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Simona
10-08-2013, 04:39 PM
I have rewritten the letter to Mr Clegg regarding his statement this week about providers extending their hours or face not getting an outstanding grade at inspection

I have also added agencies in the letter and copied it to Vince Cable who is my MP and Business Secretary

Dear Mr Clegg
RE: Longer opening hours for nurseries

I write to express my concerns following your statement this week that you will recommend those nurseries who do not open for longer hours face not achieving an ‘outstanding’ grade at inspection.
I feel you are not aware of the existing childcare provision and I question your knowledge of child development and children’s emotional needs.

You would like to attract women votes at the next General Election but forget that 98% of the EY workforce is made up of women who will, hopefully, remember your possible opportunistic stance in the present childcare reforms.

I would like to clarify a few points
1. Day nurseries do open 10 hrs per day and 51 weeks of the year

2. Childminders, who were not mentioned in your statement, work on average 10 hrs per day, many care for children up to 12 hrs or more, offer overnight care therefore being the most flexible in the workforce.

3. Proposing that providers be denied an 'outstanding' grade because they are not flexible enough, is a threat too far in my view, I find this insulting and immoral.

It gives the clear message that ‘quantity’ matters more than ‘quality’...exactly what the Minister for Childcare proposed in her ratio reforms which you successfully blocked.
The EY workforce is already feeling the negative impact Ofsted has on our morale, we need positive and professional engagement with the inspectorate in order for children’s outcomes to improve even further. This can only be achieved by praising what we do well and encouraging improvement, not by threats and disrespect or by fuelling fear of an inspector knocking on our very door.

4. As an MP we know you work long hours while enjoying long breaks looking after your constituency affairs.
Childminders would be delighted to extend their care to 12 hrs per day if we could take long breaks to do our 'paperwork' which is our business affair and carried out in the evening and weekends without financial reward.

5. Unlike MPs childminders work for little remuneration while you enjoy a rewarding salary which, we believe, MPS want to be increased by £10,000 per annum up to £70,000+
If you were to suggest a comparable increase for childminders we would be delighted to keep the children overnight and allow parents to work any shift they like.

6. Taxpayers subsidise MPs’ salaries and their expenses, Early Years providers also subsidise Free Education for children which is really the duty of the state to provide and the very low rate of funding is really not morally justified in our rich society.
While I applaud your intention to increase free childcare I am concerned as to who will subsidise the extra hours you are to propose?

7. Childcare experts and providers alike have consistently advised the government that unless the Free Entitlement is reviewed the present level will not cover the cost of delivering high quality education. It is the Free Entitlement that causes the cost of childcare to rise as we cannot manage the increase in our costs, therefore, providers have had no option but to pass these on to parents over many years.
With LAs paying varying rates of funding the situation will only get worse. It is financially impossible to make care high quality if the funding received is as low as £3.50 per hour often lower.
8. The coalition government promotes itself as the party of the 'family'.
You envisage parents working all hours so they can contribute to the economy and bring much needed tax to the Treasury.
Providers will be punished unless they respond to your recommendation to increase our working hours but if they were to respond to your request they would in turn be neglecting their children and families.
If you are advocating ‘quantity’ over ‘quality’ this is in contrast to your rethink of the higher ratio issue.

Where is the family in all this and where, may I ask, do you see the benefits for young children being outside of their family for such long hours every day?
Children's emotional needs must come first, what makes them happy or indeed what would make them unhappy little people, be of paramount importance.
Parents should be afforded the right to choose what is best for their children, which you yourself were afforded when you selected the best school for your children because it suited your family.

9. The government believes that introducing childminders agencies will lower costs to parents. There is no evidence of this at all. In fact the Minister for childcare has herself said the agencies will probably pass the cost to parents.
Childminders’ costs will increase too as we see by the initial costs some potential agencies are publishing already. It is very possible that many childminders will lose their small businesses, again you wish women to return to work while expecting others to lose theirs?
The government will respond to this by saying that agencies will recruit new childminders...true but they will not be of the same high quality or calibre as those who may be lost to the workforce.
I would recommend you call for a ‘pause’ in the agency reforms and consult with all the representing associations who are expressing huge concerns and backing childminders in their concerns.
We are aware that the only beneficiary from agencies will be Ofsted as it will save on individual inspections, however, following Sir Michael Wilshaw’s statement last year that ‘childminders are too expensive to register and inspect’ childminders immediately suggested that our registration fee be reviewed as we are willing to contribute rather than lose our individual inspections and registration.
This proposal has to be considered and costed first before agencies are introduced against the overwhelming majority of childminders being against this reform.


Yours sincerely

Simona McKenzie
Ofsted registered childminder


For those who have not seen the article in Nursery World here is the link
Lib Dems call for nurseries to open for longer | Nursery World (http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1194366/lib-dems-call-nurseries-open-longer)

Chatterbox Childcare
10-08-2013, 05:15 PM
Very well written - let see how long the response takes :)

Keep us posted

FloraDora
10-08-2013, 09:24 PM
Since retiring from Head teaching I have had the luxury of being able to email anyone in the government with my views- but you have surpassed anything I have written- well done, succinctly and accurately put, referencing all Mr Clegg's speaches and personal decisions......I am going to bed with a smile on my face....thinking of writing a similar letter tomorrow. If we don't try nothing will change.

sarah707
10-08-2013, 09:37 PM
Thank you for providing the inspiration for another letter to write :D

amylouise867
10-08-2013, 10:52 PM
Well done!

A great letter!!

It's great to know that there are people out there that act on their concerns and voice their opinions!!

Go you!! xx

Simona
21-08-2013, 11:22 AM
The office of the Deputy Prime Minister replied to my letter to Mr Clegg thanking me for the time to write to him about childcare BUT they have forwarded the letter to the DfE because it is a matter for them....well some of the matters are

I am not sure if this is correct dear Mr Clegg as it was you who made the threat that any providers not flexible in opening hours should not receive an 'outstanding'!!!!

Is Clegg passing the buck or unable to face questions on his ill informed statement?

Time for reflection before I write back to him

sarah707
21-08-2013, 05:14 PM
Sounds like he is passing the buck... someone obviously told him to say it... :rolleyes:

lizann
21-08-2013, 05:20 PM
not sure where to put this
this is a reply I got today from the DfE


Thank you for your email and attachment of 23 July, about ‘More Affordable Childcare ’.
The government recognises the important contribution made by childminders in providing quality childcare. Yet the number of registered childminders has almost halved between 1992 and 2011, from 106,000 to 57,500. We want more childminders to enter the profession and we think that the creation of childminder agencies, in addition to support for independent childminders, will help us achieve this.

In ‘More Affordable Childcare’, we announced that all good and outstanding childminders will automatically be eligible to receive government early education funding from September. At the moment local authorities act as gatekeepers to this funding. This change will mean that over 70% of childminders would be able to receive this funding. Less than 10% of childminders currently offer funded places. It will remain the case, however, that a childminder will have to be Ofsted-registered, either independently or with an agency, before they can access early education funding, to ensure that quality is maintained.

The department wants to emphasise that no childminder will be forced to join an agency. Some childminders, especially those entering the profession, may want to join an agency for support in starting up their business, training and development, and accessing parents.

We welcome the input of experienced childminders, and we have completed a number of consultations aimed at parents, nurseries, local authorities, childminders, health professionals, teachers and academics. From March to May 2013 we ran a consultation on the proposed changes to the role of the local authority in early education and childcare and have recently announced next steps which build on responses to the consultation. We are also currently consulting on ‘The Regulation of Childcare’, until 30 September. Further information is available on the department’s website here

We are working with Ofsted to make the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) clearer, as outlined in ‘More Affordable Childcare’. Whilst providers should ensure that the individual needs of children are met, the only requirements for written assessments for learning and dev elopment are a progress check for parents for children aged two and the EYFS Profile assessment in the summer term of the reception year.

Thank you once again for writing on this important matter.




As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your comments via our website at: www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey


Yours sincerely


Jackie Davies
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Home - The Department for Education (http://www.education.gov.uk)

Simona
21-08-2013, 05:53 PM
not sure where to put this
this is a reply I got today from the DfE


Thank you for your email and attachment of 23 July, about ‘More Affordable Childcare ’.
The government recognises the important contribution made by childminders in providing quality childcare. Yet the number of registered childminders has almost halved between 1992 and 2011, from 106,000 to 57,500. We want more childminders to enter the profession and we think that the creation of childminder agencies, in addition to support for independent childminders, will help us achieve this.

In ‘More Affordable Childcare’, we announced that all good and outstanding childminders will automatically be eligible to receive government early education funding from September. At the moment local authorities act as gatekeepers to this funding. This change will mean that over 70% of childminders would be able to receive this funding. Less than 10% of childminders currently offer funded places. It will remain the case, however, that a childminder will have to be Ofsted-registered, either independently or with an agency, before they can access early education funding, to ensure that quality is maintained.

The department wants to emphasise that no childminder will be forced to join an agency. Some childminders, especially those entering the profession, may want to join an agency for support in starting up their business, training and development, and accessing parents.

We welcome the input of experienced childminders, and we have completed a number of consultations aimed at parents, nurseries, local authorities, childminders, health professionals, teachers and academics. From March to May 2013 we ran a consultation on the proposed changes to the role of the local authority in early education and childcare and have recently announced next steps which build on responses to the consultation. We are also currently consulting on ‘The Regulation of Childcare’, until 30 September. Further information is available on the department’s website here

We are working with Ofsted to make the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) clearer, as outlined in ‘More Affordable Childcare’. Whilst providers should ensure that the individual needs of children are met, the only requirements for written assessments for learning and dev elopment are a progress check for parents for children aged two and the EYFS Profile assessment in the summer term of the reception year.

Thank you once again for writing on this important matter.




As part of our commitment to improving the service we provide to our customers, we are interested in hearing your views and would welcome your comments via our website at: www.education.gov.uk/pcusurvey


Yours sincerely


Jackie Davies
Ministerial and Public Communications Division
Home - The Department for Education (http://www.education.gov.uk)


Look at the reply Bambini2 got and posted in another thread...they are exactly the same
Never mind...at least we are getting a reply so the DfE is counting our letters this time I hope

On the funding it is clear there are no conditions to be imposed by the LAs but we keep raising our concerns...I am joining in the discussions on LinkedIn to make sure we are heard

The Juggler
21-08-2013, 10:19 PM
well done Simona - shame about the wishy washy response from the government :panic:

Simona
22-08-2013, 05:21 AM
I also received an email from my MP...well from his secretary 'in his absence'...Dr Vince Cable who I have visited 3 times and written to ...I can't remember how many times????????????
I understood that if you write to your MP you are due a letter from him not from his secretary from her email????

Not right is it? I am his constituent, he is the Business Secretary, we do worry about what agencies will do to our small businesses and I honestly feel his response...or lack of.. is not right

This is what I received

''Thank you for your email dated 6 August. I have already passed on the points about agencies to my party colleagues who will hopefully listen as they did before.

Best wishes''


I do not see a reply here to do with Clegg's threat to recommend providers be denied an outstanding unless they are more flexible? or anything to do with his wish to increase the Free childcare or an answer to who is going to pay for it?

Passing the buck to the DfE is a bit ironic...so Dear Mr Clegg you are about to get another letter.......

FloraDora
22-08-2013, 05:57 AM
How frustrating Simona. I was an avid writer to my local MP, largely about education matters, enthusiastic responses came initially, but then replies from the secretary started - I think he was fed up of my questioning and raising issues re Mr Gove and so fobbed me off!

Simona
22-08-2013, 06:21 AM
How frustrating Simona. I was an avid writer to my local MP, largely about education matters, enthusiastic responses came initially, but then replies from the secretary started - I think he was fed up of my questioning and raising issues re Mr Gove and so fobbed me off!

I have always received a reply from my MP but the last couple came from his secretary rather than himself...no worry
I am not in the least fobbed off by him or his boss Mr Clegg
I have just sent my MP this reply:


''I am very disappointed by your reply as I am by that received from Mr Clegg.

He has referred the issues in my letter to the DfE.
I will be writing to the DfE in response to More Affordable Childcare so no need for him to pass my comments to them as I am capable of doing so myself.

Mr Clegg suggested in his letter that providers who refuse to be more flexible should not get an 'outstanding' from Ofsted.
I and many other providers feel this is an immoral recommendation to make and Mr Clegg conveniently forgot to address the matter
It was not the DfE who made the comment so I doubt they will be able to respond?

While we all appreciate the difficulties families are facing due to your coalition's policies, I think you have totally forgotten that providers are women too who need to have a balance of work and family life.
We too face financial difficulties and it will get worse under your irresponsible childcare policies.

You appear to have in your manifesto exactly what Labour intends to introduce ...so hardly innovative?
You failed to answer who will pay for your suggested increase in childcare.
As a provider I earned less last year than the families you wish me to offer 'free childcare' to. I think this is immoral too.
I am a business not a charity...it is the government job to subsidise childcare.

The Lib Dems have given childminders the impression you are in favour of agencies
I think you are very much out of touch and very selective in which businesses you wish to support.

I will not forget that elections are round the corner.

Yours sincerely

Simona McKenzie


Off to pen a 'Dear Mr Clegg' mark 2 letter.

Bumble Beez
22-08-2013, 02:34 PM
Have just seen your letter in practical preschool in the childcare section :)

:thumbsup:

Looks like you've got an even bigger audience than you thought Simona!

7656

Sarah x

Simona
22-08-2013, 02:51 PM
Have just seen your letter in practical preschool in the childcare section :)

:thumbsup:

Looks like you've got an even bigger audience than you thought Simona!

7656

Sarah x

Thank you Bumble Beez...I was aware my letter was going to be printed but not sure when or which bits.....

Simona
28-08-2013, 06:33 PM
It was also printed in Nursery World this week....