With 14 years behind me as a primary school head teacher, I have been lucky enough to spend the last four years of my career within the EYFS, where my passion lies. Through this work, it has become clear there are both significant challenges and great opportunities for both sectors in addressing the Government policy in this area.
As the sector knows, there are challenges for schools in accommodating nurseries in existing school buildings. The distance to toilets, space for changing facilities and safety surfaces often need funding. All-day parental access can be a barrier, requiring a mind shift for school leaders, and don’t get a head teacher started on parking!
Schools do, however, have much to offer with their premises. They must meet building and health and safety compliance, liability sitting with the local authority or Trust. Listening to many managers with pop-up and pack-away provisions and various site issues, school buildings can only be a plus, never replacing the unique aspects some settings provide.
As a head teacher, with two PVIs on site and a list of childminders we knew, I was proud we had a service that supported and attracted families, without the pressure of direct management or accountability. They had bespoke areas, facilities for catering and storage, access to hard and grassed areas and shared the wider facilities of field, hall and meeting rooms. The children enjoyed seeing their older siblings and it certainly made the world of support and transition much easier for children, families and staff.
Staffing as we know is a headache across the sector. I have been aware of both schools and PVIs who have had challenges in this area. Once school leaders understand EYFS qualifications, mutually beneficial staffing arrangements evolve. Having seen the level of expectation and responsibility of staff working within the PVI sector, schools still have lots to learn. There is much to do in harmonising roles across our sectors, recognising the skills of practitioners for succession and retention.
School-based nurseries can never provide the full EYFS service, they are fixed in their location, more rigid in their structures and are not what all families want or need.
We have a chance here to unite, as schools and the wider sector, to shape Government policy in this area, serve our families, support the country’s finances, close the disadvantage gap and show how essential the EYFS truly is.
