Birth to 5 Matters Revised: Key Changes Explained
Government data reveals a concerning decline in early years funding uptake among disadvantaged families, whilst support for working families has increased. The figures prompt serious questions about whether current funding models ensure equitable access to childcare for all families.
The Government is urgently reviewing the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) system after it emerged a nursery worker was able to secure employment at an early years setting whilst on bail for possessing indecent images of children. The case has exposed significant safeguarding gaps in how criminal allegations are flagged to employers in the childcare sector before conviction.
New research reveals that children's enthusiasm for reading plummets by over ten per cent between the ages of four and five, coinciding with their transition into primary education. The findings raise urgent questions about how early years settings and reception classes nurture reading for pleasure.