Early years teaching has been under the spotlight for a while now, with the Department for Education expanding childcare to further help families by providing additional childcare hours and other methods. However, not everyone is in agreement.
The Fawcett Society, a leading UK charity organisation, stated that childcare in England was falling short on various fronts: affordability, quality, and levels of public spending.
The charity examined early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision in Australia, Canada, France, and more – all nations that have recently completed or are undergoing government-led transformations in the sector – and discovered that England's childcare lacked ambition and effective implementation.
Jemima Olchawski, the Fawcett Society’s chief executive, said:
“For too long we’ve seen the cracks in our dysfunctional childcare system papered over. We’ve got a patchwork of provision that doesn’t meet the needs of children, parents or the childcare sector. But a broken system isn’t inevitable, as the countries in our research clearly show. We need politicians from all parties to work together and make genuine commitments that last beyond this election – and indeed the next – to reform childcare.”
Their report warns that “designing a system which is focused narrowly on [affordability] without strengthening and resourcing the system … may ultimately be counterproductive and unable to meet the demands it has set up”.
Whilst there seems to be a disconnect between the government, charities, and the education sector itself, the changing landscape of early years teaching means that new approaches and attitudes must be explored.
For example, Ofsted’s five-year strategy puts a strong focus on early years and the importance of a good early education, and the recent updates to the Statutory Framework for the EYFS highlight a change in early years teaching, but, what can you do about it?
If you are an early years teaching educator, we have resources to support you. Whether you are preparing for inspection or planning and creating assessments for early years teaching, we can help you.
Our Preparing for Inspection in Early Years virtual conference features many experts and speakers who can help you understand how Ofsted will inspect the quality of education judgement, as well improve your knowledge on the evidence that the inspector will want to see on intent, implementation, and impact of your curriculum.
Are you looking for something a bit more bitesize? Why not check out our Effective Observation, Assessment and Planning in the Early Years half-day masterclass? Facilitator Dr. Sue Allingham will guide you through the key principles of observing and assessing learning and development in early years teaching.
