The deaths of two babies in nurseries made headlines last week but frontline workers say they are also concerned for the safety of older toddlers after the government relaxed rules on staff ratios.
Neil Leitch, the chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, which represents 14,000 providers of care and education to under-fives in England, told the Guardian that the change was dangerous and one of several recent early-years policies that constituted “a race to the bottom”.
On the staffing ratios, Leitch said: “There’s no question that it’s more dangerous than if we kept it where it was,” adding that it also meant children with additional needs were struggling to find childcare places because managers are concerned about already stretched staff being able to cope.
Rob Fox, the owner and manager of Happy Bunnies nursery school in Shepreth, south Cambridgeshire, said two-year-olds needed more attention than a one-to-five ratio was able to achieve.
Fox said his staff were mature but “if you’ve got a young, inexperienced workforce, then you’re going to have challenges”, adding that this could result in choking incidents at meal times or sleep checks not being recorded.
At a Westminster Hall debate on the issue in November 2022, the shadow minister for children and early years, Helen Hayes, said “relaxing the ratios will increase the risk of a reduction in the quality and safety of provision” and called on the government to abandon the plans.
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The deaths of two babies in nurseries made headlines last week but frontline workers say they are also concerned for the safety of older toddlers after the government relaxed rules on staff ratios.
Neil Leitch, the chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, which represents 14,000 providers of care and education to under-fives in England, told the Guardian that the change was dangerous and one of several recent early-years policies that constituted “a race to the bottom”.
On the staffing ratios, Leitch said: “There’s no question that it’s more dangerous than if we kept it where it was,” adding that it also meant children with additional needs were struggling to find childcare places because managers are concerned about already stretched staff being able to cope.
Rob Fox, the owner and manager of Happy Bunnies nursery school in Shepreth, south Cambridgeshire, said two-year-olds needed more attention than a one-to-five ratio was able to achieve.
Fox said his staff were mature but “if you’ve got a young, inexperienced workforce, then you’re going to have challenges”, adding that this could result in choking incidents at meal times or sleep checks not being recorded.
At a Westminster Hall debate on the issue in November 2022, the shadow minister for children and early years, Helen Hayes, said “relaxing the ratios will increase the risk of a reduction in the quality and safety of provision” and called on the government to abandon the plans.
The original article contains 841 words, the summary contains 238 words. Saved 72%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!