Your Opinion: Letters

COUNTING THE COST

Chantreyland Children's Day Nursery has assisted Sheffield Council's early years service to undertake a costing within the Sheffield council area. The same exercise will have been undertaken in more than 400 local council areas in England and Wales.

We co-operate with the Children's Information Service in Sheffield to provide information regarding numbers and costs. We provide the Inland Revenue with detailed accounts of profit and loss and staff names and costs and salaries. We also service the annual census with information on numbers, charges, ages, etc through the local council.

Now we have a rating and valuation form to complete, asking for the same information. This has to be done within 56 days or there will be a penalty.

We look after a few children and provide a valued service. How do all these non-productive organisations get paid and justify their existence? How many organisations are needed to calculate the PVI costs?

Roger Bell, head of nursery administration, Chantreyland Children's Day Nursery, Sheffield

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GIVE THE EYFS A TRY

In response to the anonymous letter (24 July) taking issue with my opinions, I am not ashamed to state my name and that I stand up for the EYFS. I believe the EYFS will bring forth a change for the better for our children.

I understand why people have decided to campaign against the EYFS because they don't want something prescriptive and statutory. They say that children learn through play. This is exactly the stance the EYFS takes. Using the guidance and cards correctly, any practitioner will be able to support and encourage the children they care for by observing their progress, assessing the stage they are at and planning activities to support that learning and take it further.

If the statutory element of the EYFS changed to 'guidelines' then those who choose not to follow it would not provide children with the same consistency across all areas of learning and development.

I would suggest that those participating in the OpenEYE campaign have closed their eyes to the possibility of taking the EYFS and making it work for them, in whichever way they wish. They must not forget that if the Government does not change anything in the framework, then the next time Ofsted pays them a visit they will not hesitate to strike off their registration if they are not compliant. Surely if something is statutory, rather than fighting it, make it work for you.

Beth Thomas, Pink House Childminding, Worthing, Sussex

SCREEN DIET OF JUNK

In the same issue (21 August) as a report on the consumption of junk food at an early age and its negative effect on performance at Key Stage 1, the cover had a picture of very young children at a computer, to accompany an article encouraging the use of ICT in nurseries.

Despite research from psychologists and neuroscientists (for example Dr Aric Sigman and Professor Susan Greenfield) pointing to the negative effects of early screen viewing on the developing brain, including attention difficulties, disturbed sleep patterns, delayed speech development, anti-social behaviour, effects on the brain's frontal lobe development and lower attainment in literacy, from this month it is a legal duty in England for early years educators to enable children to attain an ICT target.

And what of parents who regard early screen viewing as just as much a matter of junk-diet as fizzy pop and McDonalds? The Daily Telegraph reported on 15 August that French TV channels have been banned from airing TV shows aimed at toddlers 'to shield them from developmental risks' and cites the risks of 'passivity, slow language acquisition, excitedness, trouble with sleep and concentration as well as dependence on screen viewing.'

Once introduced, it is almost impossible to hold children back from an addiction. We need to view the terms 'nutritional intake' and 'junk food' in the widest possible sense. Some joined-up thinking from politicians would give more consistency when drawing parallels between early environmental influences and later well- being and achievement.

Lynne Oldfield, co-founder OpenEYE, Harescombe, Glos

- Send your letters to: The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP; letter.nw@haymarket.com; 020 8267 8402.