The Department for Education have been unable to confirm to Nursery World whether organisations will be able to bid for the contract, but said that the Foundation Years website and comms support would be put out to tender shortly.
The news comes as Sue Robb, who heads up Action for Children's strategic early years and childcare partnership with DfE, including managing the Foundation Years website, is due to leave the charity for a job with Australia’s largest early learning provider.
The DfE has confirmed to Nursery World that organisations will shortly be able to put in bids for the management of the Foundation Years website and wider communications support, once Action for Children's VCS funding comes to an end in September. The opportunity will go up on the Contracts Finder section of the gov.uk website.
A DfE spokesperson told Nursery World that strategic partner support will be included in all successful bids for the next round of the VCS grants, which are currently open.
Currently funded through the early years VCS grants, the DfE's strategic early years and childcare partnership was awarded to 4Children in 2011. As part of this, the Foundation Years website was developed to help those working in health, childcare or education services across the public, private and voluntary sectors. The website includes advice and news on policy developments in the sector as well as examples of best practice.
Following the collapse of 4Children in 2016, the strategic partnership, including management of the Foundation Years website, was awarded to Action for Children, which took over a number of services from 4Children. Ms Robb and her team, who were responsible for managing the partnership at 4Children were transferred to Action for Children.
Sue Robb
At the end of this month, Ms Robb will leave Action for Children to take up her new role as lead for pedagogy and practice at Australia’s Goodstart Early Learning on 6 August.
A social enterprise, Goodstart Early Learning is Australia’s largest early learning provider with more than 650 early years centres.
Taking over Ms Robb’s role as head of early years at Action for Children is the charity’s former early years manager Sarah Read.
Prior to working at 4Children, Ms Robb was involved with the introduction of the EYFS framework in 2008 as a part of the senior National Strategies team. Ahead of this, she worked for Together for Children, the organisation tasked with the delivery of children’s centres, which included designating the 352 London children’s centres.
Speaking of her departure from the early years sector in England, Ms Robb said, ‘After a long career in early years and education in Scotland, Greece, Philippines and England I have decided to reignite my sense of adventure and take up a position in early years in Australia.
‘I have been extremely privileged to have worked with passionate colleagues completely focused on supporting children’s learning and development and working to ensure high qualities of provision, teaching and care to ensure children make progress in their development and achieve good outcomes.
‘Over the last seven years it has been a delight and privilege to work with academics, partners, practitioners and sector experts on the study of early education and development, workforce reviews, the implementation of the new entitlements and EYFS developments.’
She added, ‘I am particularly passionate about policy to support disadvantaged children and really welcome the present focus through the Social Mobility Action Plan on reaching out to our vulnerable children. So when the opportunity came along to head off to Australia to work for Goodstart Early Learning as the lead for Pedagogy and Practice, I had to do much soul searching.
‘However, as a product of a good early years experience, the opportunity to take a risk, have an adventure and try something new won the day.’
Action for Children’s national director England South Emma Horne added, ‘Sue will be greatly missed by all the teams at Action for Children but she leaves her legacy in safe hands as her team look forward to carrying on her invaluable work in the sector. Sue has been a fundamental part of the early years team here at Action for Children and has been a voice for children all across the UK.
‘We all wish Sue well in her new post and look forward to sharing all of our knowledge and learnings with our colleagues in Australia.’
