A study funded by the Department for Education and Skills sought to investigate the impact on quality of 'relaxing' staff:child ratios in daycare settings from the 1:8 set out in Children Act 1989 guidance to 1:13, the ratio applied to nursery schools and classes in the maintained sector.
The study was carried out by a team from the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the University of London's Institute of Education, using a sample of 50 private and independent settings including day nurseries, sessional nurseries and nursery schools, employing a qualified teacher and nursery assistant and operating a staff:child ratio of 1:8.
The DfES decided to change the 'relaxed' ratio for the second phase of the study from 1:13 to 1:10. In the end, only four of the nurseries relaxed their ratios. The others gave a range of reasons for not doing so, many of which related to concerns about the impact on quality.
Some of those consulted by the researchers felt the optimum ratio was 1:5. One nursery assistant said, 'It's our responsibility to listen to the children, and more children per staff wouldn't enable us to do that.' A teacher at a nursery offering mornings-only sessional care said relaxing the ratios would not work. 'We're able to talk and listen to the children. I have worked in the state sector and there's not enough time because there's so much organising to do. In this environment it's possible to prevent a lot of accidents happening.'
Another participant said, 'The only positive reason I can see for relaxing ratios is that it will enable better wages for nursery staff, but they will be required to do more.'
The nurseries that did relax their ratios found this affected the quality of care. One member of staff said the change meant the atmosphere 'wasn't as nice, a lot more stressed', with less time one-to-one with the children. Others found there was less scope for creative and messy activities. However, one pointed out that while 1:10 did not work in a private setting, it might in a state nursery class where the teacher had time away from the children during morning break and lunch to set up activities.
The report, Research on Ratios, Group Size and Staff Qualifications and Training in Early Years and Childcare Settings, also includes a review of international research and guidance on staff:child ratios. It can be seen on the DfES website at www.dfee.gov.uk/research/re_paper/RR320.PDF
