Nurseries, childminders and schools to stay open in second lockdown

The sector voiced concerns that another lockdown will lead to a drop in demand for childcare settings already struggling to remain viable, leading to another fall in income.

Many providers have still not recovered occupancy numbers since they were able to reopen more widely in the summer.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will be extended for the full duration of the national lockdown with furloughed staff to be paid at least 80 per cent of their salary up to £2,500 a month.

Meanwhile, teaching unions remain divided, with the National Education Union (NEU) calling on the Government to include all schools and colleges in an ‘immediate’ national lockdown.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister announced a four-week national lockdown in England from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December.

Reacting to the news, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, ‘We know that many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across the country are already struggling to remain viable as a result of the combined impact of the pandemic and historic underfunding, and that many would not have been able to survive another order to temporarily close.’

He added, ‘That said, with so many sectors instructed to shut down during this period, it is highly likely that the need and demand for childcare provision will nevertheless fall once again over the coming months, resulting in another fall in income for many early years providers. It is therefore critical that the government provides the financial support the sector needs to get through the upcoming lockdown and beyond, if it is to survive in the long term.

‘What’s more, given we are being asked to remain open at such a frightening and worrying time, it's vital that early years providers are able to feel confident that they can keep themselves, their staff, the children in their care and their own families safe. 

‘For this to happen, Government must ensure that all providers have priority access to Covid testing, including home tests; affordable access to PPE; and support with the costs of keeping their settings as clean as possible. Our sector putting itself on the frontline in the middle of a global pandemic - anything less is simply not acceptable.’