Plan to put 2 year olds in schools is nonsensical

[Simona]

While the DfE has gone to great lengths to cut 'red tape' for schools to accept 2 year olds...would it not be more productive to instruct LAs to stop imposing unnecessary conditions on Good/outstanding cms to join the scheme ?

Government plan to expand preschools to accept two-year-olds attacked as 'nonsensical' - Education News - Education - The Independent

[hectors house]

While the DfE has gone to great lengths to cut 'red tape' for schools to accept 2 year olds...would it not be more productive to instruct LAs to stop imposing unnecessary conditions on Good/outstanding cms to join the scheme ?

Government plan to expand preschools to accept two-year-olds attacked as 'nonsensical' - Education News - Education - The Independent

Thank goodness someone is looking out for us childminders and promoting the fact that we should be encouraged and supported not overlooked or criticised by Government ministers looking for a scapegoat.

[gwm]

Nonsensical! It's madness!!! Even us 'underachieving' childminders can do the maths that the all knowledgable government ministers can't. They haven't got the space for the 4 year olds plus in our schools...where do they think they are going to put the 2 year olds???? They got it wrong with ratios.....they got it wrong with agencies....they have taken every opportunity to discredit childminders. It seems to me that they want childcare in a similar set up to battery hens, but in a school (then they can say that the children are being 'educated'). I was talking to a Reception teacher recently...first job after qualifying last year was in Reception class...they trained in local teacher training college....the college course only covers from Key Stage 1.....the teacher had NO training in early years!!

[Simona]

I think that we were aware that teachers are not EY trained...neither are Inspectors!! or at least their knowledge is ...at times...questionable
We cannot blame teachers as they were expected to educate children at age 5 and 1/4 but ...slowly slowly...the age has dropped...it will be babies in schools soon!

That could be the reason why schools are being encouraged to liaise with cms? some do not have any intention of doing so and many schools are proving wise to refuse to take 2 year olds despite the money it would bring them... and then there are those who may become an agency

The only agency running at the moment is St Bede's Academy...a school that takes 2 years olds and has now opened the doors to cms ...I wonder why?

While a lot is being said about 2 year olds being placed with good quality cms there are still 2 issues that remain to be resolved
1. the funding is very low when children get to 3 and many cms are concerned about their sustainability...nurseries and preschools have special measures for funding...in fact they hardly loose money because they impose a 'session' on parents and they have to pay for that to access funding...that means those providers recoup the loss via the extra time added to the session

I am sure there are cms aware of this if they have their own children attending a preschool...it is not for 15 hrs... it is what the provider dictates and usually parents top up fees?

2. LAs will continue to run the show and impose conditions because ...apart from a lot of rhetoric...little is being done to ensure LAs are prevented from doing so
I am at present battling with my LA on unnecessary and ridiculous conditions ...in our LA the huge majority of cms have refused to draw funding for 2 year olds
I have raised this issue so often with the powers that be but no one is listening

For many cms funding has never been an issue because often they get more than the local fees but for the vast majority funding means losing money and subsiding education for the govt something schools would not be asked to do unless the govt wants a walk out by their Union


I could not help noticing the confusing terminology in the article...including free childcare when funding is actually for education..see Wilshaw for that

[teacake2]

We are all slightly missing the plot here (my opinion), the schools taking the 2 year olds is not so that the 2 year olds get a better education it is so the government can say AS PROMISED WE ARE PROVIDING GOOD QUALITY FREE CHILDCARE FOR PARENTS SO THAT THE PARENTS ARE SAVING MONEY, this is what the aim was of previous ministers was it not? Two year olds being in school nursery in not really any different to them being in private nursery except for one main thing PARENTS WON'T HAVE TO PAY.
Teacake2

[Simona]

More here

Schools failing to deliver on free childcare places | Children & Young People Now

[TabbyTuTu]

as far as I was aware they have only so far let the "worse off" two year old's into pre-schools, so how is that helping childcare? The people on the benefits allowed can only be working very few hours if any, so therefore childcare isn't really an issue. I was to believe it was because the worse off children are scientifically proven to have more chance in life if put with child minders or a nursery for a few hours a week instead of sitting at home?

My sons old pre-school (On the site of his primary school) has started accepting 2 year old's this September, they are absolutely run off their feet with a great rise in the usual three year old's and now loads of two year old's too, the lady who runs it has asked me to get a form my daughter as soon as possible as she may not otherwise get a place - She is only 23 months, so doesn't get free hours til January 2016, over a year away, and there may not be space for her, if they start accepting all children from two how are they going to cope?! There isn't space, money, facilities or experience. Why can't they just keep the younger children with nurseries and child minders instead of in the school system.

Heaven forbid the plans ever get put in place where children start sitting behind desks without toys at two year old's like the government wanted. I will definitely be moving toe Europe if that happens!

Better start brushing up on my Deutsch just in case..

[blue bear]

The nurseries and pre schools are over run with two year olds here, yes we live in a fairy high unemployment/single parent area to be fair but what is happening here is parents are splitting up just long enough for the now single mum to sign up to benefits and get their eligibility letter for their two year old to get free education, child starts and within days mum and dad decide to try again. Once given the free education cannot be taken away regardless of change in circumstances.
Those not savvy or unscrupulous enough to play the system are struggling big style to find places once their child is eligible at aged three.