Councils struggling to deliver on flagship nursery care policy

Councils are struggling to deliver a flagship policy to provide free nursery care to vulnerable two-year-olds because of a shortage of nursery places, a new survey shows. Under the Scottish Government policy local authorities were expected to offer 600 hours of childcare to two-year-olds from workless households by August this year. However, a survey by…

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Major Concerns at Childcare Funding Shortfall

A new report has shown that government funding falls short of covering the amount needed for every child accessing free childcare. Counting the Cost: An Analysis of Delivery Costs for Funded Early Years Education and Childcare, carried out by social and market research agency Ceeda and commissioned by the Pre-School Learning Alliance, demonstrates that government…

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'Inadequate' nursery failed to vet its staff

A nursery has been rated “inadequate” by Ofsted for failing to properly vet staff members. The Beeches Montessori Nursery School in Banstead was visited by an inspector from the education watchdog for the first time earlier this year. In the report inspector Jacqueline Carolan said: “The provider does not carry out the required Disclosure and…

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You were all by far and away the most professional, pro-active, helpful and friendly company that we dealt with

“As I said on the phone this morning your company has won our business it was not just given – we were considering other providers including our existing insurer, however, you were all by far and away the most professional,         pro-active, helpful and friendly company that we dealt with. We now feel confident that we…

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Family Friendly Report Card: Government could do better

The Family and Childcare Trust has published its 2014 Family Friendly Report Card, and there’s room for improvement. It takes a close look at how well families are supported by the Government and is “the only annual assessment of how family friendly the UK is”.  It includes factors such as: financial resources work-life balance essential…

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