Nursery World - Montessori nurseries advised on impact of new Code of Practice

The Montessori Schools Association (MSA) has set up a helpline for nurseries struggling to understand how the new rules for the free entitlement for three- and four-year-olds will affect them when the Code of Practice comes into force in September.

Martin Bradley, chair of the MSA, told Nursery World, 'We're seeking to identify people's problems and provide them with advice on how to deal with the new Code. At the moment the main problem is that many nurseries are not up to speed with the funding issues.'

He said the Code fails to provide clear guidance on what happens if settings opt out, and that he was concerned that local authorities were often requiring nurseries to give a term's notice to opt out, so many could end up with a deficit in the autumn term.

For some nurseries, access to training for staff who are part way through Early Years Professional Status or other training is an incentive to stay in the funding, he said, but Montessori pre-schools tend to employ staff with higher level qualifications, resulting in higher staff wage costs, making them more likely to have funding gaps.

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