Congratulations to the nurseries and pre-schools of Kent for turning out in such force to the council's meeting about the Code of Practice on nursery education funding (see News, page 4). Some 400 owners and managers packed out the premises, such is the strength of their feeling about the potentially disastro's effects on their businesses of the current level of Government funding and the ban on any kind of top-up fee. Congratulations, too, to the local authority leaders in Kent, who have listened to the campaigners' case and have promised to speak up for them at the highest level. Protest groups are now forming elsewhere in the country to add weight to the private and voluntary sector lobby. And the Federation of Small Businesses is seeking top-level legal advice on whether the Code of Practice can be legally enforced, given that there was no Regulatory Impact Assessment carried out to see if nursery providers would be adversely affected by the introduction of the revised code. This is an issue that will not go away in the months to come.
Congratulations to the nurseries and pre-schools of Kent for turning out in such force to the council's meeting about the Code of Practice on nursery education funding (see News, page 4). Some 400 owners and managers packed out the premises, such is the strength of their feeling about the potentially disastro's effects on their businesses of the current level of Government funding and the ban on any kind of top-up fee. Congratulations, too, to the local authority leaders in Kent, who have listened to the campaigners' case and have promised to speak up for them at the highest level.
Protest groups are now forming elsewhere in the country to add weight to the private and voluntary sector lobby. And the Federation of Small Businesses is seeking top-level legal advice on whether the Code of Practice can be legally enforced, given that there was no Regulatory Impact Assessment carried out to see if nursery providers would be adversely affected by the introduction of the revised code. This is an issue that will not go away in the months to come.
Dinosaurs may be extinct, but their popularity as a theme for early years children refuses to die. Don't miss the latest edition of Nursery Topics, free with next week's Nursery World. It's got brilliant activity ideas, tons of recommended books, software and resources, and a wonderful colour poster of dinosaurs for your wall.
