics from the Department for Education.

The DfE’s Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents in England found that 74% of children living in the least deprived areas access formal childcare, compared to just 57% of those living in the most deprived areas.

The statistics also show that parents on lower incomes are less likely to be aware of funded childcare offers. While 97% of families with incomes above £45,000 a year were aware of the 15 hours offer, this falls to 86% of those with incomes below £10,000 a year.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “The value of a quality early education is now recognised by most parents and today’s

figures show that more and more of them are accessing a formal childcare place.

That makes it all the more concerning however that a third of children in the most deprived areas are going without professional care and education at a crucial time in their lives. These are the children who stand to gain the most from quality childcare provision and we must do more to ensure they are able to access it because, at the moment, we are clearly not doing enough.

“Give-aways like funded hours and tax-free childcare are always going to be popular with parents struggling to pay the bills but a more serious and sustainable approach to the early years is needed. There are perhaps no simple solutions to ensure all children access early education but, if this new government is serious about helping our most disadvantaged communities, then funding levels need to increase and policy that better targets support where its impact will be greatest should be considered.”

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Camden consults on plans to “repurpose” maintained nurseries Government confirms March Budget date Chancellor Sajid Javid has confirmed that the next Budget will take place on 11 March.

Previously, a Budget was due to take place in November 2019, but this was cancelled after a general election was called.

In a statement, Javid said: “With this Budget we will unleash Britain’s potential – uniting our great country, opening a new chapter for our economy and ushering in a decade of renewal.”

The Alliance has called for the government to take urgent action to address the growing funding crisis in the early years sector.

Figures released by the Department for Education have revealed that local authorities in England will receive an additional 8p per hour for two-year-old funded childcare places and up to 8p an hour more per hour for three- and four-year-old funded childcare places in 2020/21. The figures also show that some areas will not see any increase in funding

for three- and four-year-old places.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, commented: “In April, the national living and minimum wages will rise by more than 6%, and yet early years providers will see a funding rate increase of just 2% at best – and many will receive far less than that. Childcare providers in England have already faced years of rising costs versus stagnant funding, and for many, this latest cost increase may well be the final straw.

“The government cannot continue to simply ignore this problem and hope it goes away. Without a significant increase in funding, we will continue to see rising childcare costs for parents, a shortage of places for children who need them and, in a growing number of cases, providers forced to close their doors for good. As such, we urge the Chancellor to take this opportunity to set out exactly how the government plans to ensure that the early years is adequately supported going forward. The sector simply cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Camden Council is consulting on a number of suggested plans for the future of its maintained nurseries.

The local authority currently runs nine maintained nurseries and five children’s centres but has struggled with funding since the launch of the national funding formula in 2017 as well as a fall in the number of young children in the area.

Options for the future of the local authority’s maintained settings include closing two nurseries, reducing the number of places across all of its settings and repurposing four nurseries into Sure Start centres.

National living wage will rise to £8.72 an hour in April The national living wage will increase to £8.72 an hour in April this year, an increase of more than 6% on the current minimum rate. According to the government, this increase will mean that a full-time worker on the statutory minimum rate will earn an additional £930 each year.

The national minimum wages are also set to increase across all age groups, with rates set to increase by up to 6.5% on 1 April 2020.

The new minimum wages will be: Age group

Current Minimum rate minimum rate from 1 April 2020

25+ 21-24 18-20 Under 18s Apprentices

£8.21 £7.70 £6.15 £4.35 £3.90

£8.72 £8.20 £6.45 £4.55 £4.15

The government estimates that nearly 3 million workers will see their pay increased as a result of the new minimum rates.

Andrea Leadsom, business and energy secretary, commented: “Our people’s pay

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rise will put more money into the pockets of millions of hard-working Brits across the country – but we won’t stop there.

“We want to make the UK the first country in the world to eliminate low pay in the next five years.”

Last year, independent experts Ceeda estimated that, without any adjustment to early years funding rates, the government would create a £824 million funding shortfall in the early years sector.

Camden Council says that it would prefer to repurpose four of its maintained nurseries, out of the suggested options. It said that it would look to provide nursery places for the children affected within schools instead.

In a foreword to the proposals, councillor Angela Mason commented: “While Camden children are achieving in line with others across the country by age five, there is still a significant gap between the achievement of disadvantaged children and others in the borough. This gap needs to be narrowed if Camden is to deliver on our commitment to be a ‘place where everyone has a chance to succeed and where nobody gets left behind.’”

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Outstanding

inspect

ion The team at Cullompton Pr e-school in D the setting w evon are cele as graded ‘o brating after ut standing’ in This is the se its latest Ofsted cond time in inspection. a row that th top rating, w e setting has ith the inspec be en given the tor praising th nurturing envi e “exceptiona ronment”. Th lly w arm and e inspector’s work of the se report also hi tting’s “inspira gh lig ht s the tional” manag excellent role er. It says: “S model and ha he is an s a high driv e for improvem ent.”

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hildcare in Fisherfield C Children at a large ve collected Middleton ha eir local nations for th number of do helped The children food bank. their n tree’ using to create a ‘ti , before of Christmas items ahead er to the collection ov walking the l, manager Sabrina Iqba food bank. tmas is , said: “Chris at the setting ciate so ren mostly as a time child we er g gifts howev with receivin cky. lu so ery family is know not ev eing se e ar an ever we Now more th isis cr in es about famili and hearing ng hi et m ted to do so and we wan sitively contribute po to meaningful .” community to our local

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Under the sea Children at Play Days Playgroup in Rednal enjoyed a trip to the Sealife Centre in Birmingham.

The group, aged between one and four-years-old, had a look around the centre, learning about sea creatures. They also took a trip to the cinema for a 4D experience and enjoyed a visit to Santa in his grotto.

Julie Kite Lightfoot, leader at the setting, said: “It was lovely to watch the little ones explore and learn and everyone had a great day out.”

Epilepsy award

Willow Garden Da y Nursery in Orsett Heath, Essex, has Early Years educati been awarded the on award in recog Epilepsy Action nit ion of the support who attends the se they provide for Am tting. Amelia was dia elia, aged two, gnosed with epileps old and has focal y when she as just seizures, usually aro six months un d the times she is The setting worke asleep, which can d with epilepsy sp pu t her at risk. ec ial ists to get advice on provided all staff me how to support Am mbers with a stopw elia and atch to time any se izures she has.

Outstanding streak

d ing after being grade in Gosport is celebrat in a e tim Alverbridge Nursery rth on – for the fou latest Ofsted inspecti team d” lifie ‘outstanding’ in its ua ptionally well-q highlighted the “exce , nn Fly a row. The inspector cc be setting. Re environment” at the ng azi am and “vibrant inspiring is is mmented: “Th en at the setting, co ng a parent with childr erbridge is an amazi Alv . bit rprise me one r ou news but doesn’t su ort pp with the su n’t be more pleased nursery and we could children receive.”

Helpful elves Children at Jellybabies Pre-school and Nursery in Rednall helped to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. They dressed as elves for Elf Day in December and enjoyed lots of elf-themed activities, raising a total of £35 for the charity.

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’.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Letters to the editor STAR LETTER Infuriating underspend I saw the Alliance’s Facebook post about short-term funding consultations and thought I’d share my experience.

I attended a leaders and managers briefing session in Norfolk in November, where we were told that they would consult before Christmas – they haven’t! I have no idea when the consultation will open given that it is meant to be a six week process.

We also have no idea what we will be paid from April onwards. With the huge increase in the national minimum wages it’s impossible to plan how we are going to function beyond July.

Don’t even get me started on the £1.2 million contingency funding in 2019/20 and the £2.5 million underspend that they took from the early years budget in 2018/19 to offset against the schools high needs block. The opposition county councillors were completely unaware of this and to date no one can get any answers from the schools forum about the decisions made.

This is particularly infuriating when Norfolk’s base rate is one of the lowest in the country.

Lacey Douglass, The Heathers Nursery, Norwich Unfair wages I have a friend who works in data entry who works 25 hours a week filing accounts. I work 40 hours a week – that’s 15 hours a week more, yet I earn £300 a month less. I have a huge amount of responsibility and yet work in an industry that seems to overlook just how hard we all work. It’s wrong on all levels but the government seems to have its priorities wrong.

They are failing the early years as well as the NHS. Joanne Smith, via Early Years Alliance Facebook page Successful MP meeting I was pleasantly surprised when I met my local MP, Robbie Moore. He was very eager to listen and asked good questions. He explained that he is a completely new MP so it has been a whirlwind since the election in December for him but he was due to meet another nursery that week.

He asked if there was anything that would help straight away. I suggested that the 100% relief of business rates would do that but then the funding would need looking at as soon as possible. He seemed to understand the issues in the sector, as I tried to explain it from the sector’s perspective and not just my own.

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He said he would take it to the Treasury and I left my notes with him. He may well get back to Westminster and be shot down, but we can hope!

Linda Dargan, Wishing Well Nursery

Stay in touch Make sure you keep up-to-date in between issues of Under 5.

You can reach us at Under 5 magazine at editor.u5@eyalliance. org.uk or at: www.facebook.com/EYAlliance @Under5mag @EYAlliance

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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 issue’s star letter wins a copy of Emotion Coaching for the early years. This book explains how attachment styles influence responses to the emotions of children and other adults and how you can learn to both parent and care for young children as a practitioner.

To order your own copy, visit shop. eyalliance.org.uk, call 0300 330 0996 or email shop@ eyalliance.org.uk.

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Early Years Alliance

Toilet training

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BEST PRACTICE

g for toddlers

Claire Sutton, early intervention officer at ERIC, the children’s bowel and bladder charity, explains how early years settings can support families with toilet training

B

eing toilet trained is recognised as one of the key skills that children need to develop independence, selfesteem and be able to thrive at school.

However, potty training can be a daunting process for parents and something they may need support with.

Over the last few years, ERIC has noticed an increase in the number of calls to our helpline from anxious parents and carers, all asking very similar questions: How can I tell if my child is ready to potty train? Have I left it too late? Can my child start nursery/school in nappies if they aren’t quite there yet?

This lack of confidence and confusion about when and how to start the process of toilet training is having an impact on young children and the practitioners who care for them. In 2018, a survey of teachers conducted by hygiene company Essity found that 53% of teachers are concerned that children are not being toilet trained before starting school.

In 2016, a join survey between ERIC and the Association of Teachers found that 70% of teachers thought that more children were starting school without being toilet trained compared to five years ago – this increased to 100% for teachers working with children aged between three and five years old.

At the start of 2019, a survey conducted

by ERIC revealed that 68% of early years practitioners felt that children were being potty trained at a later age than in 2014 and 70% of early years practitioners had not received any training on how to toilet train children. 27% of those surveyed said that they had looked online for information and support on toilet training and 25% had contacted their health visitor teams.

In its 2017/18 Annual Report, Ofsted cited an increase in the number of children starting Reception without being able to use a toilet compared to in 2011 and highlighted the impact on both children

and teachers. It said: “It is disruptive for teachers and the other children, but it can also have a terrible social impact on the children affected. Nurseries and childminders should identify children who cannot use the toilet at the earliest possible opportunity and work with parents to help their children learn.”

Why do parents find potting training so tough?

As we begin a new decade, children are undoubtedly becoming clean and dry later than ever before. In 1957, the average age to start toilet training was 11 months and 90% of children were dry during the day by the age of two. Today, according to the NHS, most children are not reliably dry until the age of four.

As part of a joint survey between ERIC and the Association of Teachers, one teacher commented: “Parents sometimes think that it is easier to use pull-ups so children do not know when they are wet, nor does it bother them. One parent told me that I didn’t need to show their child where the toilets were as he as in Pampers.”

There isn’t any one simple reason as to why this is, but at ERIC we think it is a combination of the following: Disposable nappies are now so absorbent that children don’t know when they are wet and this makes it harder to recognise when they need to use the toilet.

Modern parenting theories emphasise a child-led approach, which can delay toilet training as families wait until their child takes the initiative.

Changes to daily family life mean that children are more likely to be looked after by more than one adult/family member and spend time in more than one home or setting.

There are fewer health visitors and school nurses and many are no longer

being commissioned to help with toilet training. This leaves families with fewer places to go for help and advice, making them more likely to decide to delay theri child’s toilet training.

What are the consequences of delayed toilet training?

Studies show that potting training after 24 months can have negative effects on health, family relationships, public health spending and the environment, as more nappies than ever before are currently being sent to landfill. Delayed toilet training is also associated with an increased risk of wetting and soiling problems such as constipation.

With many two-year-old children taking up their 15-hours funding entitlement, the responsibility is increasingly falling to early years settings to get children clean and dry, given the higher proportion of the week they are now spending in their care.

Do children need to be toilet trained before they join my setting?

According to the Children and Families Act 2014, a delay in achieving continence – or not being toilet trained – is considered a disability. It is therefore not acceptable for a school to refuse or delay admission to children who are not yet continent. Any admission policy that sets a blanket standard of continence or requires parents to come and change a child or leaves a child in a soiled nappy while they wait could be considered discriminatory or even a form of abuse.

Toilet training is mentioned in the physical development area of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), under the health and self-care Early Learning Goal.

This goal asks if children “manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs successfully, including dressing and going to the toilet independently”.

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Working together We want all families and professionals working with children to have access to information about how to support good toileting. The first five years of a child’s life represent a critical window for establishing good toileting practice and preventing long-term continence conditions.

With a good grounding in the basics of toilet training and an understanding of how to identify common continence problems, families will have the best chance of helping their child use the toilet independently. Parents and early years practitioners need to work together to give children consistent messages – it has got to be a joint approach.

Bowel and bladder health Children are ready for potty training between 18 months and three years.

Assuming that children will not toilet train until they are between two and a half and three years old may result in children with disabilities not being offered support to toilet train at an early stage.

Constipation can begin in babyhood and is particularly common when children are being potty trained or starting a new routine – such as during the transition from home to nursery.

It’s a very common problem affecting around a third of all children.

Young children have small bladders so they need to use the toilet frequently.

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Here are ERIC’s top tips for toilet training for early years providers: 1. A toilet training policy should be in place with open communication between practitioners and the child’s parents/carers.

2. All staff should be able to recognise signs of constipation and act accordingly so that parents/carers know when they need to seek medical help.

Unresolved constipation can make toilet training really tricky.

3. It is not good practice to use pull-ups or nappies ‘just in case’ of accidents during potty training as it can hinder the process when children are making the transition to pants.

4. Drinking should be promoted throughout the day – around six to eight cups for children under five. Water is ideal but suitable alternatives should also be allowed.

5. Children must not be refused admission to a setting due to continence difficulties. Those who are known to have continence difficulties should be offered a care plan to ensure that their individual needs are met.

6. Parents should not be expected to come into the setting to change their children.

7. Children should have access to clean, well-stocked toilets at intervals appropriate to the needs of the individual child.

8. Children with additional needs may not show reliable signs of awareness. Toilet training should not be delayed as it is much harder to achieve when the child is older.

Find out more ERIC is dedicated to helping all children manage and overcome distressing continence conditions. The charity has developed a free downloadable toilet training training pack that you can use in your setting, including a toilet training policy, healthy bladder and bowel assessment, training record, factsheet and Bristol stool chart. ERIC also offers training for professionals working with preschool aged children.

For more information about these resources, and more, please visit bit.ly/ EYERIC. You can also access ERIC’s free confidential helpline on 0808 169 9949 or email the charity at web@eric.org.uk.

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Together we can: giving children the future they deserve

Our annual conference 2020, Together we can, explores ways we can create a better, kinder and happier world for future generations.

As providers, what does social responsibility look like in practice? How can children and their families take the lead and feel more involved? What best practice can inspire us to make positive change? Join us and find out more!

OUR KEYNOTES Dr Philippa Perry, psychotherapist and author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read Philippa Perry is a renowned psychotherapist, author and broadcaster.

A faculty member of The School of Life, she is also an agony aunt for Red Magazine and has presented several TV and radio documentaries including The Truth about Children Who Lie for BBC Radio 4. Her latest book, The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, is a Sunday Times Bestseller.

Alliance’s annual conference 2020 What’s it all about With so much social, political and climate change happening across the world, it can be difficult for adults to make sense of current events. For our youngest children, it must be overwhelming.

As early years practitioners, we want every child to handle these changes confidently and be able to develop and grow despite the challenges of the modern world.

We know that qualities such as kindness and empathy, instilled at an early age,

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contribute towards helping us as adults to respond well to uncertainty.

The sector, in partnership with parents, is already playing a significant role in helping young children become more caring towards the people around them. The EYFS and the ELG’s – particularly understanding the world – give children some perspective.

It’s in all our interests to work together to protect the wellbeing of future generations and create a more stable, secure and sustainable world. And there is always much more we can do to help.

Richard Black, director, Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit Former BBC science and environment correspondent and director of the nonprofit thinktank ECIU, Richard Black has reported widely on issues including climate change science and politics, clean energy and biodiversity decline. He frequently contributes to UK broadcast programmes and news media, including the BBC’s Climate Change: The Facts, presented by Sir David Attenborough.

Helen Moylett, early years consultant and EYFS specialist Independent early years consultant and writer Helen worked for the National Strategies and was centrally involved in developing the Early Years Foundation Stage and other national guidance. She co-authored Development Matters and has written widely on a range of early years topics.

EARLY B DISCO IRD FOR M UNT EMBE RS ONLY

EVENT

£45!

PRACTICAL AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS 1 T he revised EYFS, everything you need to know and more – Melanie Pilcher, Alliance quality and standards manager In March 2019, the DfE issued proposals to change the statutory framework for the EYFS, including changes to the educational programmes, the early learning goals and the EYFS Profile assessment. A consultation into the proposed changes was launched in November 2019 The changes to the ELGs indicate a possible shift to a less rounded, holistic approach to early years learning – from the decision to increase the number of literacy ELGs from two to three, to the removal of real contexts to promote learning. Melanie will share detail of the confirmed revised EYFS and how it is likely to affect the practical delivery of the framework.

2 E xploring the Curiosity Approach, promoting awe and wonder in young children – Stephanie Bennett and Lyndsey Hellyn, cofounders, The Curiosity Approach The Curiosity Approach’s aim is to revolutionise early years, to reignite passion, motivation and deep understanding in the wonder of play. Using loose parts, authentic resources and recycled materials, Stephanie and Lyndsey’s dynamic session will support you to motivate and encourage early passion and curiosity in children to help them to become the “thinkers and doers of the future”. The approach is a modern practice which takes ingredients from Reggio Emilia, Steiner, Montessori and curriculum of Te Whariki and celebrates the joy of early childhood.

Typical environments may feature calm colours, hessian-backed neutral coloured displays, heuristic items such as brushes, rattan, woods and metals. You will discover even more ways to extend wondrous learning opportunities for children in your care in this stimulating session.

3 Promoting Children’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing: Mental Health Matters - Kate Moxley, early years consultant, qualified mental health first aid instructor and EY Wellbeing week campaign leader Kate’s session will give you the practical skills and confidence to identify early signs of stress or anxious behaviour in very young children which may impact negatively on their emotional wellbeing. This insight will help you to better support the child’s family and enable you to predict or recognise situations which may cause stress to individual children.

Practitioners will have the opportunity to reflect on their own practice and the opportunities they provide for the children in their care and in their statutory role of the key person.

4 An introduction to Education for Sustainable Citizenship in early years practice – John Siraj-Blatchford and Lynnette Brock, cofounders, Schemaplay Education for sustainable development is no longer a learning area for consideration, it is something many innovative early years settings are increasingly embedding as part of their overall practice and management.

This workshop shares practical advice and highlights best practice to show how childcare providers can support children to make small but real contributions to create a more sustainable world.

The session also explores ways that practitioners can introduce serious social, economic and environmental issues to young children in a way which they can understand in the context of the EYFS.

THE PROGRAMME* 09.00 – R egistration, coffee & exhibition 10.30 – Chair’s welcome 10.35 – O pening conference with keynote addresses 12.00 - Q & A session 12.30 – C hair announces Alliance’s Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 12.45 – F ork buffet lunch and exhibition 14.30 – Workshops begin 15.30 – R efreshments and exhibition 16.00 – Workshops 16.00 – Exhibition closes 17.00 – S eminar programme finishes; event closes *Programme is subject to change

BOOK NOW! We work hard to ensure our events are inclusive. This is why our delegate places are so competitively priced. We want everyone to have an opportunity to enjoy our conference.

This year our special Alliance member price is £59.95 and for non-members, only £69.95 PLUS! We’re offering an early bird superdiscount until Friday, 17 April 2020. Only £45 for Alliance members or £55 for non-members.

Book your place at eyalliance.org.uk/ conference2020.

For other queries, please contact our friendly Member and Information Service team on 020 7697 2595 or info@eyalliance.org.uk.

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Previously known as

childcare expo

NEW FOR 2020

Childcare Expo is growing up!

We're rebranding to include more Primary Education suppliers & speakers as well as the same great Early Years products, seminars & workshops

childcare & education

EXPO

WHERE EARLY YEARS & PRIMARY EDUCATION MEET

OLYMPIA LONDON

20TH - 21ST MARCH 2020

Save the dates

EVENTCITY MANCHESTER

19TH - 20TH JUNE 2020

RICOH ARENA MIDLANDS

25TH - 26TH SEPTEMBER 2020

What to expect...

• • • • • •

Source innovative new products Top up your CPD Discover exclusive show offers Meet special guests Get new ideas & feel inspired Have a fun day out!

FREE TICKETS

CPD SEMINARS

HANDS ON WORKSHOPS

NETWORK WITH PEERS

www.childcareeducationexpo.co.uk

or 01425 838393

LAW-CALL

Knowing is not enough The team behind Law-Call, a 24-hour legal helpline available to all Alliance members, explains the rules on safeguarding for early years settings

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afeguarding is an integral part of the daily routine at any early years setting. While the most obvious is the need to safeguard children, safeguarding also extends to the families that are involved, including any vulnerable adults. Child safeguarding rules involve a complex interaction between various legal agencies who are expected to work together to apply the legislation that underpins statutory obligations.

The most obvious agencies involved in safeguarding include your setting’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or SENCO and your manager, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or Designated Officer for Allegations (DOFA), Ofsted, the police, health authorities and sometimes the disclosure and barring service (DBS).

In a previous article, we touched upon the legal obligations for safeguarding. The statutory framework has been amended by the Children and Social Work Act 2017, which replaces Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs) with Local Safeguarding Partners (LSPs). LSPs comprise of three safeguarding partners: the local authority, the chief officer of police and the clinical commissioning group. These three agencies are equally charged with safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children.

Recognising the signs Early years settings are working on the front line. They need to recognise and report any safeguarding concerns. It is imperative that staff hold the requisite skills to recognise a risk of harm as soon as it arises and are ready to alert other agencies as and when it is appropriate. This includes not only the more obvious examples, such as raised voices

around children, but others such as a child with food intolerances being given the wrong food, children not being counted as they return into the setting from outside, leaving one outside and alone, or where a mobile phone is used in the setting.

Recognising a safeguarding risk can be difficult. Staff skills should be include being able to recognise the less obvious signs that may lead to concerns, such as when a parent or other individual with parental responsibility is not forthcoming with the full facts or when they give a reply that may seem evasive on reflection. It is sometimes genuinely difficult to establish whether this behaviour is accidental or deliberate and diplomatic skills may be needed to gently press them on the matter further.

Training and development Staff training and knowledge is therefore critical. From your staff induction programme to continued training and development for existing staff, practitioners need to be able to recognise a risk of harm and act upon it or take advice for the next steps to take. It is the role of your designated safeguarding lead to take responsibility for how safeguarding concerns are noted, reported and dealt with.

Not only should your designated lead be satisfied that your policies and procedures are up-to-date but they must also ensure that they are being implemented effectively and appropriately by your team.

Any cause for concern may trigger a parent complaint or Ofsted inspection. A periodic staff performance review or supervision could help record and monitor if an employee might need a refresher on any aspect of the safeguarding framework. There are plenty of sources of training to choose from – as

well as the Alliance’s comprehensive training and resources offer, LSPs are tasked with coordinating and creating policies and procedures to ensure the training of people who work with children. LSPs should be able to offer training courses for a small fee or even for free in some instances.

Keeping a record Safeguarding records should be kept, with a paper trail of reported concerns kept in accordance with the GDPR. Concern as to whether data can be shared without consent is now covered by the Data Protection Act 2018. Information can be disclosed without express consent, but only after an appropriate assessment of the facts.

This is explained in futher detail in the government guidance: ‘Information sharing for safeguarding practitioners’ which is available online.

Occasionally an incident may trigger the need to commence disciplinary action in your setting. If this is the case, action should be taken quickly, while making contact with the appropriate safeguarding body at the same time. Employment law has a very clear and expected approach when an employee is facing disciplinary action. Certain procedures need to be applied from the outset, starting with conducting the investigation appropriately. Law-Call is well placed to provide tailored advice on these matters.

More information For further help and advice on this topic, Alliance members can access the Law-Call helpline. The details can be found on your membership card or in the Members’ Area of the Alliance website at www.eyalliance.org. uk/Members-Area.

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Alliance press and public affairs director Shannon Pite explains the next step in the Alliance’s campaign for fairer funding

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espite widespread predictions of another hung parliament, last year’s general election resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Conservative Party. So, what does this mean for the early years sector’s battle for fairer funding?

Childcare was a major topic of debate and discussion in the run-up to the election, with both Labour and the Liberal Democrats pledging to extend current “free childcare” schemes while also increasing early years funding rates.

However, despite rumours of plans to extend the current two-year-old offer, in the end, the Conservatives’ childcare announcement consisted of a spending boost for wraparound care for school-aged children and nothing for the early years.

While some in the sector will be understandably relieved that more so-called

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“free childcare” is, for now at least, off the table, the fact that the Conservatives failed to make any mention of the early years – and the need for better funding for the sector – in their election manifesto was, and is, deeply concerning.

Spending round Of course, those in government would probably argue that they have already addressed this issue: in September, the Department for Education announced an additional – and unplanned – early years funding boost of £66 million. However, given that early years experts Ceeda estimated that the sector-wide shortfall at the time was £662 million, it’s fair to say that this funding increase falls significantly short of what’s needed.

In fact, when broken down the additional £66 million amounts to an extra 2% or 8p

per child per hour at best. And this is added to the rate that local authorities receive, not frontline providers.

Rising costs To make things worse, this paltry increase will come at a time when the national living wage for workers aged 25 and over will rise from £8.21 an hour to £8.72. While no one would object to early years practitioners receiving a fair wage for the vital job they do, many childcare businesses are struggling to make ends meet without adequate funding – and for some this latest wage increase may well be the final straw.

That is why the Early Years Alliance is committed to continuing to fight for fairer sector funding. So what have we been doing?

And what can you do to help?

CAMPAIGN

The Alliance is committed to continuing to fight for fairer future funding.

So what have we been doing?

And what can you do to help?

Parliamentary pressure

Getting the evidence

What next?

Since 2017, the Alliance has been a founding sponsor of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Childcare and Early Education.

APPGs are parliamentary working groups where MPs and Lords from across political parties join together to work on a particular issue. Since its launch, the APPG for Childcare and Early Education has focused primarily on the funding pressures facing private and voluntary providers in England.

In July 2018, the group hosted a successful Lobby Day, which allowed childcare providers to arrange faceto-face meetings with MPs and other parliamentarians in Westminster to put across their views on the challenges facing the sector directly. In July 2019, the APPG held a parliamentary enquiry into childcare underfunding, which resulted in the publication of a comprehensive report: Steps to Sustainability. This sets out a series of recommendations for the government to ensure the long-term viability of the sector.

The government has always claimed that the current national early years funding rates – which were first announced in 2015 and came into effect in 2017 – were ‘frontloaded’ to cover the impact of any delivery cost increases experienced by childcare providers up until 2020.

Back in December 2018, the Alliance asked for proof. We filed a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the DfE, asking for the calculations or broader thinking underpinning current early years funding levels and, in particular, exactly how the government concluded that the 2015 rates were sufficient to cover the impact of rising costs, such as the national living wage.

In response, the DfE confirmed to the Alliance that it held relevant “spreadsheet, presentation and briefing documentation,” on the funding rates but rejected the FoI request on the grounds that the information formed part of the development of government policy and that the need to keep it private outweighed the public interest in releasing it.

The Alliance then took the case to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which rejected the Department’s argument and ordered the DfE to disclose the withheld information to the Alliance. However, in November the DfE confirmed that it was appealing against the ICO’s decision.

Getting your voice heard

a result, candidates in nearly half of all constituencies in England were reached.

What next?

With the general election out of the way, the APPG will be meeting with the many new MPs who have joined parliament to ensure they are aware of the challenges facing the sector and the role they can play in lobbying for better funding. The Comprehensive Spending Review – originally due to take place in 2019 but delayed as a result of Brexit – is also expected later this year. This will be a key opportunity for the sector to secure greater government investment into the early years.

In June 2019, the Alliance held its hugely successful Action Week, encouraging practitioners to write to and arrange meetings with their local MPs. Hundreds of providers downloaded our campaign materials, and dozens of MPs were contacted, with many resulting in setting visits and meetings. The campaign action also received national press coverage, including BBC Breakfast, BBC online, Radio 5 Live, Sky News, the Guardian, the Independent and more.

Following the announcement of last year’s general election, the Alliance launched an email campaign which provided an easyto-use template that allowed providers to write to parliamentary candidates standing to be MPs in their area by filling out a simple form. Nearly 500 providers did so, and as

What next?

With the election now over, we still want as many providers as possible to contact their local MP and raise their concerns about early years funding, so if you haven’t already, you can do so in just a few minutes at www.eyalliance.org.uk/ TakeAction. If your MP is one of the 140 new MPs to have entered Parliament, it is even more vital that you keep the pressure up. If you have already, we want to keep track of how you get on – and to support you if your MP doesn’t respond or engage: let us know what you’ve done so far at www.eyalliance.org.uk/campaignfeedback.

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Safeguardi We’ve taken a look at some recent developments to keep in mind as you work to keep children safe in your setting Witchcraft and black magic

Domestic violence

Homelessness

Local authority data has shown that witchcraft and black magic are increasingly found to be a factor in cases of child abuse in the UK. There were around 1,950 suspected victims identified by local authorities in 2018/19 – up 34% in three years. The Local Government Association says councils are now dealing with an average of 38 cases each week. Campaigners argue that the increased numbers mean that authorities are getting better at spotting the signs of this type of abuse, but the figures are still concerning.

Abuse linked to a belief in witchcraft and black magic can leave children at risk of being neglected or physically and emotionally abused. This abuse often follows some kind of misfortune in a family such as divorce, illness or financial problems, which the child is scapegoated for. It is not linked to one faith, nationality or ethnic group and not all families who believe in witchcraft or black magic will go on to abuse children.

Research from Action for Children has found that up to 690 children in England are at risk of experiencing domestic violence every day. The charity analysed figures from the Department for Education after the domestic abuse bill failed to become law ahead of December’s general election. Since then, the new government has outlined plans to reintroduce the bill in this parliament.

The new bill will create the first statutory definition of domestic abuse, including emotional, coercive or controlling abuse, making it easier for courts to prosecute, and establish the role of a Domestic Abuse Commissioner.

The bill will also mean that local authorities have a duty to provide those fleeing violence, and their children, with a secure home.

Shelter has warned that the number of homeless children in Britain has reached a 12-year high, with 183 children losing their home every day.

The charity says that there are 5,683 homeless families with children currently housed in emergency B&Bs and hostels. The experience of children in temporary accommodation varies, but Shelter’s Generation Homeless report warned that it is often associated with a lack of security and safe places to play, poor sleep and taking on adult roles and responsibilities at an early age. This means that children in homeless families are more likely to experience health concerns and often struggle to attend sessions regularly. The report called on the new government to take urgent action on the matter.

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SAFEGUARDING

ing update County lines

Specialist shortage

The number of children being exploited by criminal gangs, including the county lines model of using children to distribute drugs across the country, increased almost 75% between 2018 and 2019, according to police figures.

Shaun Sawyer, chief constable of the Devon and Cornwall police force, said: “For these children they are almost back to Victorian times and are being criminally exploited. These kids are looking for family and security. This is the vacuum of youth diversion schemes.”

It is usually older children, aged 12 and above, that are recruited by county lines gang – which is something to be aware of with any older siblings of children in your setting – but gangs are also known to exploit vulnerable adults as well, which may include some parents and carers.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has warned that there are a growing number of vacancies in specialist roles in the UK. According to the RCPCH, there is a shortage of specialist support for child safeguarding, looked-after children and children with SEND. There is also a shortage of specialist posts related to child deaths. The RCPCH warned that there are widespread gaps in the number of designated medical officers for children with SEND, with more than a third of Trusts not having a filled post. This is either because the role has not been created and doesn’t exist, or there has been created but not filled due to “widespread vacancies”.

The lack of specialist roles reflects a wider shortage of paediatricians and particularly community paediatricians. Dr Alison Steele, officer for child protection at the RCPCH, said: “The reality is we don’t have enough suitably train paediatricians to fill all the vulnerable children posts. We are storing up significant future problems with our failure to adequately resource the speciality.” The RCPCH has called on the government to recruit and train more paediatricians and recommended new guidance on developing the roles for local authorities, as well as a review of the gaps in provision.

Be the Best: Safeguarding and Inclusion Lead This set of nine CACHE and CPD-approved online training courses is recommended especially for safeguarding and inclusion leads in early years settings.

The set includes 14 CPD credits and a set of downloadable CACHE certificates for each course, as well as a ‘Be the Best: Safeguarding and Inclusion Lead’ certificate of training on completion of all nine courses.

The bundle includes: Understanding and Addressing Behaviour in the Early Years, Supporting Children with SEND in the Early Years, The Prevent Duty in an Early Years Environment, Effective Safeguarding Practice, Equality and Inclusion in Early Years Settings, Infection Prevention and Control, SEND Code of Practice and Understanding Children’s Rights and Effective Use of the Early Years Pupil Premium.

All Alliance members already receive these courses for free as part of their membership.

The bundle of nine courses is also available to non-members for £100.

To find out more, visit eyalliance.org.uk/ educare-bundles.

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Learning from inte

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BEST PRACTICE

ergenerational care Apples and Honey Nightingale CIC, the UK’s first intergenerational nursery, opened in September 2017 – here’s what they have learned from their work so far…

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he chance to meet other children and make friends is one of the key reasons many families choose to send their children to an early years setting. But children at Apples and Honey Nightingale CIC don’t just get a chance to mix with friends of their own age. Sharing its site with a care home, the setting offers children a chance to mix with a much older group of families.

The setting is run in partnership between the Apples and Honey Nursery and care home Nightingale Hammerson. It is said to be the UK’s first nursery to share a location with a residential care home. The project began as a weekly baby and toddler group at the home, which opened in January 2017, before the launch of a full-time co-located nursery in September 2017.

A growing trend?

Intergenerational care has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. As people begin to understand the potential benefits, there are now said to be 100s of homes and settings working together in some capacity across the country. The trend has bought a huge amount of attention to Apples and Honey.

“We’ve had lots of interest […] mainly about the impact on residents but, for me, I just feel that it is equally important for the children and their families,” Judith Ish-Horowicz, principal and co-founder at the setting, explains. She says the sessions with care home residents have a huge impact on children’s social skills and vocabulary. She says that children at the setting have seen an “exponential improvement of their social skills and their emotional resilience and their sense of social responsibility” since its launch.

Children and residents enjoy a wide variety of shared activities, including reading, baking, dance and arts. Judith explains that the children have shown remarkable care for the elderly adults in the setting, taking their needs into consideration when picking actions in their exercise class. “Instead

of asking the residents to stand on their heads, for example, they are very aware of what is possible and what isn’t possible and how to support each other.” She says this also extends to literacy and numeracy tasks, when some residents with cognitive impairments struggle to keep up.

“At other times the children aren’t up to the activity or need some support,” Judith explains. The friendship between the two groups extends to helping support children’s learning too – particularly for sessions focuses on activities such as reading. Judith adds: “Some of the residents will support the children by deliberately getting something wrong, giving the children a chance to put it right for them.”

Outside of their usual sessions, the children and residents often enjoy trips out together and visits from external therapists and activity providers. They also enjoy a breakfast club together and the residents regular join in with baking activities. “We’re starting our first intergenerational choir,” Judith says. It will be a weekly programme, in addition to the regular singing and music sessions they hold, with the aim of holding a concert at the end.

The setting will also soon launch an intergenerational art therapy group and is looking forward to the installation of some beehives on site. “We’ll be looking at bees and learning about making honey – from a distance of course!” Judith says. “It’s been really exciting to see all these different types of projects that have come from outside experts alongside the ones we host ourselves.”

Community care As well as the sessions themselves, the setting still hosts a weekly baby and toddler group. With more than 200 families signed up to the scheme, the setting now has to limit numbers ahead of each session. The setting itself is equally as popular, with a full rota of children currently on board. Both the full-time setting and baby and toddler group bring a

welcome level of noise and movement to the care home. Judith says this has helped to create a real community around the setting, as residents enjoy seeing families coming and going each day. She says: “The home has a café and people will stay on after the baby and toddler group. They eat together with residents and their families.”

Next steps But while Apples and Honey has seen incredible success in the past few years, there is still much to be done to improve take-up of intergenerational projects across the country. Think tank United for All Ages has warned that Britain is “one of the most age-segregated countries in the world” in its latest report and called for the transformation of care homes into community hubs.

Judith is keen to stress the positive impact these interactions can have on children as well as residents. She believes that being around the older generation gives children a better sense of time and space and takes away the fear of ageing. “The reality is that we do age and your lifespan is limited,” she explains. “People are born and they die – if this fact can become a part of your everyday existence then it’s not a shock as you get older. You don’t have to learn about it suddenly. It’s all part of the growing up process and I think it’s something that all children should have contact with – it protects them.”

For any settings keen to explore intergenerational activities, Judith says that the benefits make the effort more than worth it. “I just think it’s so important and so brilliant,” she says. “It’s given [the children] resilience, it’s given them a sense of maturity and of taking responsibility.”

More information For more information about Apples and Honey Nightingale and its work, visit www.applesandhoneynightingale.com.

For more information about United for All Ages, visit www.unitedforallages.com.

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Getting social Social media is a popular way to market your early years provision. In this free extract from an upcoming Alliance course, we explain how it could benefit your early years business

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ocial media is a low-cost, high impact tool to promote your service to families in an increasingly competitive market. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms enable you to interact and share information with parents and prospective parents alike to build trust, reach out to your audience and increase awareness of your childcare service.

Today, most customers are not interested in being sold to – they want to ask questions, find out more about what you offer and learn about what you can do for them. By engaging with your customers and listening to what they are saying, you can respond and tailor your services to their needs.

Here are just some of the things you could use your social media accounts to do: Share news and updates with parents.

Invite parents and prospective parents to upcoming events.

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Create an online community where members can ask questions and start discussions.

Share best practice tips and advice.

Promote your setting and services to prospective families.

Make links with your local community.

Direct people to your website.

Getting started Do some research to see what networks your current and potential customers are already using and what they prefer to do.

Have a look at what your competitors are doing too. You could ask families to complete a short survey to find out what they would like to see on your social media page. Give them a chance to raise any concerns they have as well. Once you’ve got an idea of these considerations you can decide which social media networks you would like to use.

Creating an account: Most social media platforms give you the option to create a business account or profile. Choosing this option will normally give you additional features that are useful when managing a business account, for example adding multiple users to help manage your profile, detailed page analytics and the option to create promotional ads.

Admins Have at least two people with full control and administrative rights to the account, so that the social media presence is always being managed and promoted, regardless of holidays, management changes and the like.

Have other users with basic rights to the account and decide what they should be able to do. For example, you could allow them to post and respond to comments, but not add or delete other people, or respond to private messages. Allocate tasks and share

BEST PRACTICE

responsibility for managing the day-to-day activity so that it becomes familiar and routine.

Profile name Choose something that is memorable and easy to find. If your business name is already taken by another user, include other meaningful information rather than just a number, such as your location of the type of setting. For example, ‘BusyBees Southwell’ or ‘BusyBees Daycare’ are better than ‘BusyBees2015’.

Page layout Facebook offers a range of templates to help you get started with your page. Select the most basic one to start with (it can be changed in the future once your page is up and running).

Include only the sections that you need; for example, if you won’t be using a shop, remove the ‘shop’ section from your page, otherwise it will look like the page is incomplete.

Profile pictures Make this a professional image that is instantly recognisable as your setting – for example, a logo or an external image of

your setting. For Facebook and Twitter, you should also include a high-quality image of your setting as your cover image.

If you do not have any photos available, use a temporary stock photo – there are lots available to download for free online – rather than leaving the space blank. Be mindful of online safety considerations when choosing photos and ensure that children are not identifiable.

Profile information Each network is different, but you will normally share basic information about your setting such as your location, contact details and opening hours. Check this information regularly to make sure it is correct and up to date.

Top tip: always look at your profile from a customer perspective. Consider the most common questions you get from parents and potential customers and try to answer these on your page.

Promoting your page Begin by reaching out to existing parents and ask them to connect with you. Social

media is all about sharing. Each member of your network has a social network of their own, so include content that is relevant to both existing and prospective parents.

Encourage your followers to share your content so your posts will automatically reach a much wider audience and your following will grow.

Follow local businesses and community pages of interest to you and your followers.

You can also share other people’s posts to your own pages, such as local news or best practice tips. This will show that you are friendly and interested in connecting with your local community, not just promoting your own setting. Follow your competitors too, so you can keep an eye on what they are doing and get an idea for what works well and what doesn’t.

Find out more Alliance members can access free EduCare courses as part of their membership. Social Media Marketing will launch later this year. To find out more, visit www.eyalliance.org.uk/EduCare.

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SAFEGUARDING

Using social media safely As one of the fastest growing areas of communication, social media can be an effective way to encourage communication with parents and other stakeholders. However, social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, can also represent a risk with regard to brand, resourcing and legislation.

and locate a young person or vulnerable adult identifies an individual or individual’s social media profile as a young person or vulnerable adult in any public forum

If a member of the public reveals personal information about themselves on the page, it should be removed where possible and the Managing social media accounts individual contacted to explain the risks of The owner, directors or trustees of the early years revealing this information publicly. provision should approve the setting’s social media account prior to it being created and then Child protection periodically risk assess it thereafter. Only staff If suspicious behaviour towards a young person with a satisfactory DBS check should be involved or vulnerable adult is suspected or detected in creating or managing the account, which when using social media, you should refer this should be set up with an official organisation to children’s services in line with your local email address and not a personal one. safeguarding partners’ guidelines. However, Your passwords should be a minimum of eight where a young person or vulnerable adult is characters long and include a combination of at thought to be in immediate danger, always least three of the following: upper- and lowercontact 999 for police assistance immediately. case letters, numbers and symbols. They should In both cases, details of the incident should be changed at least every six months or when be recorded in line with your safeguarding any of the account administrators no longer have procedures, which should incorporate guidance responsibility for the accounts – such as when from your local safeguarding partners. If you they leave your staff team. suspect that a person using social media is under You should follow agreed guidance, ensuring the minimum required age of 13, you should refer that no one using the account: to official guidance from the network itself.

Images must only be shared on social media when the necessary consent has been received gives out personal mobile numbers by the individual in the photo or, for a child, by gives out personal details without consent their parent or guardian, stating that the early knowingly follows or becomes a friend of or years provision can use the image(s) in this regularly engages with children or vulnerable way. Personal information relating to children adults, unless parental/guardian/support appearing in images, such as their name, must worker consent has been obtained posts personal information that could identify not be posted. Finally, and no less importantly:

be professional – you are an ambassador for your early years provision respect the privacy of your colleagues, peers and stakeholders be clear on what information you will post give meaningful and respectful responses monitor and moderate posts always get permission before copying or using data from somewhere else and give proper credit where required do not post personal, sensitive or confidential data

Checklist and risk assessing You will need to consider what you want to achieve and assess any risks involved. Ask youself the following questions: What information will you share and why?

How will you develop the content?

Who will be responsible for managing it?

Who is the intended audience?

What tools will you use? Is this tool right for your brand?

Is there something already in place that you can use?

How regularly will you be using the site?

Do you have the capacity to maintain your account appropriately?

What are the risks?

How often will you review the account?

What would be the potential consequences of misuse?

Are there any potential child or vulnerable adult protection issues?

20% OFF DYNAMIC RISK MANAGEMENT Early Years Alliance (Ref: A011). £13.65 members, £19.50 non-members Dynamic Risk Management in the Early Years will take you through the various risk assessment by identifying, measuring and addressing risks, and the different types of risk assessment, such as generic, specific and dynamic, to ensure that practitioners respond with confidence to rapidly changing situations, particularly with regards to safeguarding.

This comprehensive publication provides a sound understanding of the importance of risk management, the responsibilities of practitioners and the management team, and how the various processes work.

Fundamentally, Dynamic Risk Management in the Early Years begins and ends by asking the question ‘what if?’

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stages of

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Flower Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager at the Alliance, shares some activity ideas for exploring the theme of flowers

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s spring approaches, you will soon start to see an array of bright and colourful flowers in every shape and size. Nature’s resources are, as we know, free and abundant.

So why not take a different approach to your usual springtime activities with a focus on flowers for every area of learning and development?

Communication and language An important aspect of language development is being able to communicate verbally and nonverbally and to be able to express our feelings and emotions. Giving and receiving flowers is one example of the different ways we can express ourselves. Whether it’s saying sorry, expressing love or simply to cheer someone up, flowers have their very own language.

Over the coming weeks we have Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter to look forward to. All of these events can be represented with different types of flower – roses for love, daffodils and tulips for springtime. Every retail outlet, from garden centre to supermarket, will be stocked with colourful blooms heralding the end of winter.

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It’s easy to become indifferent to the beauty of flowers, so take your time studying individual blooms with the children. Consider the shape and size and look for the subtle differences in shade and pattern. Increase children’s vocabulary as you look for words to describe the subtle differences you see. Remember that for children to be able to understand and grasp the meaning of new words they need to see and hear them in context. Whether you are fortunate enough to have a whole garden to explore, a window box or even just a plant pot with a single plant, the emphasis must be on letting the children immerse themselves in the experience and use all of their senses to explore.

There are many subtle variations in the symbolism of individual flowers, but here are a few common flowers and their meanings: • • • • • •

Canterbury bells – thanks and gratitude Daffodils – new beginnings Delphiniums – fun and enjoyment Freesias – trust and security Gladiolus – generosity and giving Hyacinth – playfulness

• Lily of the valley – increased happiness • Roses – love There are also variations in the meaning attached to different colours of flowers. Exploring this with the children provides further opportunity for discussion as you look for different shades of colour and associate them with the correct colour name and the feelings they evoke. Here are a few example to start: • • • • • •

Red – love Pink – happiness and love Blue – peacefulness and relaxation Yellow – happiness Orange – enthusiasm Green – optimism and good health

Personal, social and emotional development We know that contact with nature benefits our mental health and wellbeing. But not every child is fortunate enough to have immediate access to the countryside or even a garden at home in which to play, explore and relax. Growing and

ACTIVITY CORNER

power caring for a plant, whether it is in a pot indoors or in a plot outside, takes little effort and offers huge benefits for children and adults.

Plants such as Busy Lizzies and scented geraniums come in a variety of colours that can be chosen carefully with the children to express an emotion or sentiment and are easy to propagate. The delightfully named BlackEyed Susan, with its vibrant yellow and black dot in the centre, is also easy to propagate and can be grown indoors or outdoors.

Start the plants off inside your setting, either from seeds, cuttings or bulbs to give the children a chance to observe the beginning of the growing cycle. These can be sent home as gifts for children to share with their loved ones. Always check that your chosen plant is not poisonous or likely to cause an allergic reaction.

Knowledge and understanding of the world Finding out about wildflowers that somehow manage to thrive in the most challenging urban sites encourages children to develop

an awareness of their local environment.

For example, discovering flowers clinging to a broken wall on a derelict site requires good observation skills. It is also increasingly important to give young children first-hand experience of nature’s ability to harmonise with a landscape that has been ‘created’ from bricks and mortar and remind them of the importance of caring for flora and fauna.

As many local authorities are now seeing the benefits of leaving grass verges unmown and letting nature reclaim them, there are possibly a few of these sites to see in your area. Encourage parents to point these out to children on their journey into your setting.

Observe how these areas change over the seasons and record the different wildflowers that you see.

impact on insects and wildlife. Many cutflowers also travel a great many miles by air or road before they reach your local retailer.

Making your own flowers from recycled materials is effective and offers children many creative opportunities. Not to mention the fact that these will be unique gifts for parents and will last for much longer!

Show the children some famous paintings such as Van Gogh’s Sunflowers or Monet’s Waterlilies for inspiration. Offer them a selection of resources to allow them to express their own ideas using their preferred medium. Remember, as always, it’s not about creating a stylised product. Nature celebrates what some may see as imperfection and the children you are working with will already recognise this.

Expressive arts and design

Find out more

Receiving a bouquet of flowers may be a special treat but it’s not always environmentally friendly. The cut-flower industry uses chemicals to ensure plants are disease-free but these can have a detrimental

The Alliance has shared advice and ideas for gardening with young children in a free online webinar – Sowing the seeds for a green generation. It is available to watch on YouTube at bit.ly/EYseeds.

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NUTRITION

Have a healthy pancake day Ingredients (serves eight) 300ml milk one egg one tsp of vegetable oil 100-125g wholemeal plain flour

We’ve got some nutritious pancake recipes to try with children on 25 February to help celebrate Shrove Tuesday in your setting

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hildren love making and eating pancakes. But between chocolate spread, syrup and lashings of sugar, Pancake Day gcan be a tricky celebration when you are trying to provide children with a balanced and nutritious diet.

But with a few tweaks and new ideas, it is easy to turn the event into a chance to offer new fruits and vegetables.

This healthy pancake batter recipe will be a hit with children and staff – the wholemeal flour adds extra fibre.

What is Pancake Day? Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is a tradition that marks the start of Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday. Also known as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, cooking pancakes helps to use up all

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Method 1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl.

2. Using a whisk, beat the egg, milk and oil together in a jug.

3. Pour the milk and egg mixture into the flour and whisk until smooth.

4. Heat a little oil in a suitable frying pan.

5. Pour in two tablespoons of batter and coat the base of the frying pan.

6. Cook for two to three minutes, or until the base turns golden brown.

7. Flip the pancake and cook for another two minutes on the other side.

Keep the pancakes warm in the oven until they are all ready to be served.

Sweet topping ideas Keep it simple with a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of blueberries. If that’s too sharp for the children, add a small spoon of low fat fromage frais.

Soften a chopped apple in a pan and spoon

the rich, fatty foods ahead of what was traditionally a period of fasting and reflection before Easter. While not all families will be celebrating Easter or Lent, many children will enjoy the tradition of making and eating pancakes at this time of year.

over pancakes with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Grill sliced peaches – canned ones will do – and serve on top of pancakes with some Greek yoghurt.

Try peanut or almond butter spread on top and add a sprinkle of defrosted frozen raspberries. Frozen berries tend to be more economical than fresh and are usually frozen when they are in season.

Sprinkle grated dark chocolate over a sliced banana and add to the pancakes. This has less sugar than chocolate spread and by grating you’ll likely need to use less.

Savoury topping ideas Try smoked salmon, or smoked salmon trimmings, which are cheaper, served with cream cheese and lemon juice or black pepper on top of pancakes.

Use your pancakes as a base for a healthy cooked breakfast and top them with grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans and a poached egg.

Spinach and ricotta pancakes are a fun way to introduce children to spinach.

Instead of ham and cheese, which can be quite salty, try adding sweetcorn, chopped spring onions and some grated cheese to your pancakes instead.

More information For practical support with food and nutrition in your setting from an expert nutritionist or dietitian, contact the Early Years Nutrition Partnership at www.eynpartnership.org.

COMPETITION

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SC RE E N PR I NT I N G & E M B RO I DE R Y

A free diddi dance session at any setting, plus a goody bag, worth more than ÂŁ100 Toddlers love moving to music. At diddi dance, this love is channelled into 45 minute dance sessions and parties. Using engaging props and original music, diddi dance enhances co-ordination, gross and fine motor skills and builds confidence. The goody bag of merchandise can also be used to help get toddlers moving in any early years setting too.

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.

For your chance to win, send your answer to the following question, along with your name and address to: under5.competitions@ eyalliance.org.uk before 20 February 2020.

What date is the Alliance annual conference this year? (hint: see page 16) a) Friday 19 June b) Friday 12 June c) Friday 5 June

UNDER 5 MAGAZINE ISSN 0969-9481 EDITOR: Rachel Lawler DESIGN: room111.co.uk

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DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT 50 Featherstone Street London, EC1Y 8RT T: 0207 697 2599 E: southdivision@eyalliance.org.uk EARLY YEARS ALLIANCE SHOP 50 Featherstone Street London EC1Y 8RT T: 0300 330 0996 E: shop@eyalliance.org.uk W: www.eyalliance.org.uk/shop

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