A children’s nursery in Harrogate has urged parents to voice their opposition to government proposals which could see fewer staff caring for young children.

Rachel Wilkinson, proprietor of Green Gables Montessori Nursery on the Great Yorkshire Showground, said the plans to allow one member of staff to care for five two-year-olds were “not safe”.

“My main concern is that it’s OK saying you can have one member of staff to five toddlers, but the reality is you can’t keep them safe. It’s wholly inappropriate.

“We still operate one-to-three for that age range because we don’t think the one-to-four is safe.”

In childcare settings in England, each member of staff can currently care for up to four children aged two. The government today said it will consult with childcare professionals and parents over whether to increase that to five.

Meanwhile, the number of children with additional needs who require extra support has grown significantly since covid. Ms Wilkinson said it was down to children having much less social interaction during lockdowns – and those born since March 2020 were at the greatest risk, she said.

“Children at two are most likely to be diagnosed with additional needs and need as much support as children under the age of two, as well as all the learning opportunities. You can’t do that with one member of staff to five children.”

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The government said its proposal would help childcare providers to reduce costs and they could then pass savings on to parents, to enable them to access more affordable childcare as the cost of living rises.

However, Ms Wilkinson said the approach is completely wrong and there are better ways to address the challenges in the sector, such as increasing funding.

Children aged three and above receive funding for up to 30 hours’ childcare per week in term time in England.

Ms Wilkinson said the amount paid to the nursery for those hours was inadequate – it costs her £1.64 per hour more than she receives to care for each child.

Nurseries are not allowed to charge top-up fees and can only increase their prices so far. If rates rise too far, she said, providers would price themselves out of the market as parents would choose not to work.

Instead, she said she would like to see a range of measures to tackle the problems facing parents and childcare professionals.

“What would help the situation would be to stop business rates, to allow us to claim VAT back on investments – I have just bought £15,000 of equipment and paid 20% on it. That money that’s going to the government would have been reinvested in the nursery and come off the top line.

“I would like to pay my staff more than just above minimum rate. And the funding needs to actually be a viable amount. I think the calculation was done about 2016 and a lot has changed since then.

“Funding went up 6p per hour this time. Minimum wage went up by 60p per hour, plus you’ve got pensions and national insurance to pay. It just doesn’t add up.”

Children aged two would be affected by the proposed changes to childcare settings

Since covid, she said, nurseries have struggled to recruit, along with other relatively low-paying sectors, such as hospitality and social care.

Ms Wilkinson said she has managed not to need to close any of its rooms when staff are off sick, but other childcare settings have not been as fortunate.

Parents of children at other nurseries have told the Stray Ferret about last-minute cancellation of their childcare when too many staff have called in sick and there have not been enough agency workers to cover for them.

Combined with the increasing costs of fuel, food and other day-to-day expenses, Ms Wilkinson said it is no surprise that many nurseries are closing their doors.

Having established her nursery 27 years ago, she said she is increasingly concerned about the state of the sector.

“I think the profession was in crisis before the pandemic and that has just made it worse. It’s a perfect storm.”

A children’s nursery in Harrogate has maintained is ‘good’ rating from Ofsted for the third inspection in a row.

Busy Bees on Cornwall Road – registered as Kindercare, a name under which it previously traded – was inspected at the beginning of April.

The report published this week praised the nursery’s positive relationships between staff and children, as well as the support given to children’s language development.

Inspectors said:

“Children learn through an effective balance of adult-led activities and child-initiated play. Staff introduce topics that capture children’s curiosity and support their learning.

“For example, older children are engrossed when they learn about the sinking of the Titanic. Older children then eagerly predict which objects will sink or float in the water tray. Children beam with pride when they succeed.”

The report also highlighted the physical skills developed by children, from crawling, walking and running to using cutlery with confidence.

It praised the work done with different age groups to teach children about other cultures and beliefs. It said children are encouraged to share photographs of their family members to aid discussions about the ways in which people are similar and different.

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The inspection report added:

“Staff establish strong partnerships with parents. There is successful two-way communication between parents and staff.

“Parents say that their children love coming to nursery and make excellent progress, especially in their language and social skills. Parents are full of praise for the friendly and dedicated staff team.”

To further improve the rating, which was ‘good’ across all areas, the report said staff should be given more support to extend their good practice. It said, while there were systems in place to monitor staff performance, supervision sessions had recently become less frequent and less focused on staff development.

This article is sponsored by Ashville College. 

With the name of ‘College’, sometimes parents assume that Ashville College only caters for teenage pupils, however, there is also a well-established Prep School and Nursery Class on the same 64-acre campus.

Acorns Nursery Class is located in a purpose-built building which provides a happy, secure and stimulating setting for the beginning of a child’s learning journey. It is packed full of facilities appropriate to support younger children with their educational development in a fun environment.

And whilst it is a stand-alone facility, being part of the ‘Ashville family’, pupils also benefit from being able to make use of the extensive facilities the wider College has to offer, including a state-of-the-art Sports Centre and superb outdoor area for games. Additionally, this link allows them to explore a wider range of subjects at a much earlier age and to discover what areas they are particularly interested in and where their individual talents lie.

Acorns Nursery Class is open to children after they turn three, until they start school in Reception. And for many it is the first step in a child’s learning journey at Ashville.

In comparison with other mainstream nurseries, the ‘young Acorns’ are taught by fully-qualified teachers, rather than nursery practitioners, and the Acorns teachers have a wealth of experience specifically working with younger children. Acorns Nursery Class also introduces them to a school routine; they wear a uniform, learn through play in a classroom setting and attend assemblies as part of the wider Ashville Prep School community. This helps develop their confidence and independence, and it removes the potential ‘shock’ of starting school the following year.

Smaller class sizes enable the children to have more teacher interaction and greater support to grow and develop, and the boys and girls are very much a name and never a number.

Acorns Nursery Class follows the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum that sets out key learning through interactive activities and play, for children to help with a smooth entry into Reception the following year. It covers a variety of themes including a core introduction to literacy and numeracy skills.

Simon Asker, Head of Ashville Prep School explains: “At the heart of the Ashville College ethos, pupils are supported to be ‘the best versions of themselves’, which is also true in Acorns. Teachers cater for individual interests and strengths to make the Early Years curriculum more relevant, accessible and enjoyable to each child.

“We understand that it can be a daunting decision to take the step and choose a Pre-School or Nursery Class for your child, especially if they have not attended a childcare setting before.

“However, the experienced teachers and Admissions team at Ashville are here to support parents with this milestone, and we welcome enquiries from parents who are interested to find out more about Acorns Nursery Class.”

For more information about Acorns Nursery Class at Ashville College, please visit www.ashville.co.uk/acorns or call 01423 566358.