The AC Early Years Newsletter: April 2023 (Learner)

EARLY YEARS NEWSLETTER

APRIL 2023

This issue features:

The 2023 Budget: Discover how the proposed changes will impact the early years industry

What's coming up? A bank of resources and materials you can use for teaching in your setting!

Ofsted Feedback: Hear from Little Learner's at St Saviours about how to achieve an 'outstanding' grade at Ofsted

Improve your awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and how to educate parents too!

THE 2023 BUDGET: DISCOVER HOW THE CHANGES WILL IMPACT YOUR SETTING

THE RELAXED RATIOS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED

In the 2023 Budget, the relaxed ratio for 2-year-olds will be rolled out, making 1 practitioner responsible for 5 2-year-old children, instead of 4:

While technically this will allow settings to cut costs by increasing the number of children practitioners are responsible for, there are concerns this will negatively impact the quality of care and safeguarding provision in settings and cause additional pressure on an already overwhelmed workforce. Several organisations have condemned the changes, including the Early Years Alliance, NCFE, and The National Children's Bureau

One charity in particular, the Oliver Steeper Foundation have condemned the change; "[We] will continue to fight this and prevent the current Government being reckless with children’s lives whilst playing politics”. Their petition against the changes gathered over 109,000 signatures and was debated in parliament last year.

The ratio change will take effect in September 2023 or settings can choose to stick with the original ratio of 1:4

FREE CHILDCARE HOURS HAVE BEEN INCREASED

The current scheme offering some families 30 free hours of childcare per week will be extended to younger children too. Households with a parent or parents who earn at least £152 a week but less than £100,000 a year are eligible. This is to help boost economic growth by supporting parents to be able to work The UK has some of the most expensive childcare costs in the world and parents, providers and even some MP’s, have been pressuring the government to provide better financial support to parents.

This scheme will be rolled out in phased stages for children of eligible families:

All eligible two-year olds will get 15 hours of free childcare per week from April 2024.

All eligible 9 month to 2 year olds will get 15 hours of free childcare from September 2024

All eligible under-5s will get 30 hours of free childcare from September 2025.

WHAT OTHER CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE?

DID YOU KNOW?

The average cost of full-time nursery for a child under 2-years old is just under £15,000 a year!

The hourly rate paid to providers for free care has been increased: Leaders in the sector requested a 30% increase in the rate, which has been applied to the rate for 2-year-olds. This has not been applied to the 3 and 4-year-old rate, which had a 4% increase.

£6 £8 £5.29 £5.50

Families on universal credit will receive childcare support upfront, instead of having to claim it back and they can claim £951 each month for 1 child and £1,630 for 2 children.

A £600 incentive has been introduced for people signing up to become childminders (or receive a £1,200 incentive through an agency).

We'll be monitoring the impact of these reforms in our future newsletters, so follow us on Issuu to stay informed about the latest changes and how they could impact you.

WHAT'S COMING UP?

Take a look at our bank of educational resources to incorporate upcoming events from May to September into your setting!

MAY 2023

The King's Coronation

6th May

The upcoming coronation is a great opportunity to bring current events into your setting and improve the children's understanding of what is taking place in the world.

This article includes lots of creative ways to integrate the king’s coronation into maths, literacy, sports and arts and crafts.

National Children's Day

14th May

National Children's Day is about the importance of a healthy childhood and how we should protect the rights and freedoms of children and young people. It's celebrated through activities and events that encourage children's participation and highlight the work taking place to support child and family wellbeing.

Click here to access a bank of ideas for activities you can do with children to do with sports, outdoors and nature, music, science and more!

Pride Month

The whole month

LGBTQ+ Pride Month is dedicated to the celebration and commemoration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride, after the Stonewall riots in 1969. Celebrating this within your setting will help children learn and grow up in an inclusive environment that celebrated diversity.

Diversify the reading list in your setting using this recommended reading list! For your own personal development, you can also read Stonewall's report about 'Celebrating difference and challenging gender stereotypes in the early years foundation stage'.

Child Safety Week

5th to 11th June

Run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust, this campaign helps families build confidence and skills in managing real risks to children’s safety. They have a range of free factsheets about common safety risks to children and session plans to support the running of sessions with parents/guardians of children under-5

Healthy Eating Week

12th to 16th June

This week is all about promoting and supporting healthier lifestyles and, with the difficulties of the cost of living crisis, the 2023 theme is ‘healthy eating for everyone!’. Check out their website to access free activity packs and resources for your setting!

Father's Day

18th June

Click here and here to print off free colouring pages for children in your setting to create a gift for someone special this Father's Day. Here is another article with a wealth of Father's Day craft activities, from personalised cards to making a bookmark!

JULY 2023

Women's World Cup

20th July to 20th August

A great way to celebrate the Women’s World Cup is through activities and games in your setting. Here is a brilliant article with lots of activity ideas, including jumping, obstacle courses, and balloon games, to get the children in your setting up and moving!

International Day of Friendship

30th July

SEPTEMBER 2023

International Literacy Day

8th September

Here is a fantastic article from Nursery World that includes activities to support young children, particularly those with SEND, in forming friendships and connections with staff members in your setting

International Literacy Day is an annual celebration to remind people of the importance of literacy and advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society.

To help make literacy skills more fun for children, here are some activities you can include in your practice to engage children on International Literacy Day 2023!

Harvest Festival

End of September

Here are some great free Harvest crafts you can use in your setting to engage children in celebrating the Harvest festival.

You can also use this video from CBeebies to explain the Harvest festival and show children how some people choose to celebrate the occasion.

IN THE NEWS

Improve your awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and how to help educate parents!

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of a baby younger than 1 year of age that doesn’t have a known cause, even after a complete investigation. Here are some key statistics about SIDS and how it impacts families all over the UK:

As early years practitioners looking after young babies, it’s crucial to be aware of SIDS and how you can do your best to prevent it. Parents/guardians may also look to you for advice or guidance about safe sleeping and it’s important to know where you can direct them for more information.

In March 2023, The Lullaby Trust ran the ‘Safer Sleep Week’ campaign, a nationwide awareness campaign aimed at educating individuals who look after young babies about SIDS and giving them advice to reduce the risk of it occurring.

This year ’ s theme was co-sleeping; a recent study from the National Child Mortality Database found that many babies die from hazardous and unplanned co-sleeping situations. During this year ’ s campaign, there was a focus on educating parents about safe co-sleeping and how to safely plan it.

OFSTED FEEDBACK

In March 2022, Little Learners Nursery Group at St Saviour’s was awarded its second Outstanding grade. Ofsted said the children are ‘tremendously happy within the exceptionally calm and nurturing environment.’

Are there any specific areas the inspection focussed on?

"During the inspection, we spent the majority of the time on learning walks, observing the staff and children together. We were able to tell the inspector all about our provision during these walks and answered any specific questions at the end; although, we had covered lots on our walks The questions we were asked were ones we had expected: safeguarding, covid, SEND provision, leadership and school readiness.

"Compared to inspections under previous frameworks, we did find this inspection a much more enjoyable experience and one where we felt able to showcase and speak about what we were passionate about."

Are there any particular areas you were praised on in your inspection?

"Our curriculum is a particular strength and we have even supported other settings to develop their curriculum It is carefully planned by a team of experts whilst allowing opportunities for bespoke learning.

"The curriculum is experience-rich which offers our children a wide range of opportunities and experiences that has built up their confidence and love of learning. For example, we have an onsite full-time Forest School, alpacas, chickens, sensory sessions and an endof-day enrichment programme which includes music, languages, and cooking classes. We also provide celebration and theme days such as spa and doggy days. Ofsted said that ‘staff at the setting are extremely skilled in creating unique learning opportunities for children. The curriculum is skilfully designed to ensure the maximum impact on all children.’"

Are there any best practices you would recommend?

"At Little Learners Nursery Group, we pride ourselves on offering exceptionally highquality care. One of the main reasons we have been able to establish such high standards is through constant reflection and openness. We reflect as a team, regularly looking at every aspect of the children's day; focussing on learning, well-being and enjoyment levels.

"This reflection is also aided by the diverse range of staff and directors we have contributing to these conversations. We feel this helps us leave no stone unturned when it comes to offering the highest quality care. Furthermore, we partake in any and every opportunity for collaboration as we can learn from these partnerships."

Congratulations to the team at Little Learner's Nursery Group for their achieving such a brilliant outcome!

Has your setting recently achieved an outstanding grade? If you want to share your Ofsted experience in our next feature, email callback@apprenticeshipconnect.co.uk today!

OUR 2023 AC AWARD WINNERS!

In March, we held our 2023 AC Awards ceremony to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our employers and apprentices. Here are the early years employers and apprentices who won this year:

Holly White won the Teaching and Early Years Apprentice of the Year Award 2023! Read on to find out about Holly's apprenticeship experience so far:

"In March 2022, I was part of the first cohort to enrol on the Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship with Apprenticeship Connect. After stepping up into the role of deputy manager at the setting, I wanted to gain a qualification that would not only help me develop my knowledge, skills and experience in early years, but also prepare me for the management side of the role. As I've progressed in my apprenticeship, I've improved my leadership style to support my team in providing a nurturing, loving, and stimulating environment for the children we care for. I will complete my Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship later this year and then move on to my BA Honours within the next year."

Toddler's Den won the Newcomer of the Year Award 2023!

Toddler's Den enrolled their first apprentice with us in 2022 and have since demonstrated their outstanding commitment to apprenticeships through their innovative training and the development opportunities they provide to their apprentices.

Sharon Davids at Union Grove Community Nursery won the Manager of the Year Award 2023!

Sharon was nominated by one of her apprentices for the outstanding support, training and guidance she has provided during the apprenticeship programme. So much of what our apprentices achieve is enabled by the support and opportunities provided by their line managers.

EXTRACURRICULAR COURSES!

We have regular training sessions you can book for the following extracurricular topics:

INTRODUCTION TO MAKATON

Understanding when and how Makaton can be used and its benefits.

MODERN SAFEGUARDING

Understanding evolving safeguarding risks and how to respond to them.

EXAM PREP AND REFERENCING

Understanding key exam preparation and academic writing skills.

WORKING WITH THE EYFS

Understanding the key elements of the EYFS, such as reflective practice.

INTRODUCTION TO PREVENT

Understanding how to prevent vulnerable people from being radicalised

TIME MANAGEMENT

Learning to manage your time better, personally and professionally

Access the full range of extracurricular benefits and resources in your 'Wider Extracurricular' course in Canvas!

We're also recruiting early years learners to participate in our Curriculum Steering Group! Use your experience to impact the way our lessons are delivered and the content we cover and click here to sign-up!

THANK YOU FOR READING!

If you have any questions, you can contact your tutor directly or reach our team by email or phone.

T: