Safety
The sector is regulated and inspected, with the same inspection bodies that look after schools, namely: Ofsted (England), Estyn (Wales), DENI (NI), HMIE (Scotland). But it's still important to take time to plan, research and visit any setting where you will entrust the care of your child to others.
In England nurseries and kindergartens follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – a kind of ‘national curriculum’ for preschools. This is divided into three key areas:
EYFS recognises every child is unique and that children develop and learn in different ways. The curriculum is designed to enable and to promote positive relationships. Similar systems exist elsewhere in the UK.
The seven areas covered by the EYFS are:
Training qualifications
Official guidance states that,
'All providers should have appropriate qualifications, training, skills and knowledge and a clear understanding of their roles and responsibility'.
A wad of qualifications and great intellect does not necessarily turn someone into a great playworker. You want articulate, intelligent staff to engage with, and be engaged by, your child. Staff should openly enjoy working with very young children and take the same pride that you do in their development and progress.
Health, safety and risk assessments
Accommodation should be warm, bright, airy and sweet smelling. The last thing you need is the stench of dirty nappies, toilet training accidents or stewed food. Cleanliness is important. Expect a bit of mess towards the end of the day but generally there is no excuse for grubby toys, tatty displays, dirty floors or rubbish bins filled to the brim.
You should also expect to find procedures for:
Staffing ratios
Fees usually reflect the strict, age-dependent staffing ratios. Typically:
This requirement changes in some settings (such as independent schools) where a member of staff has qualified teacher status or equivalent.
Key workers
You should be assigned a key worker who will keep you up to speed with your child's time at nursery and development in general. S/he will help plan activities for your child, monitor and assess progress and amend their activity and learning programmes as necessary. They should be involved with identifying any support needs and should listen and act on any concerns or worries you may have. Parent-nursery communication is important and should be frequent. You should hope for daily feedback, not just a summary of what your child has done but how they have been - warts and all.
Monitoring of your child’s progress
Children should be regularly observed by staff as part of the ongoing assessment process but the aim is to keep bureaucracy to a minimum, so children and their needs get the lion's share of staff time. That said, between the ages of 2 and 3, you can expect a detailed, written assessment where key areas of progress and any areas of developmental delay are identified. If needs are identified, assessors may discuss how you can help and support your child at home. You are encouraged to share this information with your health visitor as the nursery cannot do so without your consent. The EYFS profile should be fully completed in the term in which your child turns 5.
Self-care
Are the children encouraged to dress themselves, use the toilet properly, eat healthily, keep fit? Do they look happy and cared for? Noses wiped, hand-washing encouraged...
Next steps
Moving to 'big school' may seem a long way off when your child is still a toddler but blink and they'll be ready for the next stage. Ask how children are prepared for moving-on to their next educational setting. Is there a transition programme in place? Do they help parents prepare their children for change?
What about children with special needs?
A good nursery will cater for a range of children including those with special needs. However, the type, nature and severity of your child's special needs may determine the type of setting you want for your child. See Nurseries for special needs
Free nursery hours and fees
Every 3 and 4 year-old in England is entitled to 15 hours of nursery education for 38 weeks of the year, funded by the state. Some children are eligible for 30 hours depending on parent income. Wales has a similar entitlement as does Scotland with all 3 and 4 years qualifying for 30 hours a week of funded provision. Funded pre-school places are available in Northern Ireland for at least 12.5 hours a week. Fees vary considerably but the majority of nurseries, children's centres, pre-schools, playgroups and even some child-minders will qualify. For private nurseries, vouchers may fund only some of the sessions and there may be hidden extras. Never assume all care will be free - ask what is included, what is excluded and what you need to provide.
Wrap-around and holiday care
This should be guided by (but need not strictly adhere to) the EYFS framework. You will almost certainly have to self-fund any wrap-around care, even if your child is attending a state nursery or state nursery school.
Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2022 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
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