EDITORIAL 020 7501 + direct extension; news.nw@markallengroup.com Editor Karen Faux (6694) Deputy Editor Catherine Gaunt (6696) News Editor Katy Morton (6697) Art Editor Alison Coombes All email addresses are firstname. lastname@markallengroup.com ADVERTISING 020 7501 + direct extension Publishing Director Tom Curtiss (6729) Associate Publisher George Hogg (6699) Sales Manager Martin Watchorn (020 3915 9457) Recruitment Sales Manager Nawal Bekkale (6767) BUSINESS Managing Director Ravi Chandiramani Production Director Richard Hamshere Group Production Manager Kyri Apostolou Chief Executive Officer Ben Allen Chairman Mark Allen NURSERY WORLD is published by MA Education Ltd, St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0PB. Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper. Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Dowlais, CF48 3TD. Please read our privacy policy, by visiting http://privacypolicy. markallengroup.com. This will explain how we process, use and safeguard your data SUBSCRIPTIONS www.magsubscriptions.com 0800 137 201; UK Print and website subscription rates: Annual Credit/ debit card: £129; Direct debit £120; Quarterly Direct debit: £32.25; Monthly continuous Credit/debit card: £11.25 (inc P&P). © MA Education Ltd, 2023. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise negotiated by the contributor to the contrary, Nursery World purchases All Rights to contributions. No part of Nursery World may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the Publishing Director. Vol 121 No44852 ISSN 0029 6422
c tac s Editorial
020 7501 6697 news.nw@markallengroup.com Advertising Jobs:
020 7501 6767 nawal.bekkale@markallengroup.com Display:
020 7501 6729 tom.curtiss@markallengroup.com
Part of
www.markallengroup.com
www.nurseryworld.co.uk
E t r's i
IN THE BALANCE
Local authorities’ role will increase under the expansion of subsidised childcare, but are they in a position to do this?
Sector reaction to the Labour Party’s proposed review of early education has on the whole been favourable. But at the moment, we don’t know the timescales and the review itself doesn’t exist as a document for public consumption.
One of its stated aims is to remove restrictions on local authorities when it comes to opening nursery provision. Can this be interpreted as an intention to start investing in maintained local authority nursery schools? This would be an important step towards addressing the problem of lack of provision in disadvantaged areas.
It is increasingly feared that the Government’s plans for the expansion of subsidised childcare will widen the gap in quality between different local areas, fuelling even greater inequalities.
As the LGA pointed out back in the summer, with councils responsible for directing the majority of childcare spending under the new offer, their role will become
even more critical in managing the market. They will need more muscle, with stronger powers for commissioning provision centrally to ensure that it is available in the
right places. This could include the ability
to withhold free entitlement funding where a provider wants to open in
an area where there is already plenty of provision.
But will they be up to the job? The LGA’s latest research suggests not, with its acknowledgement that councils are ‘firmly in the eye of inflationary storm’. Its analysis shows that by 2024/25, cost and demand pressures will have added £15 billion (around 29 per cent) to the cost of delivering council services since 2021/2022 – and that is on the basis of current service levels. With services set to be ramped up, this is yet another acute financial challenge the Government must address, and one which will directly affect our sector’s
future health.
Jan Dubiel is an independent early years education consultant
and adviser. On page 16 he starts a new three-part series exploring the learning behaviours that are important to equip children for the modern world. He also examines how these can be linked to curriculum.
In this issue
Alison Clark is Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of South-
Eastern Norway, and scooped Professional Book of the Year at the Nursery World Awards 2023. On page 48 Alison begins a new series, exploring activities based around ‘slow pedagogy’, which was the focus for her winning book.
Di Chilvers is an author and early years consultant. With co-writer
Chevone Newman, she explains how whiteboards have become a collaborative focal point for learning at a school in South Acton. Get the biggest whiteboard you can and start jotting, is their advice. Page 51.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY ! For access to 12 issues of Nursery World a year, plus supplements, posters and more than 35,000 articles on www.nurseryworld.co.uk HOTLINE: 0800 137 201 Call us now! Receive a year’s subscription for £129 or £11.25 a month, or annual direct debit for just £120 a year or £32.25 a quarter Join our early years community for ideas, information and inspiration.
Tweet us @NurseryWorld
Like us on Facebook facebook.com/NurseryWorldUK
Our LinkedIn group Nursery World Group
November 2023 | NurseryWorld | 3
