The 0—4 Agenda
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Government has indicated a clear
desire for primary school heads to take the lead in pushing the
education and childcare agenda nationwide.
1.2 There has been a significant increase
in childcare and early years provision during the last seven years.
Sure Start programmes, Neighbourhood Nurseries, Early Excellence
Centres (now Children's Centres) and Nursery Education expansion
have led the way.
1.3 The arguments in favour of high quality
education and child care for the very young are overwhelming.
Social skills need to be enhanced. Behaviour has to be improved.
Readiness to access education must be supported. Poor parenting
should be reduced. Good foundations laid pre-school will pay dividends
in the primary and secondary years
1.4 Children's Centres are "spearheading"
part of the government's programme. They serve disadvantaged communities
and offer good quality early education combined with full day
care provision for children. A minimum 10 hours a day, five days
a week, 48 weeks a year is the pattern. In addition the Centres
cover learning development, parental outreach, family support,
child and family health services, support for special needs, links
to the Job Centre, local training providers and FE/HE institutions.
They act as a service hub within the community for parents and
child care service providers, as a base for child minder networks
and as a link to local Neighbourhood Nurseries, out of school
clubs and extended schools.
1.5 Sure Start also spearheads part of the
programme. It is designed to improve the health and well being
of families and children before birth to the age of four. Its
Neighbourhood Nurseries programme aims to ensure that deprived
families have access to affordable high quality care.
1.6 Childcare places are defined to include
places for pre-school children in day nurseries or with childminders
which last four hours or longer per day; places for children receiving
nursery education which, combined with the nursery education,
last at least four hours per day, and places for statutory school
age children aged up to 14 (16 for those with special education
needs or disabilities) in breakfast or after school clubs or with
childminders for any length of time, or in holiday play schemes
of four hours or longer per day.
1.7 In addition, the Government also provides
a guarantee of a free nursery education place for every three
and four year old whose parents want one. A nursery education
place consists of a minimum of five two and half hour sessions
per week for 33 weeks of the year.
1.8 The challenge is to expand the existing
provision into communities and geographical areas where education
and childcare do not "go hand in hand" or where provision
is patchy or lacking in quality. As the Prime Minister said at
our Annual Conference, "a nationwide universal early years
service for under fives based around the personal needs of each
child and their parents. Primary schools will have a crucial part
to play, alongside other partners."
This seems to imply that any school could provide
any one or more of the full range of services for child and family
support in addition to education 3+, as provided by Early Excellence
Centres and Children's Centres.
2. PRE-SCHOOL
PROVISION
2.1 There is already considerable diversity.
This is to an extent caused by the way government and local education
authorities have funded pre-school provision. But it also results
from a pragmatic need to reflect the individual circumstances
surrounding schools and their communities.
2.2 There are a number of issues that need
to be addressed:
2.2.1 Funding
Substantial funding will be needed to provide
suitable premises for the 0-4 age range, access to appropriate
outdoor space for physical and other outdoor activities in order
to take account of the full range of services that will be delivered
on the site.
— Existing funding streams are varied,
eg New Opportunities Funding which is based on the Deprivation
Ward Index/Post Code. Single Regeneration Budget money. DfES project
resources.
— Too much resource "sticks to
the sides" and is swallowed up by LEA administration.
— The private sector is a significant
competitor. It seeks to make a profit for itself. The maintained
sector seeks to "break even" or make a "profit"
that it ploughs back into overall provision. There is no "level
playing field" with business. There is a "yawning gap"
(ie lack of provision) between high class nurseries (fees paid
by parents) and free places under Sure Start.
— A school cannot set its delegated
budget for childcare. If it does it runs the risk that the budget
will be removed.
— Although falling rolls should provide
an opportunity for some schools to make use of surplus accommodation,
there will be a real demand for capital spend. Primary schools
have nothing equivalent to Building Schools for the Future.
2.2.2 Planning
There is a confused picture in many local authorities
with many different practices. Schools compete with private providers.
Lack of coordination and liaison can lead to waste. Heads can
be put off by this "minefield" and by the complexity
of funding streams.
Diversity is inevitable and appropriate. Good
practice needs to be "spread round the system". But
there has to be a National Strategy with each LEA having an Early
Years Plan upon which government funding should be based and upon
which LEAs can assist with the provision of places. Thereafter
LEAs should leave it to heads to lead, to appoint the staff and
to manage the operation. Bureaucracy and red tape must be cut
out.
2.2.3 Workforce
There is a workforce shortage in all areas re
universal roll out. Qualifications may need to be developed at
all levels to take account of multi-agency joined up working.
The quality of staff is crucial. Appropriate training and qualifications
will be relevant issues for the full range of staff including:
qualified teachers with early years expertise; early education
practitioners; support staff; childcare; social services; health
professionals; speech and language therapists. Colleges already
provide training places. Pay, conditions of service, appraisal
and CPD for all services will be key elements as well as Workforce
Remodelling and imaginative use of ICT.
2.2.4 Extended Provision
Ten hours a day and 51 weeks a year opening
is not unusual. Part time placements (morning or afternoon) are
becoming outdated. More and more parents want 8am to 6pm provision.
Working Tax Credits are playing a part. Youth Clubs, Holiday Play
Schemes, evening and weekend coverage, Breakfast Clubs and Before
and After School Clubs are expanding.
The Children Bill, with its Children and Young
Persons Boards and Children's Trusts will have a major impact.
2.2.5 Special Educational Needs
Early intervention is crucial. Support for parents
early on (eg Downs Syndrome) would make a real difference. Collaboration
with Special Schools and the extended use of SENCOs are also factors.
2.2.6 Admission Policies
There is a wide disparity of practice across
LEAs regarding admissions for three and four year olds as well
as nursery provision. All infants should receive full time education
in Reception year (and years one and two) plus part time education
in the preceding year. This would raise levels of attainment.
2.2.7 Good Practice
The Government is committed to research informed
practice. It will want to look at "why" effective practice
is effective, what will make effective practice transferable and
how best to build on what is already there. Flexibility will be
needed to accommodate a wide range of situations. This will lead
to greater complexity within the system. Expanded leadership teams
and increased administrative support will also be essential. The
development of a workable multidisciplinary inspection framework
that does not increase bureaucracy will be eagerly anticipated.
The recently published Ofsted report Children
at the centre: An evaluation of early excellence centres,
June 2004, highlights main findings and recommendations that will
be equally applicable and relevant to the role for schools, school
leaders, LEAs and governing bodies in developing the birth to
four agenda.
Key features and points to note for effective
provision:
— Centres are challenging to lead,
manage and organise, and their success rests on the quality of
response to this challenge.
— Significant headship experience and
leadership that is good or better.
— Commitment to inclusive setting for
children, parents and families.
— No blueprint for what could/should
be provided, each developing to meet the needs of the community.
— A strategic plan and high levels
of expertise.
— High quality of leadership with rigorous,
regular evaluation and thorough systems for monitoring the services
provided.
— Staff contribute well to the process
of self-evaluation across all services.
— Clear sense of direction for all
aspects of the services provided, the ability to inspire, a strong
commitment to raising achievement, identify right priorities and
take action.
— Clear responsibility for work and
performance, establish clear staff roles and line management.
— Delegated resources and sustainability
of funding.
— Designated link officer with LEA
clear about their role and good levels of local authority support.
— Centres had extensive building programmes
and significant redevelopment of outside areas lasting one-two
years.
— Breaking down barriers between different
groups of staff, amalgamating groups of staff into a cohesive
team that shares common goals, induction and training to manage
other services.
— Secure links between staff performance
objectives and training and the centre's priorities and high quality
professional support and staff training.
— Effective governing body or management
committee with clearly defined roles.
— Strong working links and partnerships
with agencies and other services.
— Actively sought representation of
different agencies on their management committee or governing
body as a significant factor in the degree of interagency collaboration
that has been achieved.
— Managers from their main services
on the senior management teams and good opportunities to senior
staff to work across different sectors.
Centres are most effective where services already
existed and they have not had to struggle to accommodate a deluge
of new initiatives but have been able to build effectively on
existing services.
Interaction between voluntary and maintained
sectors has raised particular concerns if there is a conflict
for the voluntary sector between maintaining viability and the
purposes and aims of the programme.
3. CONCLUSION
Policy makers at every level will need to consider
all the above issues if schools are to be enabled to play their
full part in this agenda to develop good universal services for
under fives based around the needs of each child and their parents.
Strategic planning and funding will be crucial in the short, medium
and long term. The programme will be highly complex and is not
cost neutral.
NAHT believes that many heads want to embrace
this agenda providing challenges listed above are met.
November 2004
| 
