It has certainly been a month of meltdowns – not least in the sphere of government. Three different Education Secretaries in the space of three days and an ongoing sense of chaos which does not bode well for the challenges facing the early years sector. Now we have the possibility of the former childcare minister Liz Truss becoming PM. Back in the day, she tried to change ratios – so what’s the betting she would try to do so again?
Then of course there was the terrific heatwave – all two days of it. Amid blanket media coverage about the dangers of the extreme heat to children, the sector struggled to cope and decide whether to open or close. While for many it was a case of lots of water play and being outdoors in the shade (see online, 19 July), many settings admitted they were not equipped to operate in the extreme heat. However, not all children will have benefited from this decision, as Dr Julian Grenier points out on page 12. Those living in poor-quality accommodation, with little access to outdoor shade, might have been worse off than in nursery. Closures were also very bad news for hard-up families who could not go to work.
If perspective on these problems were needed, our exclusive report from nurseries in Ukraine certainly provides it (page 14). Our regular contributor Gabriella Jozwiak visited Lviv to find out what best practice looks like in a war zone. I must confess, I found it an emotional read. Who would not be moved by the idea of teaching two- and three-year-olds to respond to air-raid sirens by using a fairytale about a wolf, with a glove puppet?
Meanwhile, Peter Moss adds to the international flavour of this issue (page 35). He questions the Government’s rationale for recently visiting Sweden as part of a quest to lower the UK’s childcare costs. I hope you enjoy this entertainingly written critique, and do let us know what you think.
In this issue
Sue Egersdorff is founder of charity Ready Generations and has worked in early years for more than 30 years. On page 13 we interview her about her work with dementia specialist Belong and her ambitions for its new, fully integrated, on-site nursery in the Belong Care Village in Chester.
Dr Julian Grenier is head teacher of Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre. In his viewpoint on page 12 he focuses on how the heatwave required early years leaders to balance a range of needs and interests. On page 33 he explores new strategies to support children affected by the pandemic.
Peter Moss is an emeritus professor at the Institute of Education, University College London. He argues that early education in the UK would benefit from more rich, comparative, international studies – but that they must be ‘properly conducted’, rather than based on ‘flying visits’. Page 35.
