OFSTED BLOG
The Chancellor recently announced an optional change to childcare ratios from 1:4 to 1:5 for two-year-old children. This change will apply from September 2023.
All other staff-to-child ratios remain the same.
While the Department for Education sets the ratios, Ofsted know that many providers find ratios complicated. The questions we get asked most frequently on our Childcare Registration Facebook page are about ratios.
How staff-to-child ratios work - Ofsted: early years (blog.gov.uk)
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Adding another setting to your nursery or other daycare organisation (EYS)
This guidance has been updated to clarify what you need to if you are moving to, or planning to operate from additional premises
Add another setting to your nursery or other daycare organisation (EYS) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Childcare regulatory changes
A reminder that there is a planned change to make the EYFS explicit around ‘adequate supervision’ while children are eating. This means children must be in sight and hearing of an adult at all times during eating.
The Government intend to proceed with this change in September 2023 subject to parliamentary procedure and state:
The safety of our youngest children is our priority and mealtimes and snack times for babies and young children can be a high risk environment for choking incidents. As a baby or young child who is choking can be completely silent, it is essential that children under five are within sight and hearing of staff members while eating so that immediate action can be taken if necessary to ensure their safety.
Choking
Did you know - sausages should be avoided due to their high salt content, but if offered to children they should be cut into thin strips rather than chunks and remove the skins?
Tragically, a child dies in the UK every month from choking and hundreds more require hospital treatment. It can happen quickly and it can happen to anyone.
The Food Standards Agency have issued some useful resources in the form of two posters which can be displayed in your setting where food is prepared and served to children, as a helpful reminder of how to minimise the risk of choking.
Food safety advice on choking hazards in settings - Foundation Years
The Department for Education Help for early years providers website also has a section on food safety as does the NHS - Food safety and other safety advise and foods to avoid giving babies and young children
Sensory Food Education – TastEd
Get insights on how sensory food education can help young children engage with food, and benefit them in early years settings.
TastEd works with early years settings and primary schools, training practitioners in delivering sensory food education. TastEd gives children opportunities to explore food, using their senses, to help them learn to love eating vegetables and fruit, for life.
TastEd’s sensory food education activities support the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and Development Matters guidance and can be used in any early years setting.
Find free simple, fun activities for your Early Years setting Here and further information in this presentation from DfE on choking prevention, followed by details from TastEd on how to bring food learning into practice using their free resources - You Tube
This is the list of qualifications that meet DfE's criteria for counting in the early years foundation stage framework staff:child ratios.
Early years qualifications achieved in the United Kingdom - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Using CO₂ monitors and air cleaning units in education and care settings
Between 2021 to 2023 the Department for Education (DfE) provided all state-funded education and care settings with CO₂ monitors to help them monitor ventilation and some with air cleaning units (ACUs), to help improve air quality in poorly ventilated spaces.
These devices need to be used consistently to manage ventilation.
Using CO₂ monitors and air cleaning units in education and care settings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Click Here to check out our activities in Libraries during the Spring Bank Holiday
There are lots of sources for information guidance and support available online. This is not an exhaustive list and please note we are not endorsing any specific organisations
A new report on improving child development outcomes in times of uncertainty has been published on the National Children’s Bureau’s website.
The report provides insights from The National Lottery Community Fund’s five A Better Start (ABS) partnerships based in Blackpool, Bradford, Lambeth, Nottingham and Southend.
In the report, partnerships provide a summary of emerging evidence across child development outcome areas including, improving children’s diet and nutrition, social and emotional development, and speech, language and communication. Read the full ABS report here.
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NSPCC Learning has published a blog post on the term “domestic abuse” and “domestic violence” as part of the Why language matters blog series. The blog looks at how the term “domestic violence” can be limiting and explores the impacts of this on: professionals and family support services; people experiencing domestic abuse; and the perceptions of the general public. Read the blog post: Why language matters: domestic abuse is broader than domestic violence
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Training Workshops
Are you an early years practitioner working with deaf children? Are you looking for ideas on how to improve the support you give to deaf children?.
Do you want to feel confident in supporting children with a hearing loss in your early years setting?.
Find out more, by visiting the NDCS website or book here.
Please note there is a cost of £40 for each of these courses
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SALT parent advice line launch - Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
There is a new new website which is useful in supporting speech, language and communication skills of children and young people you work with.
Early Years Practitioners can feedback thoughts and views via this 5 minute survey https://forms.office.com/e/RkqxGxZVqR
This service is looking forward to continuing to work together with children and young people's speech, language and communication skills across Bradford.
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Most dog bites to children happen at home, often by our family pet rather than the dangerous dog breeds you read about in the news. This is why it’s so important for expectant parents and families with a pet dog to have simple advice about how to keep their children safe. We’ve teamed up with animal welfare experts including Dogs Trust and RSPCA to bring you two brand new free fact sheets. Visit our new Dogs and Children: Top tips to keep them safe and happy together section and download your fact sheets ready for Child Safety Week 5th to 11th June. Help us make dog safety simple this Child Safety Week!
Detergent capsules, cleaning products, everyday painkillers and prescription medicines can cause serious harm if a small child gets hold of them. So, for Child Safety Week we’re offering FREE resources to help you get the message out to families.
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What’s on offer in our new resource centre?
Session plan Our free dual-purpose flashcard and session plan supports you to run an engaging group discussion with parents about poisoning.
Free Taste Tests Tasting the bitterest substance on earth, Bitrex, is the perfect ice-breaker for a session with families. Added to household products, Bitrex stops children swallowing them. Order your free Taste Test kit today.
Animation Our short animation illustrates the dangers of laundry capsules and why small children find them so appealing.
Fact sheet Share our bite-sized facts and safety tips on preventing poisoning.
Translated fact sheets Download free poisoning fact sheets translated into five community languages (Arabic, Bengali, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu).
Parent’s pack Our new parent’s pack includes fact sheets on the main risk areas, plus activity sheets for children and their parents.
Visit our new resource centre for everything you need to bring poisoning prevention to life.
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Foundation Years
The Foundation Years website is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) Early Years VCS programme and is brought to you by Coram Family and Childcare. It is a good way of keeping yourself up to date with any new information in relation to early years and childcare.
Newsletter Sign-up - Foundation Years
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