Conference report: Two-year-old programme is on track

In his presentation at Nursery World's Two-year-olds conference, James Hempsall, director of Hempsall’s, reported that currently 70,000 to 75,000 funded children’s places have been created.

Hempsall’s is working with Mott MacDonald to deliver Achieving Two Year Olds, a national support programme funded by the DfE, up to 2015, to support providers and local authorities with the roll-out. Capital funding of £100m is available through the Dedicated Schools Grant, to help support the programme up to 2014.

Mr Hempsall said, ‘All allocated places have been referred from a professional, and currently include 3,000 children who are looked after, 8,200 who have special educational needs and 14,000 from families with multiple problems. This gives an idea of the scale of disadvantage.’

He added that A2YO is urging local authorities to have a two pronged approach. ‘Some families will be knocking on the door while others will need some help,’ he said.

Mr Hempsall reminded delegates that the offer is for a ‘free early learning place’.

‘Local authorities are telling us they are confident about delivery,’ he said. ‘In some areas cross border arrangements will have to be made, in others it will be a case of freeing up unused places. From the position of the development worker,  it takes around 18 months for childcare development to take place, so now is the time to start thinking about creating places.’
He added, ‘Providers need to think carefully around the decision to take twos. They will need to look at the implications around all aspects of their business such as staffing, shifts and ratios, and ensure their business model is right.’

ON QUALIFICATIONS
In her keynote speech education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss said that the Government’s vision for reform was motivated by a desire to ensure that early years and primary schooling are a continuum.

‘We want to put the emphasis back on early years teachers with a good understanding of proven theories,’  she said.

Ms Truss said that as part of raising standards the Government is working with the National College of School Leadership, looking at a new Level 3 that will be like the NNEB. She said it was a concern there are still so ‘few teachers in early education’.

‘Our analysis suggests more teachers are affordable and we are pleased that Ofsted has confirmed qualifications will in future be crucial to how it grades inspections. We are recruiting inspectors across early years and primary settings, and the new standards will be tough.’

Penny Tassoni (pictured) pointed out to the minister that Edexcel’s Level 3 BTEC in Children’s Play, Learning and Development is the only qualification which fits the new remit, and asked if this would be validated.

‘The Early Years Educator qualification is an umbrella which can be used for existing qualifications, and we will be looking at these,’ Ms Truss said.

Julia Manning-Morton took issue with the latter's emphasis on qualifications.

‘Good qualifications at a high level are important but they are only part of the matrix of quality,’ she said. ‘Qualifications are certainly not the only thing. I am very happy to hear the minister mention attachment theory in her speech, but the ability for an adult to have regular interaction with an individual child, can’t happen in big groups.’

In reply Ms Truss said, ‘It is about giving professionals autonomy and freedom – it is about the quality of people. I am not criticising academic research but saying it is the decision maker who runs the nursery who should decide. Currently only 30 per cent of settings employ a graduate. Sir Michael Wilshaw has said there is some good practice but there is not enough. The culture must change so that settings know what they are doing and why.’

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS
In her presentation Penny Tassoni urged the sector to not only respond to the Early Years Teacher consultation but also to the consultation on reform of vocational qualifications for 16 to 19 year-olds.

She highlighted that play was not mentioned in the Early Years Teacher consultation and on the subject of free-flow she questioned whether this was right for all two-year-olds?
‘Every aspect of our work recognises free flow, but when does it work and how does it work? Do some twos disappear into the ether? As practitioners we need to be focused on the detail,’ she said.

Vicky Hutchin pointed out that Elizabeth Truss had made no mention of parent partnerships and said ‘the progress check at two is a fantastic opportunity to involve parents.’

In drawing the conference to a close, chairman Julian Grenier said, ‘People in the early years need to hang together in these difficult times. Parts of the Government and the media don’t share our vision and we need to position ourselves as experts, as people who can have an assertive dialogue.

‘We need to be members and participants, and respond to consultations, join online forums such as Nursery World’s and other groups, where there is a safe space to debate and discuss.

‘Being here today is important. It’s about the way we engage with the agenda and how we present our views.’