The sector voiced concerns that another lockdown will lead to a drop in demand for childcare settings already struggling to remain viable, leading to another fall in income.
Many providers have still not recovered occupancy numbers since they were able to reopen more widely in the summer.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will be extended for the full duration of the national lockdown with furloughed staff to be paid at least 80 per cent of their salary up to £2,500 a month.
Meanwhile, teaching unions remain divided, with the National Education Union (NEU) calling on the Government to include all schools and colleges in an ‘immediate’ national lockdown.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister announced a four-week national lockdown in England from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December.
Reacting to the news, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said, ‘We know that many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across the country are already struggling to remain viable as a result of the combined impact of the pandemic and historic underfunding, and that many would not have been able to survive another order to temporarily close.’
He added, ‘That said, with so many sectors instructed to shut down during this period, it is highly likely that the need and demand for childcare provision will nevertheless fall once again over the coming months, resulting in another fall in income for many early years providers. It is therefore critical that the government provides the financial support the sector needs to get through the upcoming lockdown and beyond, if it is to survive in the long term.
‘What’s more, given we are being asked to remain open at such a frightening and worrying time, it's vital that early years providers are able to feel confident that they can keep themselves, their staff, the children in their care and their own families safe.
‘For this to happen, Government must ensure that all providers have priority access to Covid testing, including home tests; affordable access to PPE; and support with the costs of keeping their settings as clean as possible. Our sector putting itself on the frontline in the middle of a global pandemic - anything less is simply not acceptable.’
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said, ‘It will be a relief for early years providers and families that childcare will not be directly affected by the national lockdown during November. It’s vital for children’s development that they can continue with their early education and have the stability provided by continuity of care.
‘However, more should be done to support childcare providers at this time to ensure they are able to remain open and provide that support for children and families who will still need to access childcare places. Demand is already lower than normal due to the pandemic, while enhanced safety measures are seeing running costs rise.’
She added, ‘These are challenging times which is why we are lobbying Government for emergency funding for the sector. Providers need the certainty of knowing what will happen to their spring funding as well as getting the funding right for next year.
‘Although we welcome the return of the full flexible furlough scheme which is good for both nurseries and their employees, the delays in testing are causing serious staffing issues for nurseries. We would like to see local authorities supporting the childcare sector through the £1 bn business support fund announced by the Chancellor.’
Keeping schools safe
The NEU said that Government ‘ignored calls’ for a two-week circuit break over half term to include schools, which was taken up by Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland assembly.
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU said, ‘More severe measures are now called for, as a result the Government should not make this mistake again.’
Pointing to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, Mr Courtney added, ‘It is clear from ONS data that schools are an engine for virus transmission. It would be self-defeating for the Government to impose a national lockdown, whilst ignoring the role of schools as a major contributor to the spread of the virus.
‘Such a lockdown would impose pain on the whole community - but not be as effective as it could be if schools were included. Ignoring the role of schools and colleges in the spread of the virus is likely to lead to the need for even longer lockdowns in future.
‘The latest figures from the ONS estimate that one per cent of primary pupils and two per cent of secondary pupils have the virus and that these levels have increased dramatically since wider opening in September. NEU analysis of ONS figures shows that virus levels are now nine times higher amongst primary pupils and an astonishing 50 times higher amongst secondary pupils.
‘The Government should include all schools in proposals for an immediate national lockdown and as a minimum be preparing for school rotas at the end of that period, including by actually meeting its promise to deliver broadband and equipment to those children who do not have them.
‘It is also vital that the Government ensure proper financial support for all those affected by lockdown including crucial supply teachers and other staff.’
Children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield said, ‘Suggestions that schools will stay open during a forthcoming lockdown are very welcome. We've always said that schools should be the last to shut and first to open.
‘It would be a disaster for children's well-being and education if they were to close.’
The NAHT said that the Government is ‘right’ to prioritise keeping children in school during a second lockdown, but that ‘more transparency is needed on the risks’.
Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said, ‘We are calling on Government to provide complete transparency on the risks to children, families and school staff of keeping all pupils in school, and to give clear guidance on what additional measures schools may have to take in order to keep everyone safe.
‘We are particularly concerned that, once again, there is considerable ambiguity about whether it is safe for those who are clinically vulnerable or extremely vulnerable to continue to work in a school.
‘It is clear from the Government’s own attendance figures that older children have been more affected by the rise in infections so far. In Scotland, the government have determined that the evidence on transmission was sufficient to advise senior pupils in high restriction areas to wear face coverings in classrooms and for staff to wear face coverings in all schools where social distancing is not possible. We want to know from the government in England why their interpretation differs and when precisely risk factors will trigger a move to rota-working.
‘In this time of crisis, it is essential that schools are free from distractions and can focus their full efforts on the task at hand. The Government can back schools by confirming full reimbursement of covid costs, the continued suspension of routine inspection in January, cancellation of statutory testing and clarification on arrangements for awarding GCSE, AS and A-levels in summer 2021.’
Commenting on the announcements on the national lockdown in England and new guidance for schools in Scotland, Deborah Lawson, assistant general secretary of Community Union (Voice the Education and Early Years Section), said, 'It is imperative for the education, welfare and mental health of children and young people that education and early years settings remain open – but only if it is safe to do so.
'We must ensure that everyone is kept safe and expect systems to be in place to ensure this.
'There is no substitute for face-to-face teaching and learning, and we are concerned that the closure of schools and colleges would only further disadvantage a generation who have already had their education severely disrupted.
'We must be guided by evidence-based scientific and public health advice guidance on whether settings should remain open, and on the provision and use of PPE.
'We call for additional funding from the Government to ensure early years, schools, colleges and universities can acquire the necessary resources without further impacting on learning.'
EYFS exemptions
During the lockdown period, where early years settings are unable to deliver Early Years Foundation Stage requirements in full due to national lockdown restrictions, settings can disapply some of the requirements of the EYFS statutory framework as per the Department for Education's (DfE) guidance.
Foundation Years, part of the National Children’s Bureau, said that the DfE will provide further information over the coming days.
- If you have any questions, please submit these to foundationyears@ncb.org.uk and Foundation Years will pass them on to DfE.
