Under 5 September 2018 by Under 5

Under 5 WIN

Magazine of the Pre-school Learning Alliance

September 2018

ÂŁ100 to The spend at er with Entertain raising easyfund

30 hours funding

Looking back at the first year

Moving goalposts

Proposed changes to the Early Learning Goals

A love of books Helping children enjoy reading

Contents 4

News round up

My Under 5

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

A chance for Alliance member settings to share news of recent projects and events

10 Letters to the editor

Under 5 readers share their views

12 Could it be sepsis?

The Sepsis Trust explains the key symptoms of sepsis in young children

14 30 hours funding: the scheme so far A look back at the first year of the 30-hours funded childcare offer

16 Working with parents

How you can help engage with parents about healthy eating

19 Committee groups: what you need to know

A summary of how committee-run early years settings should work

20 Breaking the cycle

Steady Steps Pre-school explains how it is supporting children’s emotional health

22 Moving goalposts

How the government is proposing to change the Early Learning Goals

24 Learning to love reading

How you can inspire a lifelong love of stories and books

26 Clean and healthy

Five steps for preventing the spread of infections in your setting

28 Testing the limit

RSA explains how changes to compensation claims could affect your setting’s insurance

29 Motivating learners: the practitioner’s role

How you can provide children with the opportunities and encouragement to learn

30 New beginnings

Identifying and recording starting points this September

32 Staying allergy aware

The Infant and Toddler Forum explains how you can deal with allergies in your setting

WELCOME & CONTENTS

Welcome Welcome to Under 5 This month’s issue comes to you with a little something extra. We’ve created a free wall calendar for all our readers to help you get organised at the start of the new term. You should find the calendar in the middle of this issue – I do hope you find it useful! As ever, this month is likely to be another busy one for the early years sector. To help ease you back into the new term, Alliance quality and standards manager Melanie Pilcher has shared some ideas for identifying starting points at the start of term (page 30). September is also a great time to get families into the habit of reading. We’ve spoken to Sarah Kingham, founder of Readit2, about how you can help children start to enjoy stories and books (page 24). If you came to the Alliance’s conference earlier this year, you may remember the team from Steady Steps in Gosport, who won Outstanding Early Years Team 2018 at the Outstanding Member Awards. The team has been working to improve children’s emotional wellbeing and have kindly shared their story with us this issue (page 20). We’ve also shared some important advice from the Sepsis Trust (page 12) about how you can help families spot the symptoms of sepsis in young children. If you’re looking to refresh your infection control practice, we’ve also got some easy ideas from the EduCare course Infection Control in an Early Years Setting (page 26). If you’re looking to make a healthy start to the new term, we’ve got some ideas from the Early Years Nutrition Partnership for how you can help engage with parents about healthy eating (page 16). This September also marks the first anniversary of the nationwide launch of the 30-hours funded childcare offer, so we have looked back at the past 12 months in the early years sector (page 14). The Alliance has also been speaking with providers about their experiences in the past year with our latest survey on the topic. We’ll publish the full results in the October issue, so do keep an eye out for those coming soon! As ever, we are keen to hear your thoughts so please do keep sharing your experiences of the past year with us – you can email me at editor.u5@ pre-school.org.uk. Rachel Lawler, editor

33 Competition

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in brief...

SLIME TOYS: Consumer watchdog Which? has warned that some popular slime toys sold in the UK have ‘potentially unsafe’ levels of boron, which could cause sickness and infertility.

round-up Childcare providers lobby MPs on 30 hours in Parliament The Alliance has accused the government of turning “a blind eye” to the “devastating impact” of the 30-hours funded childcare offer on the early years sector, as more than 100 childcare providers lobbied MPs and peers in Parliament in July. The 30-hours Lobby Day was organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Childcare and Early Education, of which the Alliance is a founding sponsor, and saw around 50 MPs hear provider concerns about the offer.

30-hours lobby day Since September 2017, three- and fouryear-old children from eligible working families have been entitled to 30-hours per week of funded care and education for 38 weeks of the year. However, since its launch the policy has been heavily criticised by early years providers and

organisations who argue that current funding levels do not cover the cost of delivering places. Research from independent early years research company Ceeda has estimated that the sector is facing a shortfall in funding of more than £500m a year.

“Turning a blind eye” Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “Week after week, we are seeing nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across the country having to choose between increasing fees and charges for parents, compromising on quality or potentially being forced to close their doors for good. “This is a direct result of the sustained underfunding of early years care and education in this country – and yet all we seem to hear about from government is

how great the scheme is for parents. This just isn’t good enough.” Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn and chair of the APPG for Childcare and Early Education, added: “This is a critical time for the early years sector. It is clear that many childcare providers across the country have already closed their doors. I know through my regular conversations with providers in Hampstead and Kilburn that many more are contemplating closure due to funding pressures and ongoing concerns over the workforce.”

Cost pressures Eileen Wilson, manager and owner at Learning Tree Montessori Nursery, added: “We have faced a number of negative changes as a result of the 30 hours policy. With so few families now paying for any additional hours, for the first time we can only afford to open for 38 weeks of the year instead of 44, which has had a substantial financial impact on the nursery and its staff.”

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UNIVERSAL CREDIT: Child Poverty Action Group has warned that working families are ‘losing hundreds’ due to flaws in the Universal Credit scheme.

DfE drops plans for children’s centre consultation Nadhim Zahawi, children and families minister, has announced that plans for a government consultation on the future of children’s centres have been dropped. Writing to the Science and Technology Select Committee inquiry into the evidence-base for early intervention, Zahawi said that the Department for Education (DfE) would not be going ahead with the consultation.

“This is no longer purely a matter of funding, but also a clearer policy on the future of children’s centres” Instead, the DfE plans to partner with the Local Government Association on The Early Years Social Mobility Peer Review Programme, which will be piloted this summer and fully rolled out in September. The consultation was first announced in 2016 and has been delayed several times since. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “I doubt many in the early years sector will be surprised by this announcement. Nevertheless it is incredibly disappointing that, in the time it has taken ministers to decide not to hold a consultation on the future of children’s centres, dozens of these vital services have gone without inspection and hundreds of them have closed. “Successive ministers have talked about the importance of social mobility – but such rhetoric is hard to justify as more and more families go without the support children’s centres provide. “If the government truly wants to support disadvantaged and vulnerable families, it must urgently ensure children’s centres are adequately supported. This is no longer purely a matter of funding, but also a much clearer policy on the future of children’s centres in terms of what they are meant to achieve for the communities they serve.”

BABY TALK: A study by researchers at Edinburgh University has found that some baby talk, such as ‘choo-choo’ or ‘night-night’, helps babies to develop vocabulary quicker.

Call for more graduates “oversimplifies problem” Save the Children says that there is a shortage of 11,000 graduate early years teachers in England. It argues that this means that 300,000 children are “at greater risk of falling behind before they start school”. The comments follow a Freedom of Information request which revealed that 48% of children attending an early years setting in England do not have access to a graduate teacher. But the Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said that this risked reducing a “complex issue to a simple solution”. Save the Children also found that the number of people enrolling on Early Years Initial Teacher Training courses has fallen for the past four years in a row, with only 595 people starting a course in the past year. This update comes shortly after the Department for Education withdrew its plans to undertake a graduate feasibility study. Neil said: “No one would argue that a child’s background should prevent them from realising their potential, and

it’s right that recent ministerial pledges to get children school-ready are tested - particularly at a time when the early years sector faces a funding crisis. “But it’s vital that, in looking for ways to improve quality across early education, we do not reduce a complex issue to a simple solution and a call for higher qualifications. Parents and providers who do not employ degree-level staff know quality is about more than staff’s academic achievements, and that a degree is not the sole marker of the experience, passion and in-depth knowledge high quality practitioners need.” Steven McIntosh, director of UK poverty at Save the Children, said: “Instead of lowering ambitions for childcare quality, the government should keep its promise to address the crisis in training, recruiting and retaining these underpaid and undervalued teachers. All of our little ones should have access to nursery care led by an early years teacher. Without action, we’ll be letting down our next generation.”

“Parents and providers know that quality is about more than academic achievements”

Government updates disqualification by association rules The government has announced that childcare practitioners will no longer be disqualified from providing or working in non-domestic childcare settings because someone who lives or works in their household is disqualified. The update comes in response to a consultation on the topic, which ran from May 2016 to July 2016, and the changes are now due to come into effect this month. The government said: “It is clear from the consultation that there is a significant consensus that the current arrangements are widely considered unfair and that they represent a disproportionate response to the risk to children.” Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “Any changes to

government regulations impacting schools and early years providers should always have the safety and wellbeing of children as their utmost priority, and so we are both disappointed and concerned that the government has decided on a wholesale removal of existing disqualification by association rules. Neil added: “We remain disappointed that, despite representations from the Alliance, the government chose to limit this consultation to schools and group providers, and to exclude childminders. While we recognise that there are key differences between the way in which these settings operate, and that this will inevitably have an impact on the way that disqualification by association rules should be applied, this was never a reason to exclude childminders from the scope of the consultation completely.”

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Education secretary pledges support for early language skills Criteria for Level 2 qualifications updated The Department for Education (DfE) has published its response to the consultation on criteria for level 2 childcare qualifications. The DfE says it will now be removing the word ‘assistant’ from the title, changing it to: ‘level 2 practitioner’. It says it will also remove references to ‘curriculum’, using the more accurate ‘statutory guidance’ instead. The safeguarding criteria has also been strengthened to cover types of abuse, legal requirements and an explanation of the practitioner’s role in safeguarding measures. The communication section has been strengthened to include children with ‘delayed speech’ and the involvement of parents in planning/assessment for special education needs and disabilities (SEND) has been strengthened. Oral hygiene and dental care have also been added to the ‘health and safety’ and ‘wellbeing’ sections - updated from the previous ‘health and safety’ and ‘health and welfare’ sections, where some duplication was noted.

New report finds little change in disadvantage gap The disadvantage gap has remained largely stable between 2016 and 2017, according to the Education Policy Institute’s (EPI) Annual Report for 2018. The gap between disadvantaged children and their peers was said to be an average of 4.3 months. The EPI said that there has been “little change” in this since 2016. The EPI, an independent thinktank, compared the average total point score on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile to previous years. In 2017, the average total point score was 34.5 – the same as in 2016. However, in the years before 2016, the average level of attainment had been increasing. The EPI estimates that at this rate, it will take more than 100 years to close the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers at secondary level. Its report recommends that the government ensure that all children have access to high-quality

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The 12-week online consultation on the changes closed on 28 February 2018 after receiving 164 responses. The DfE also met with groups of employer and practitioners and its expert reference group (ERG) to discuss the proposals. Velda Bartholomew, training operations manager at the Alliance, commented: “With this qualification playing such an important role in recruitment and retention in the sector, we’re pleased that the government has decided to replace the proposed title of ‘Level 2 assistant’ with ‘Level 2 practitioner’ in response to consultation feedback. “Of course, this is only one part of building a high quality early years workforce, and with the recent decision to scrap early years graduate proposals, it remains to be seen how much progress will be made on the implementation of the early years workforce strategy as a whole. Nevertheless, the development of this new qualification, which will provide learners with the skills and understanding they need to support the delivery of high-quality care and education in the early years sector, is a welcome and positive step.”

early years provision, as this supports healthy development, while also offering a chance for children with additional needs to be supported at an early age. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “As this report rightly points out, equal access to high-quality childcare and early education plays a key role in ensuring that children from more disadvantaged backgrounds have the same opportunities as their peers. But of course, this has to be supported by sensible government policy and EPI is also right to point out that current early years policy - and in particular, the 30 hour and tax-free childcare - does little to help achieve this aim, disproportionately benefiting wealthier families over and above those more in need of support. “It is by now well-established that if you want to improve a child’s life chances, you need to start in the early years. If the government truly is committed to ‘closing the gap’, it must not only invest what’s needed into the sector, but also make sure that this money is being spent where it will have the greatest impact.”

Education secretary Damian Hinds has promised to halve the number of children starting school without expected levels of early reading and speaking skills within the next decade. “It is a persistent scandal that we have children starting school not able to communicate in full sentences, not able to read simple words,” he said in a speech at the Resolution Foundation.

“If the government is truly committed to closing the gap, it should confirm exactly how it plans to safeguard the future of children’s centres” Hinds said that the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is a particular concern in the early years because as children “rarely catch up”. He said: “Your peers don’t wait, the gap just widens. This has a huge impact on social mobility.” The minister is now planning to form a “coalition” of businesses, charities and technology companies to encourage parents to read with their children, starting with a summit due to be held later this year. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said: “Unfortunately, the government’s actions to date on this simply haven’t matched its rhetoric, and it is incredibly disappointing that a speech about this important issue failed to highlight to the role of one of the most crucial sources of early and family support: children’s centres. “If it is the case, as Mr Hinds argues, that many parents would benefit from ‘extra support and advice’ in encouraging the development of their children’s early communication skills, why has the government all but abandon its children’s centre policy? It’s now three years since the Department for Education promised – but failed to deliver – a review into the future of these vital services and in the time since, many have been forced to close their doors as a result of sustained funding cuts. “If the government is truly committed to ‘closing the gap’, it should stopping dragging its feet, and confirm exactly how it plans to safeguard the future of children’s centres and ensure that those families that need it most have access to the early support services that they need.”

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Getting activ e

Children at Pl ay Days Playgr oup in Rednal medals after have been aw taking part in arded certific an ‘Active Kids C ates and races and sp lass’. The clas orts games de ses involve a sig ne variety of d to encourage so coordination cial, physical skills. A total an of d 18 ha ch nd ild -to-eye re n joined in, ru throwing bean nning across bags into buck hi gh et -b s, ea ba ms, la ncing eggs on tunnels. Julie Kite-Lightfoot spoons and cr , le aw ad lin er g at th rough the setting, sa winner and to id: “The child ok pride in th ren were all eir presentatio enjoyable mor ns at th e end of the se ning for all.” ssion. It was a lovely

40th anniver sary

Frimley Green Pre-school in Camberley ha 40th annivers s celebrated ary with a pa its rty at tended by ch families. The ildren, staff an setting has ev d olved from a pre-school an playgroup into d still takes an a active role in including an its local comm annual appear unity, ance at the ca rnival.

Keeping cool Children at Hopscotch Day Nursery in Kelvedon Hatch kept cool during this summer’s heat wave with weekly supervised swimming lessons. The sessions include nursery rhymes, clapping, splashing and playing games. Amanda, manager at the setting, said: “The children have absolutely loved their swimming lessons every week and have all gained so much confidence in the water.” 8

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ore, Green, Stanm s in Croxley rie se ur to N is s oys & Girl of mini tenn Children at B d a session ye jo en , is Club rd nn fo assiobury Te orth and Wat urnament. C Rickmansw to on ant ball ed rt bl po to learn im is year’s Wim the children celebrate th ed lp ds. he en d fri r an is with thei ur settings e of mini tenn visited the fo m ga a d ye they all enjo skills before

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Walk in the woods

Play Days Active Kids from St Stephens Church in Rednal has visited the local Lickey Hills Visitor Centre for a walk in the woods. The children followed picture clues leading them

Out and about Little Squirrels parent and child group in Torquay has been enjoying outdoor sessions in the local nature park. The group has been following forest school activities including building tree pictures from branches and leaves and walking through long grass.

on a trail which eventually led to a giant teddy bear. They were then rewarded with a play session in the playground at the end as well as a teddy bears’ picnic. Julie Kite-Lightfoot, leader at the setting, said: “It was a lovely morning and great to see the children appreciating the beautiful countryside on our doorstep.”

Garden celebrations

Dingley’s Promise, a charity which supports children under five with additio nal needs and disabilitie s, has hosted a 35 th anniversa ry party. Special guests included new charity patron Pa ralympic champion He len e Raynsford (pictured) and children’s TV pre senter Timmy Mallet, as well as donor s, supporters and loc al mayors and councillors. Cathe rine McLeod, chief exe cutive at the charity, said: “We were honoured to hav e so many of our supporters at the event to celebrate 35 yea rs of life changing support for families in Berkshire . Din gley’s Promise is unrecogni sable from what it wa s wh en it was formed by parents at the Battle Hospital bac k in 1983.”

Out and about

e enjoyed a ldcare in Nottingham hav Children at Red Lion Chi songs and y made a campfire, sung day out in the woods. The find a r the fire before walking to roasted marshmallows ove to an ice , the children were treated ‘chip shop’. To end the day top. cream with sprinkles on

ion gap ed a generat t St Peter has form t e h t g n n Chalfon Bridgi e Chalfo ursery in are hom

r the al c ups N oncert fo ts at loc Butterc residen formal c h in it n w th a o ip d from b rforme friendsh e. Staff dren pe m il o h h c is e e th h th t T ents at ping tha Lodge. nd resid now ho a re ts a n e re g t Lod their pa Chalfon ethers. ups and get-tog y Butterc n a m f o e first will be th

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

HAVE YOUR SAY

Letters to the editor STAR LETTER Changing mat warning Myself and a group of volunteers run a parent and toddler group in Nottingham and we wanted to alert Alliance members to a recent incident. A long pin with a pearl on one end was found pushed through the changing mat on our premises. Because of the position of the pin – facing upwards – it would appear that this was a deliberate act. It would have caused serious harm if it had not been spotted. We have removed the mat and warned parents to be vigilant. But a childminder has informed us that this has happened before elsewhere so I wanted to let other members know to keep an eye out. Name and setting supplied

of the ridiculous ‘my idea is better than yours’ game of politics. Call it social mobility, call it peer-to-peer support, call it early intervention, call it whatever you need in order to give the people who do understand it the freedom from over-complicated legislation and the soundbites of rhetoric that our sector is constantly burdened with! Our children need us to be their advocates. On behalf of our children, I urge the minister to be brave enough to truly listen to the sector. Enough is enough. Jo Morris-Golds, manager, Playsteps Day Nursery and spokesperson for Champagne Nurseries on Lemonade Funding, via Alliance Facebook page

Politicians and policies When oh when will successive ministers and governments stop using our vital children’s early years for their own self-serving agendas? I’m sick to death of our phenomenal sector being part

Send your letters to Under 5 magazine, Pre-school Learning Alliance, 50 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8RT or email: editor.u5@pre-school.org.uk using the subject line ‘Letters’.

This issue’s star letter wins a copy of The Case of the Red-Bottomed Robber! by Richard Byrne. The story follows Sergeant Blue as he tries to solve the mystery of the stolen chalk drawings. Illustrated in chalkboard style throughout, the book offers children a chance to participate in the investigation and keep wondering what happens next. We’ve got three more copies to give away on Facebook this month – head to the Alliance’s Facebook page this month for your chance to win one yourself. www.facebook.com/PreschoolLearningAlliance

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BEST PRACTICE

Could it be sepsis? The Sepsis Trust explains the symptoms of sepsis and how you can spot them in young children

epsis, which is also sometimes called blood poisoning, is a rare but serious reaction to an infection that causes the body to attack its own organs and tissues. If not spotted early and treated quickly, it can rapidly lead to organ failure and even death. Every year, 250,000 people in the UK are affected by sepsis – and 25,000 of these are children. A quarter of those that survive sepsis will suffer from permanent, life changing effects. Up to five people are said to die from the condition every hour in the UK. We still don’t know why some people who get an infection develop sepsis and others don’t. Anyone can develop sepsis after an infection or injury, but some people are more likely than others to get it, including very young children or those receiving medical treatment that weakens their immune system. Children who have recently had surgery or have wounds or injuries as a result of an accident are also more likely to develop sepsis.

How to spot sepsis in children A child may have sepsis if he or she: is breathing very fast has a fit or convulsion looks mottled, bluish or pale has a rash that does not fade when you press it is very lethargic or difficult to wake feels abnormally cold to touch

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A child under the age of five may have sepsis if he or she: is not feeding is vomiting repeatedly has not been to the toilet or had a wet nappy in 12 hours Check the child’s temperature, call their parents immediately and seek immediate help if they have a temperature of: over 38ºC in a baby under three months old over 39ºC in a baby aged three to six months under 36ºC (check three times in a 10 minute period) any high temperature in a child who can’t be encouraged to show an interest in anything If a child has any of these symptoms, you should call 999 or take them straight to A&E. If a child in your setting becomes unwell with either a fever or very low temperature – or you are aware that they have had a fever in the past 24 hours – you should call 999. Make sure that you ask: “Could it be sepsis?”

Treating sepsis Doctors can undertake tests to confirm whether or not a child has sepsis, but treatment may even start before it has been diagnosed to give them the best chance of

recovery if they do. The child will probably be admitted to hospital and may be kept in intensive care, depending on how serious their situation is. If they are treated promptly, children are likely to make a full recovery, although they may not be well enough to return to your setting immediately. We can’t always prevent sepsis, but if it does strike getting help early on can stop it in its tracks. The first, vital step is to ensure that families and practitioners are aware of the condition. If a child is ill with an infection, knowing to ask health workers “Could it be sepsis?” could possibly save a life. Avoiding infections can help reduce the risk of sepsis. Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle and paying attention to sanitation and hygiene are both important. Children should regularly wash their hands and practitioners should ensure, where possible, that they avoid possible contact between people with symptoms of infection and vulnerable children by adhering to exclusion times for children who are poorly. Encouraging families to have their children vaccinated as per the recommended routine immunisation schedule will also help play a part in preventing the thousands of needless deaths every year caused by this deadly condition.

Find out more For more information about sepsis, visit sepsitrust.org.uk

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30 hours fund the scheme so far I

If there’s one government policy that has preoccupied the early years sector over the past year, it’s the 30 hours offer. For years, providers have struggled to remain sustainable in the face of inadequate funding and rising business costs. But it’s the doubling of the funded entitlement for three- and four-yearolds from some working families in England that has been the source of one of the biggest sector outcries in recent years. The government, however, argues that the scheme has been a huge success, with hundred and thousands of parents benefitting from significant saving on their childcare bills. So how exactly has the scheme fared since its nationwide launch last September?

Funding Despite continued outcry from the early years sector, the government has yet to commit to any further increases for the PVI sector. In April 2018, rates for the new financial year came into effect, with more than 100 of the 152 local authorities in England seeing no change in funding rates and 21 actually seeing a decline. Earlier this year, leading early years research company Ceeda published new data which revealed an average funding shortfall for three- and four-year-olds of 17%, rising to 32% for two-year-olds. The organisation estimates that, in total, the PVI sector is facing a funding shortfall of £500 million each year.

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Take-up Unsurprisingly, the 30-hour offer has been hugely popular with parents. The most recent government statistics show that by the summer term of 2018, 340,000 children were in a 30 hours place. That said, it’s worth noting that this represents only 90% of the 380,000 codes issued to parents – so 40,000 places have yet to be taken up. Regional statistics reveal disparities in take-up across the country, with some local authorities reporting that as few as 55% of parents who have requested a code actually taking up a place. This could, of course, be due to a number of reasons – such as a parent applying for a code and then later deciding to take up a place with a provider who is not offering the 30 hours. But with so many providers reporting that they have been forced to restrict 30 hours places as a result of inadequate funding, it’s likely that a significant proportion of that 40,000 are families who want a 30 hours place but have been unable to access one.

Childcare service The online Childcare Service system, which parents are required to use to register and renew eligibility for the 30 hour offer, (and the tax-free childcare scheme) has been heavily criticised since its launch.

An Alliance provider survey, published in January, found that of those respondents who had received parental complaints relating to the 30 hours, 84% had received complaints about the online application process. However, HMRC insists that the vast majority of the problems previously experienced with the system have now been addressed. It claims that the service is now available more than 99% of the time and that customer satisfaction is now consistently exceeding 80%.

Payment delays In addition to concerns about inadequate funding rates, many providers have complained about the timing of local authority funding payments, particularly those made in arrears. This causes significant cash-flow problems for a number of settings. As of this month, all councils in England will be expected to pay providers on a monthly basis, unless providers have requested an “alternative sustainable method of payment”. However, some settings are still likely to face challenges. One told the Alliance in a recent survey: “Our payments are received as 25% each month of an estimate of hours, until the full settled amount is paid at the end of term, often leaving us out of pocket and unable to balance the books, as the exact funding is usually higher than the estimate.”

30 HOURS

ded childcare: Shannon Pite, press and public affairs director at the Alliance, looks back at the first year of the 30 hours offer

Closures

Government view

While there has been much anecdotal evidence about a sharp increase in provider closures as a result of the 30 hours, there is, to date, little hard evidence available to support this. The latest Ofsted statistics show that the number of childminders in the sector continues to decrease – however, this has been a consistent trend for a number of years now. For group settings, the number of providers has actually remained stable over time, with an increase of 50 providers between December 2017 and March 2018 and a total decrease of just 2% since August 2012. As such, it will be important to monitor future Ofsted statistics to see if the impact of the 30 hour offer on setting sustainability becomes more evident on a national scale.

Despite the ongoing concerns raised across the sector, the government has continued to insist that there are no issues with the 30 hours scheme and, in particular, funding levels. In March, the cross-party Treasury Committee, chaired by former education secretary and Conservative MP Nicky Morgan, criticised the government for using “misleading” funding data when defending the 30 hours offer. The committee called on the DfE to increase funding rates and ensure that these are updated annually to reflect rising delivery costs. However, responding to a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron in May, children and families minister Nadhim Zahawi insisted that “no nursery needs protecting from the introduction of 30 hours free childcare”. Speaking in Parliament a month later, he went on to describe the 30 hours offer as a “success story”.

Eligibility In June 2018, the Department for Education confirmed that it would be extending the 30 hour offer to foster carers, following crossparty lobbying led by Conservative MP and Education Committee chair Robert Halfon. The change, which comes into effect this month, will see the scheme offered to carers who “engage in paid work” outside of their role as foster parents. There is no minimum requirement on the number of hours foster carers must work, or the amount they must earn, in order to be eligible for the offer.

Campaigning and lobbying The Alliance has continued to lead the campaign for fairer funding for the early years sector: our Fair Future Funding campaign now has around 5,400 practitioner supporters and over 1,000 parent supporters. The All-Party Parliamentary Group for

Childcare and Early Education, of which the Alliance is a founding sponsor, has also given the sector an important voice in Parliament. The group recently hosted a 30-hours Lobby Day which saw around 50 MPs and peers from various political parties meet up with providers to hear their experiences of 30 hours, and pledge to work in Parliament to support the sustainability of the sector. Over the summer, the Alliance has also been carrying out a survey on provider experiences of the first year of the 30 hours, as well as working with leading parenting network Mumsnet to gain an insight into parent experiences. The results will be published this month and used to support our campaigning and lobbying work on the issue. The full results will be published in the October issue of Under 5.

hat can Want I do? to h Future elp support th Fundin g cam e Fair paign? Visit w ww.pr e-sch fairfut o urefun ol.org.uk/ d in g to: • sign up as • enco a supporte r of th urage e cam you paign paren r parents to • dow t join as suppo nload r te a r te s write to m your lo plate letter to help cal MP you an factfile d a 30-hou to help rs inform y about our argume nts 30 hou rs.

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NUTRITION

Working with parents Sundip Malhi, registered associate nutritionist and Gill Kelsall, registered nutritionist, at the Early Years Nutrition Partnership, share ideas for speaking to parents about healthy eating

t is important to establish good nutrition and hydration from an early age. In fact, encouraging children to eat well and learn about food in their early years not only protects their health when they are young, but also sets the foundations for their future health and wellbeing. Early years settings are already making great steps towards healthy nutrition and hydration, and it is important that parents are informed and engaged so that they can continue this good work at home. Communicating with parents is fundamental to ensuring that children are provided with consistent messages around food and drinks to embed healthy eating behaviours. Parents often tell practitioners that children won’t eat or drink certain foods at home but do eat them at the setting – such as plain water. Practitioners can share how they encourage children to try these items so that parents can apply the same strategy at home. For example, you may act as a role model by drinking only plain water and removing all sugary drinks from view. One setting currently working with the Early Years Nutrition Partnership recently held a ‘healthy hydration week’. They shared information with parents about the importance of drinking water and taught children about hydration. The setting learned a healthy hydration song and undertook practical activities. These activities included adding fruit or vegetables to water, using use cubes, freezing fruit into ice cubes and decorating their own water cup. This had a great effect on children, parents and staff, who all noticeably increased the amount of water that they drank. Parents often need guidance in this area and practitioners can be the first point of contact for advice on these matters. Therefore, it is important that practitioners feel confident and able to respond to questions appropriately. A member of staff could be appointed as the nutrition lead to ensure that everyone is kept up-to-date on nutrition.

Ideas for speaking to parents about nutrition: Help children to make a five-a-day fruit and vegetable calendar that can be kept on the fridge at home. This will act as a daily reminder of the importance of eating at least five fruit and vegetables every day. Invite parents to interactive cooking sessions with their children. You could bake healthy muffins – use less sugar, add fruit or vegetables and replace some of the white flour with wholemeal flour. Parents can work with children to think up their own healthy muffin ideas. Use the theme of oral health in the setting – you can explain the importance of brushing teeth, eating and drinking healthily – and make sure the information is shared. You could also suggest possible activities to do at home to maximise the impact of the theme. Share the recipes for favourite, healthy meals that children have enjoyed at your setting. Parents could try cooking these with their children at home and eat the meals as a family. Settings could put together a recipe book of favourite recipes and email it to parents. Hold some information sessions for parents when you notice concerns. For example, practitioners may have identified that children are being dropped off whilst drinking sugary drinks or eating sweets. In this instance, the setting could provide an informative sugar awareness session. This might be as simple as an interactive stand near the entrance of the setting, which practitioners could use to do a quick, five or 10 minute session explaining the hidden sugars in popular foods and drinks, or you may wish to hold a longer workshop. Set up a space to grow fresh fruits and vegetables in your outdoor space. Involve children in nurturing the produce and ask for parent volunteers to help maintain the crops. Once harvested, send home some fresh produce for children to cook with their parents.

Put up displays around the setting about nutrition and update them regularly. This could include information displays, current topics and menu information. A great way of capturing parents attention is by displaying photographs of their children enjoying activities at the setting – including meal or snack times, during a cooking activity or brushing their teeth. Try out a healthy eating campaign week focusing on one specific goal – it could be the five-a-day message, oral health or hydration. Adapt the environment so that it is clear that the setting is doing something different this week. For example, you could set up a role play area in a prominent space, put up a display or have a dress-up corner. Parents should be informed in advance and could be invited to join in with activities or sent challenges to complete at home. Ask children to complete some healthy activities at home. This could be an extension of some work started at the setting – such as planting cress seeds. Or you could ask them to keep consistent with some of the eating habits they have been practising at the setting – such as eating a rainbow of fruit and vegetables, having breakfast on the weekend or setting the dining table. Ask parents to share pictures of them trying similar activities at home.

Find out more The Early Years Nutrition Partnership is working to improve the future health outcomes of young children by setting a standard for nutrition practice in early years settings. It is an independent social enterprise created in partnership with the Alliance, the British Nutrition Foundation and Danone Early Life Nutrition. To find out how the Partnership can help your setting, visit: www.eynpartnership.org or email hello@eynpartnership.org or follow @EYNpartnership on Twitter

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LAW-CALL

Committee groups:

what you need to know concern of all the others. If you are absent from The team behind the a meeting, you will still be responsible for any Law-Call service, available to decisions made when you were not present. Alliance members, explains Your absence does not absolve you from any all you need to know about responsibility or liability. committee-run settings Dealing with employees Often thought of as a thankless and timeconsuming task, being part of a committee can actually be an excellent personal development activity. Yes, it will take up some of your time, but you will potentially learn many things and have an opportunity to use your own knowledge, skills and perspective to benefit an early years setting. As a member of a management committee, you will play an important role in the organisation as one of the leaders and decision makers. Management committees have ultimate responsibility for directing the activity of an organisation, ensuring it is well run and delivering the outcomes for which it has been set up as detailed in the charity’s government document – often called the constitution or memorandum and articles. It is, however, essential that you are familiar with your governing document. It acts as a user’s guide to the organisation and should set out clear rules for you to follow.

Responsibilities If things go wrong, it is the committee members that will be called into account. You need to be aware of this and therefore always act in the best interests of the organisation and its beneficiaries, following all the requirements of law and regulation. Responsibility is collective – if there are any legal or financial repercussions from decisions made by the committee, then all members of that group will liable in equal proportion. The behaviour of one member is the

If your organisation employs staff, the management committee is essentially their employer. You will be involved in recruitment, supervision and appraisals. You will need to ensure that employees receive written terms of employment and should consult with employees regarding any changes in their terms, redundancies and/or mergers. You should also ensure that employee liability insurance is in place. Staff might tell committee members that they should not interfere in day-to-day operations. While you should allow staff and volunteers to carry out any functions delegated to them, you should also ensure that delegation is properly exercised through appropriate monitoring and reporting procedures. It’s important to have clear and appropriate channels of communication between staff and the management committee.

Managing resources Part of your role is to hold people, including staff, volunteers and fellow committee members, to account for how they use the organisation’s resources. You may have to ask challenging questions at meetings or be prepared to say you do not understand what something means. For example, all committee members, not just the treasurer, are responsible for the charity’s finances and should be able to understand, consider and comment on financial information.

Personal liability It’s extremely rare, but not impossible, for the

management committee to be held personally liable for any financial loss caused by them acting improperly, or by a third party making a legal claim against the charity that can’t be met by the charity itself. For example, this may arise as a result of breaches of an employee’s terms, conditions or rights. It may also arise if the charity has failed to pay for goods or services, or if it has not fulfilled the terms of a contract, or if a member of the public has been injured on the premises. If the organisation is incorporated, the organisation itself will be liable for the claim. But if it is unincorporated, the organisation would usually meet any liabilities that you incur as a committee member, provided that you have acted honestly and reasonably. However, if you incur liabilities that exceed the value of the organisation’s assets, you could be liable for any amount that the organisation can’t cover. This is particularly important to bear in mind if the organisation has been dipping into a contingency fund to cover its ongoing costs. This could result in you being personally liable for any notice and redundancy payments if the setting ultimately closes. Understanding potential liabilities will help you to protect yourself and your organisation by taking action to reduce the risk. This includes complying with your duties. It also includes deciding whether your charity should become incorporated, for example as a company or charitable incorporated organisation (CIO).

More information Alliance members can access Law-Call, a 24-hour helpline offering advice on legal issues concerning your business. Contact details can be found on your membership card. Alternatively, contact Information Services, with your membership number for Law-Call’s details on 020 7697 2595.

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Breaking Steady Steps Pre-school, winner of this year’s outstanding early years team award at the Alliance member awards, has been working to improve the emotional health of children

rotecting children’s wellbeing and mental health are key concerns for all early years practitioners. But Steady Steps Pre-school, based in Gosport, has decided to ensure that this is prioritised with an emotional health co-ordinator. Based in a military town, the setting sees a lot of parent absenteeism. This often impacts on children’s behaviour, with many parents concerned about disrupted sleep, short tempers and outbursts of anger. “Children were running on a short fuse,” Julie Pickthall, manager at the setting, explains. “We were having a lot of discussions about challenging behaviour and parents were asking for our support.” Rather than focus on treating these behaviours, Julie wanted to find the underlying causes. She also works as a child protection officer and during one hearing she was surprised to hear what little emotional support there would be for a three-year-old she was representing. This was despite a focus on the emotional wellbeing of their older siblings. “I

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got the impression that they thought this child was too young to understand,” Julie says. “But trauma, abuse and separation all affect young children as well.” Realising that something needed to change, she spoke with her colleague Diane Duffield, now emotional health co-ordinator at Steady Steps. Diane had just completed a degree in early childhood studies and had already spoken with Julie extensively about the need for additional emotional support in the early years. “I didn’t yet know what [the new role] would look like but I knew it was a new idea and that it was going to incorporate early years theories,” Julie says.

Emotional health co-ordinator Knowing that Diane would be perfect for the new role, Julie asked her join Steady Steps in the newly created emotional health co-ordinator position. “She’s a very nurturing practitioner, so I knew she was going to be

right, whatever the role eventually became.” Diane works closely with key workers at Steady Steps to create tailored activities for each child’s particular needs. Before a child is referred to Diane, their parents are asked to give their written consent and are kept closely involved with the practitioners’ work. Steady Steps now has a tracking system in place to identify when a child might benefit from an intervention. Diane considers whether the child in question is able to cope with the current changes to their routine. She then sets targets for the next six weeks, setting these in agreement with the child, their key person and their family. “Tracking enables us to evaluate the effectiveness of the emotional health co-ordinator role,” she explains. “Results so far have been significant and far-reaching.”

Changes at home In one example, a very content young girl had suddenly started behaving differently. She

BEST PRACTICE

the cycle had become angry and was having regular outbursts at home. After speaking with her mother, Diane and her key person learned that her father worked in the navy and had recently returned home after nine months away. While he had been away, the girl had been sleeping in her parents’ bedroom but had suddenly been moved back to her own bedroom on his return. One of the ways they are helping to mitigate similar problems in the future is with a new guide given to parents – ‘the deployment book’. It explains how parents can support children during deployment and prepare them for when they return. This is now shared at the setting’s regular coffee mornings. Diane says: “Testimonials from parents suggest that the support offered to children at Steady Steps has improved family relationships.” The emotional health co-ordinator also works with children through more difficult periods of stress. Diane says: “The role provides support for children affected by and still suffering with forms of toxic stress as a

result of adverse childhood experiences.” She uses crafts, small world and puppets to help children recognise, label, express and regulate their feelings through playful experiences. Steady Steps is also working closely with any new settings that children move into as well as reception teachers when they move up to school. This ensures that there is a smooth transition for any children receiving support through the emotional health co-ordinator.

The next steps The setting is now expanding the scheme, offering training to other practitioners in the area. They partnered with the Hampshire Educational Psychology Team to create a five-day course on emotional health for five-year-olds. The course has helped to train 10 new emotional health co-ordinators, who they suggest should not already be acting as a setting’s SENCO. “We don’t see this as SEN,” Julie says. She believes that emotional health is important enough to demand its

own, separate role. “If we label this as SEND it becomes a behavioural issue, not an emotional one. It should be kept separate to the work of a SENCO – not least because they already have a busy enough job.” The setting is now planning to deliver the course elsewhere and has dreams of the emotional health coordinator idea going nationwide. Portsmouth University has already been observing work at the setting and is planning to publish an academic paper on its findings within the next few years. Julie would also like to develop a new course for parents, who she believes are always key to supporting children’s emotional health. She suggests that all settings work closely with parents, asking them to share any important updates that could impact on a child’s emotional health – from moving house, to getting a new sibling or saying goodbye to a pet. Diane adds: “Helping children to rationalise their feelings addresses the causes of their behaviour, rather than just the behaviour itself.”

Moving goalposts Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at the Alliance, explains the government’s proposed changes to the Early Learning Goals

n June 2018, the Department for Education published a revised version of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), including a new set of Early Learning Goals. These new goals are only proposals at the moment, but could form the expected levels of attainment at the end of the EYFS, if introduced. The proposed goals will be piloted in a selected number of schools from September 2018 onwards. The revised EYFS sees some early learning goals moved into different learning areas, some categories changed and some goals removed altogether. It is important to note that no changes to safeguarding and welfare requirements have been proposed. However, if a new version of the EYFS is approved, safeguarding requirements are likely to be updated to reflect any changes to regulatory requirements, including the updated disqualification by association rules. The pilot EYFS has not changed the number of Early Learning Goals from the existing 17. However, each of these goals has been replaced with a series of bullet points, starting with the statement: “Children at the expected level of development will…”

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In effect, the proposed EYFS may be considered to have 45 separate learning goals, presented in such a way that a teacher can answer whether a child has achieved each one with a tick or a cross. Each new learning area is now introduced by a paragraph explaining the importance of the subject and how the educational programmes should be approached.

Changes to areas of learning and development Communication and language The three goals within communication and language (‘listening and attention’, ‘understanding’ and ‘speaking’) have been altered considerably. ‘Attention’ has been removed and ‘understanding has been reworked into ‘comprehension’ with the new ‘reading’ Early Learning Goal. Similarly, the expectation that children will be able to anticipate key events has been moved to the ‘reading’ goal as a requirement when they are listening to stories. Taken together, it can be argued that the focus is on the child receiving the teacher’s input in a correct manner rather

than being enthusiastically engaged with and stimulated the story-telling process.

Physical development The ‘moving and handling’ elements of physical development are now articulated as gross and fine motor skills. Greater detail is outlined for both the activities that children should do to ‘move energetically’ including running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing. It also says that a pencil should be held comfortably using the tripod grip.

Personal, social and emotional development The health and self-care elements previously included in physical development have been moved to personal, social and emotional development. The headings here have changed from the generally nurturing and supportive tone of: ‘self-confidence and self-awareness’, ‘managing feelings and behaviours’ and ‘making relationships’ into the more functional: ‘self-regulation’, ‘managing self’ and ‘building relationships’. Within these areas, there are some troubling changes of focus. ‘Self-regulation’

POLICY UPDATE

includes a requirement to ‘pay attention to their teacher and follow multi-step instructions’. Similarly, the previously broad expectation that children know the importance of exercise and diet and talk about was of keeping healthy has now become: “understand the importance of healthy food choices”. The ability to work as part of a group or class and understand the rules has become: “explain the reasons for rules and know right from wrong”.

Literacy Reading is divided into two dimensions: ‘word reading’ and ‘comprehension’. This draws in some elements from the ‘understanding’ requirement of communication and language from the current version of the EYFS, which emphasises that understanding is key to all communication. However, the focus has now been changed to: “children will understand what they have read or has been read to them”. The new requirements are more specific with children expected to ‘say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs”. They are also expected to “write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed”, amongst other things.

Maths

Expressive arts and design

The proposed changes to mathematics have drawn the greatest criticism from early years specialists, particularly the removal of the elements of ‘shape, space and measures’. Early years practitioners know that it is through these everyday applications of mathematical constructs – playing with shapes, positions, time and money – that young children develop an understanding of maths. This has now been replaced with functional requirements under the headings of ‘number’ and ‘numerical patterns’. The new version says that children should ‘have an understanding of numbers to 10’ – reduced from 20 in the current version – linking names of numbers, numerals, their value and their position in counting order, recognise quantities without counting up to five and automatically recall doubles up to “five plus five equals 10”.

Similar concerns have been raised about limiting nature of the new expressive arts and design goals. ‘Being imaginative’ has been replaced with ‘performing’. The previous goals encouraged children to “represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design, technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories”. Now, children are expected to merely ‘sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs’ and perform songs, rhymes and poems with others and, where appropriate, move in time with music. At the moment, these changes are all only proposals and subject to pilot testing. However, practitioners should reflect on them in order to respond to the consultation that the Department of Education has promised for next year. Decision-makers must hear the voice of practitioners who know and understand how children learn and develop.

Understanding the world Technology has been removed from the revised version of this goal, causing some concern. This seems to deny the importance of engaging with a range of technologies in settings, at home and in schools.

Next issue In the October issue of Under 5, Michael will consider the future implications of these proposed changes for the sector.

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BEST PRACTICE

Learning to love reading Under 5 speaks to Sarah Kingham, founder at Readit2, about how you can help children learn to love reading

ust 51% of children under five are read to every day, according to the annual Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer survey. This is down from 69% five years ago, with 19% of parents saying that they struggle to find the time to read with their three- or four-year-olds and 16% saying that their children prefer to do other things. This concerning trend has coincided with an increase in the use of tablets and other computers with young children. However, Sarah Kingham, founder at Readit2, is hoping to reach those children that aren’t regularly read to and foster an early love of reading. Sarah started her career as a teacher before moving into the early years where she now works as an advisor. Her Readit2 programme is designed for children aged two- to five-years-old and aims to help children develop pre-literacy skills to set a solid foundation for the rest of their education as they develop of a love of books and learning.

Emotional attachments “My own children learnt to read really quite easily,” Sarah says. “All I had done was sit with them with books, verbalising what was on each page.” As a former teacher, she was adept at using the right language and expressions to help them understand. But not all children are read to at home and many do not learn the fun of books and stories before they formally start learning to read at school. Sarah knew that more could be done in early years settings to help children who did not have this support at home. Creating an emotional attachment, similar to those usually formed at home, is key to Sarah’s approach. Children should be read to one-on-one and not just in a group. “You don’t get the same experience with all the children sat on a carpet with someone

reading at the front,” she says. Instead, she says that children should be read to alone, for around 10 minutes at a time. She adds: “All the research I have read states that the earlier you start reading and the longer you do it for, the deeper it becomes embedded in the child’s brain.” The short 10 minute sessions ensure that children don’t get bored and are still excited for the next session.

Getting comfortable Sarah suggests that settings create a suitable comfortable space for children to be read to. “But it has to be as comfortable for adults as it is for the children,” she says. Practitioners should think about how they like to read themselves at home or on holiday – whether it’s a magazine or book, most people will choose a quiet, comfortable spot on a sofa, bed or sun lounger. Where possible, this environment should be recreated in the setting. “Tiny places designed for children will not work,” Sarah says. Repeatedly reading the same books to children is said to be more beneficial than reading your way through a huge library of different titles as children learn through repetition. Sarah suggests settings invest in multiple copies – around 10 to 15 – of the same book so that they can be shared and taken home by the children. If you are working on a particular book as part of a longer project or termly theme, this can be a good place to start. “If you read from the same book every day, children will start to like it more,” Sarah explains. “You don’t need hundred of books, multiple copies of a few key ones will work better.”

Taking it home Involving parents and carers in the process is also key. Rather than asking them to read

the book, Sarah suggests telling them to use it as a prompt for conversation. “Tell them to ask questions about the book – the children will love to tell their parents or carers all about it,” she says. “Don’t just send children home with a book. The key is having those conversations to ensure they are talking about the book at home.” While speaking to every child’s parents or carers about this might seem a daunting task, Sarah suggests focusing on speaking to one parent or carer each day instead to get started. Many parents are not confident about starting to read with their child each day. “Particularly if they weren’t read to as a child either, they might find it difficult,” Sarah says. She has found that filming the reading sessions between trained practitioners and children is a great tool for sharing with parents on how to get started. Sharing these films with parents can help demonstrate the skills needed to get the most out of those short sessions. It will also show parents how well their children respond. “They can’t believe how long their children will sit still for, when they are experiencing an emotional bond and the somebody who is making them know that they matter,” Sarah says. These short reading sessions are also great for improving children’s wellbeing. “The book can be a vehicle for emotional attachments and help build up resilience,” Sarah says. This is particularly true for children with disorganised or insecure attachments at home. The calm, soothing space of the reading area and quieter time can all help here. Once they have learnt to enjoy books and stories, they will be eager to learn to read when they move on to reception. Sarah adds: “It’s not rocket science, it’s really just about maximising those 10 minutes of reading.”

Find out more To learn more about Readit2 and Sarah’s approach, visit www.readit2.org UNDER 5

TRAINING

Clean and healthy Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager at the Alliance, shares five steps for preventing the spread of infections in your setting Babies and young children have a relatively low state of immunity, as they have not previously been exposed to many specific germs. When they start attending an early years setting, they are exposed to an increased number of childhood infections and illnesses. It is not unusual for children to attend more

Any shared environment increases the risk, however, in an early years setting, children are in close proximity to each other for much of the time. They share toys and resources that can easily be contaminated with saliva, urine or faeces and are, of course, less likely to understand the importance of good hygiene practices such as washing hands.

than one setting, or to have older siblings who attend school. Therefore, the number of germs they come into contact with increases and infections are more easily spread.

All early years practitioners have an important role to play in preventing the spread of infection. The Early Years Foundation Stage (3.44) says that providers

must have a procedure for “responding to children who are ill or infectious, take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection and take appropriate action if children are ill”.

What is infection control? Infection control is concerned with the hygiene practices and the precautions that all practitioners take to prevent the spread of germs and the actions taken to control the spread of infection.

Here are five steps you can take to help prevent the spread of infection in your setting: 1. Good basic personal hygiene – in particular, make sure that staff and children wash their hands whenever they are obviously dirty and in the following circumstances: Before: • starting/finishing work • handling, preparing, serving or eating food, including preparing babies bottles • giving medication to a child or taking it yourself • using a computer keyboard • messy play activities such as dough, sand or water After: • touching anything that may be contaminated – including soiled clothing • contact with blood or bodily fluids • using the toilet or helping a child use the toilet or potty • changing nappies – even if gloves are worn • during an outbreak of diarrhoea and/or vomiting in the setting • blowing/wiping runny noses • any cleaning procedure • handling pets, pet cages or related items • outdoor play activities • after removing single use or other protective gloves 26

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2. Cover existing wounds or skin lesions – activities such as preparing and serving food, play dough, clay, gloop, sand or water play should be avoided by staff and children if they have open wounds on their hands. Lesions caused by skin conditions such as eczema may be particularly aggravated by such activities.

4. Have a clear procedure for cleaning toys, equipment and the environment – A regular cleaning schedule is essential in any early years environment to prevent the spread of infection. Germs cannot thrive on clean, dry surfaces. The cleaning schedule should cover the equipment and resources in each area, how often it is cleaned and by which method. Staff must always be prepared to clean up as they go along, using disposable paper towels for spillages of blood and/or bodily fluids, wearing gloves and plastic aprons. The frequency of these cleans should be increased during infection outbreaks. In some cases it may be necessary to close a setting while a deep clean takes place which involves cleaning carpets, curtains and all surfaces including walls.

3. Use appropriate single use personal protective equipment (PPE) – this includes aprons and gloves for nappy changing, cleaning up vomit or blood or any activity that involves the risk of contamination. PPE when used appropriately protects staff from germs and splashing, but also protects children from contamination from staff clothing. PPE is often single use and boxes of single use gloves or aprons are usually marked.

5. Understand and follow guidance for managing illness and infections – despite the best efforts of staff to prevent the spread of infection, it is inevitable that some children and staff will become poorly because many infections are contagious before any obvious symptoms appear. Early years settings are not equipped to manage ‘sick’ children. As a general principle, children with an infection should be kept at home while they have symptoms or are feeling unwell. The same rules apply to staff too.

Find out more This information is taken from Infection control in an early years setting - an online training course developed in partnership between the Alliance and EduCare, the Alliance’s special training partner. The course is included in the suite of safeguarding and duty of care courses that all Alliance members can access free-of-charge as part of their membership. To find out more, visit www.pre-school.org.uk/educare or contact alliance@educare.co.uk

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INSURANCE

TESTING THE LIMIT Vanessa Jamieson and Linda Moir, claims professionals at RSA, explain how increased compensation claims could affect your setting Is the insurance cover given by your employer’s liability or public liability policy adequate? It’s hard to imagine that limits of £1 million or even £2 million wouldn’t be enough, but unfortunately in some instances, claims can exceed these in the case of very serious injuries. After someone has had a very serious injury they may need a level of care to support their day-to-day life after the accident. The amount of compensation they are given is set based on the assumption that the lump sum awarded will be invested, generating enough income to meet these on-going care needs. This is called the discount rate, or Ogden rate.

DISCOUNT RATE UPDATE In February 2017, there was a change in the way this was calculated to reflect the low levels of interest being earned on investments. The lower rate means that a higher lump sum must be paid out to cover the cost of on-going care. This has increased costs for many insurance providers and subsequently businesses have seen their premiums rise. After a consultation last year, the government announced that the way the rate is calculated would change again and that the rate was likely to increase in the future, although it has not been confirmed exactly when this will happen.

This means that for the time being at least, some claims will still require a higher pay out. For example, an early years employee, aged 25 at the time, fell from a stepladder while putting up bunting for the setting’s summer fête. After landing awkwardly, they sustained a traumatic brain injury and were unable to return to work again. They may now require a modest degree of ongoing care for the remainder of their life. Under the current discount rate, the amount awarded as a lump sum in this scenario could be as high as £904,600 for their future loss of earnings and £1,199,850 for their ongoing care costs.

HIGH VALUE CLAIMS You may assume that the type of setting you operate does not involve high-risk activities and therefore your risk of being involved in a serious injury claim is small or non-existent. However, there have been cases in the past of high-value payouts following simple accidents. Previous high-value claims included an incident that saw a practitioner fell through a false ceiling while tidying an upstairs area and another when a practitioner slipped over outside while collecting the setting’s milk delivery. In the light of this, it might be worth reviewing your level of insurance cover. If you have enough in place already, remember to reconsider this if your setting expands or your circumstances

change in the future. You may take on more employees, volunteers or temporary workers. You may even expand your business or find that you now have a greater footfall of visitors. Any of these changes could expose your setting to a greater risk of these high-value claims and you may wish to increase your level of cover.

DIRECTORS’ AND OFFICERS’ COVER It’s vital to ensure that the cover provided by your liability policies is sufficient to protect the business against the risk of substantial claims. The same is true in respect of your directors’ and officers’ cover, which protects those who are the director, partner or officer of a company. A directors’ and officers’ policy provides indemnity to a director for defence costs in respect of any claims of a wrongful act. This could include a claim made against an individual director by an employee or an investigation and prosecution by HMRC, Ofsted or the Health and Safety Inspector, for example. So while the vast majority of claims made by early years settings don’t reach the dizzy heights of some of these examples, you may still wish to consider the limits on your current policy.

FURTHER INFORMATION 28

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If you have any queries about your Alliance insurance policy and legal cover, or would like to discuss the limits of your indemnity, please contact the insurance team on 020 7697 2585.

RESOURCES

Motivating learners: the practitioner’s role Understanding the way children learn is crucial, not just in helping them gain skills and knowledge more successfully, but also in supporting them to become confident, independent, resilient and motivated individuals equipped and ready for school and for life. Following the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning (Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS, 2017), practitioners should seek to provide young children with the opportunities and encouragement to explore, investigate, be creative and persevere in their learning. The EYFS outlines the characteristics of effective teaching and learning as: Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things and ‘have a go’ Active learning – children concentrate and keep on trying if they encounter difficulties and enjoy achievements Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas and develop strategies for doing things (Statutory Framework for the EYFS 2017) The role of the early years practitioner, as a key person, is vital in promoting the characteristics of effective learning. Certain skills and attributes are central in enabling the key person’s role to be more successful in supporting the children’s learning journey. Nurturing – A natural ability to care about the child means that you understand their uniqueness and can help them realise their potential. As a key person this is vital in understanding their needs and interests. Proficient – A proficient practitioner knows the child well and can scaffold their learning effectively. They know when to step in and support them to move forward in their learning, when to gradually reduce that support to allow the child to make more of their own choices and decisions, and when it is time for them to sit back and observe the child being independent and having their own ideas.

Motivational – An early years environment should always stimulate investigation. Practitioners can motivate children to be adventurous and foster their curiosity and problem solving abilities. They can make comments that encourage children to wonder and give them a chance to make decisions and choose resources that allow them to experiment and explore. Encouraging respect and tolerance – Understanding a child’s family background and culture and establishing positive partnerships with parents/carers is key to valuing their home environment and promoting their sense of identity in the setting. In turn, this gives a child a sense of belonging and boosts their self-esteem, enabling them to feel more self-

confident and self-motivated to ‘have a go’ and keep trying. Effective communicator – An effective partnership with parents requires a mutual sharing of not just what the child is learning, but also how the child is learning. In this way, you can help parents to understand the significance of their child learning through exploration, discovery and solving problems, giving them ideas of how to continue this at home. Being a good listener – Take the time to listen carefully to children, providing them with a calm space to voice their ideas and thoughts. This will enable you to understand them and their learning better and encourage the child to feel that their communication is valuable.

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10% off Inspiring every learner: how children learn in the early years Julia Gouldsboro £13.95 members, £19.50 non-members. REF: A019 Inspiring Every Learner demonstrates through practical examples, case studies and reflective questions how children learn through enabling environments. Rich, varied spaces, that offer stimulating resources, engaging learning opportunities and support for children to take risks and explore, allow children opportunities to play, discover, create, think and actively learn. It will enable practitioners to support children to build better brighter futures using the characteristics of effective teaching and learning as the foundation for their growth. Chapters cover each specific area of learning. They highlight the important role of the practitioner in enabling children to be Please visit shop.pre-school.org.uk, proactive and independent through call 0300 330 0996 or email play-based opportunities and effective shop@pre-school.org.uk. A P&P charge assessment. Also included is a ‘being of £3.75 will apply to each order. school ready’ and ‘ready for school’ form to identify the support needed for shop.pre-school.org.uk each child in preparation for moving on to school.

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New beginnings Melanie Pilcher, quality and standards manager at the Alliance, explains the importance of establishing starting points this September

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ACTIVITY CORNER

essional groups, full day-care and childminders alike are likely to be welcoming the arrival of new children this September or perhaps watching younger children move up from the baby room to a toddler group, or on to pre-school. September is a time for settling in, building new relationships with parents and carers, allocating key person roles and establishing new routines. It’s a time for starting again with new children as you get to know them and make plans for their learning and development. These early weeks can be overwhelming for both practitioners and children, as new attachments become more secure and the uniqueness of each individual child becomes familiar to you. Your new cohort of children will seem very young and vulnerable compared to the confident children you said goodbye to in July or August as they moved on to Reception. Think back to the child who cried every time they arrived, the child who would not share, or could not hold a pencil or recognise colours and numbers. You will now see them mirrored in the group of new children before you now. September is a good time to reflect on just how far your recent leavers have travelled, as you set foot on the path again with your new children and prepare to accompany them on their exciting learning adventure.

ensuring that they are happy and safe, and that their individual needs are met at all times. No child will ever thrive in an environment where their emotional wellbeing is not a priority. But sometimes this can come at the cost of not making an early and accurate assessment about where that child is in relation to each prime area of learning and development. An Ofsted inspector will look for evidence of how you gather information about what children know, what they can do and what they enjoy when they start to attend. They may also talk to staff and parents about the level of children’s social, communication and physical skills on entry. Importantly, they may also observe children who are new to the provision. One only has to read Ofsted reports about providers who have been judged as ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ to find recurring comments about practitioners that “do not gather very much information about children’s prior learning from parents when children first start to enable them to identify their starting points”. Where this is the case, the inspector is unlikely to be able to make a positive judgement about outcomes for children and the progress they are making towards the early learning goals.

Starting points

There is never a better opportunity than settling-in visits or home visits to gather information about children’s prior learning directly from parents. Asking them to complete forms such as ‘All About Me’ can be helpful, but do not replace the need for the key person and parent to spend time together, with the child in close proximity, feeling secure enough in their surroundings to be playing exploring naturally. The key person can then seek further background to a comment or concern that a parent makes and can begin to reflect on the characteristics of effective learning as they observe the child playing. Settling in can become a rushed process, especially when parents have work priorities or believe that their child does not need them to stay. It may well be the case that a child does not need the full extent of visits that are arranged or that they are secure enough for their parents to leave. Still, settling in and establishing starting points are inextricably linked and everyone involved needs to be

As your new children settle in, establishing their starting points is key to best practice. Having good and accurate knowledge of children’s starting points will enable you to support their learning and development from the outset, and make accurate assessments of their progress throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). It is also vital that any emerging concerns that may indicate a special educational need are recognised as early as possible to allow for appropriate strategies to be put in place at the earliest opportunity. Of course, children’s learning does not begin when they first step food inside your provision – whether they are aged two or three, or even younger. Children are learning from the moment they are born and will already have had many experiences that have started to shape their early development. When a child starts attending an early years setting, the emphasis is quite rightly on

How can practitioners identify a child’s starting points?

present – including key persons – talking directly to each other and taking their time. The challenge with asking parents to take away paperwork to complete and return at a later date is that vital information may be omitted. Instead, the face-to-face dialogue between parent and practitioner tells the ‘full story’ about the child and puts vital snippets of information into context. As practitioners, you are privileged to influence and support the new faces before you this term. It is only when they truly understand where they started that you will fully appreciate how far they have come in the months and years that they are with you.

ideas for establishing starting points Starting points in a child’s learning and development journey must be established from the time a child begins settling-in sessions. Your findings should be informed by discussions with a child’s parents, using information gained to make an accurate assessment based on what is deemed to be typical for their chronological age (in months). It is not appropriate to wait until a child has been at your setting for a period of time before making observations and an assessment of their starting points. ‘All About Me’ forms are helpful but they cannot replace direct communication between a key person and the child’s parents. A child’s starting points can only be established effectively if they are based on knowledge that is shared and agreed by parents. Starting points are important. A child’s learning journey starts long before they come to your setting. Ofsted will also expect to see evidence of how you have identified starting points and how you have used the information to plan and guide the child’s activities.

Find out more For settings that wish to find out more about the importance of starting points and transitions, the Alliance offers a resource pack – Moving On Up. Visit shop.pre-school.org.uk to purchase or email shop@pre-school.org.uk.

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NUTRITION

Being allergy aware The Infant & Toddler Forum provides information and advice on dealing with allergies in the early years setting

aking care of toddlers can be stressful at the best of times, but with a food allergy preparing food and deadling with mealtimes can become a worrying experience. Knowing what to do with a toddler who has food allergies is very important, so here we have explained which foods to look out for, what an allergic reaction would look like and our tips for working with parents.

Food and ingredients Between 2-4% of one- to three-year-olds experience food allergies or intolerances. Milk, eggs, wheat, fish, soya and peanuts are understood to be the most common food allergies. However, other ingredients including sesame, mustard, celery, lupin and kiwi fruit are also possibilities, although these cases are less frequent. Which foods should I take extra care with? milk and other dairy products including yoghurt, cheese and butter eggs peanuts and other nuts foods containing wheat fish and shellfish soya If you have any children with coeliac disease you will also need to check for foods containing wheat, rye and barley as they contain gluten.

Allergic reactions There are two different types of allergic reaction, those triggered by an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated or non-IgE

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mediated. The main difference you need to know between these is the speed of the reactions. Keep an eye out for the following symptoms:

IgE mediated reactions These tend to come on quickly and cause one or more of the following: exacerbation of eczema rashes, hives and itching facial swelling – lips, tongue or face wheezing and asthma vomiting or diarrhoea anaphylaxis – this is the most serious reaction, which can lead to respiratory or cardiac failure and a severe drop in blood pressure

Non-IgE mediated reactions These are similar but tend to develop more slowly – from two hours up to a couple of days after the food was eaten. They typically cause one or more of the following reactions: eczema abdominal pain and colicky symptoms like reflux, bloating, wind, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation wheezing The only way to manage a food allergy and to prevent these reactions from occurring is to avoid the food which causes the problem. Therefore, when you are giving out or preparing food, remember to: Read food labels – watch out for any foods that say ‘new’ or ‘improved recipe’. Download an app – smartphone or tablet apps can help. Simply scan the barcode on the packet and the ingredients will pop up. Find free-from lists – supermarkets and manufacturers make free-from lists that can

be helpful. Remember to check that you are using the most up-to-date list. Double-check the ingredients – even if you are using something from a free-from list or an app, always make sure you check the ingredients listed on the packaging.

Avoid cross contamination – wash your hands and utensils thoroughly and use different spoons when needed.

What to ask parents If parents are aware of their child’s allergy, it is a good idea to find out as much as possible: 1. Ask if the parents have a chef’s card or if they can get one. These can be downloaded online and can be shared with catering staff or when eating out – although parents should check the information with a dietician first. 2. Reassure parents that they can bring their own food from home for their child if they would prefer. That way you, and they, will know that there will always be something their toddler can safely eat and enjoy. These practical tips will help with any toddlers in your care that have a diagnosed food allergy. However, they are not substitute for a medical diagnosis or proper dietary advice from a dietician. It is important to encourage parents to see a dietician if they haven’t already. Dieticians will be able to advise them if their toddler’s diet is nutritionally balanced and can recommend suitable food substitutes. Toddlers who avoid certain foods due to food hypersensitivity should be regularly assessed by a doctor and/or dietician as they may need special supplements. To find out more about common nutritional problems and food hypersensitivity view our website at bit.ly/2vU6WVd

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.

COMPETITION

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The views expressed in Under 5 are not necessarily those of the Pre-school Learning 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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