Information on mass testing, vaccinations, funding and more Alliance provides an update on Covid-19 support for the early years Following to the launch of our new #ProtectEarlyYears campaign in partnership with NDNA and PACEY, we wanted to provide Alliance members and supporters on an update with the key areas of sector support that we are currently lobbying for. Mass testing The government has confirmed that it is currently preparing to roll out mass asymptomatic testing in early years settings in England. In a letter to Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch, education secretary Gavin Williamson stated that the Department for Education is "working with DHSC [the Department for Health and Social Care] on asymptomatic testing for all early years and childcare staff". In addition, children and families minister Vicky Ford announced on Twitter yesterday that, in light of the news that community asymptomatic testing is to be expanded across all local authorities in England, she has asked that those working with children, including those working in early years, are made a priority. As soon as we have more information on the timings and practicalities of this roll-out, we will be sure to update the sector. Vaccinations There is a growing pressure on the government to ensure that the early years workforce is included as one of the priority groups for the Covid-19 vaccination. Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, health secretary Matt Hancock said that: "The order after the first priority list is not yet decided but teachers, nursery staff, police and other key workers do have a good case". There is also a parliamentary debate on vaccinations entitled 'Prioritise teachers, school and childcare staff for Covid-19 vaccination' based on an official government e-petition, which has received over 450,000 signatures, taking place at 6pm today (you can watch live later here). We are clear that any prioritisation must include all those working in the early years, including childminders. Funding and financial support We know that this is an absolute critical issue and one on which we are in urgent discussions with the Department for Education. As it stands, we are aware that different local authorities are taking different approaches to the funding of early entitlement places currently not being taken up. As part of the #ProtectEarlyYears campaign, we are calling on the government to:
Urgent action on early years funding formed a central focus of our meeting with education secretary Gavin Williamson last week, and we understand that discussions within government are currently taking place on this. Shadow Chancellor Annelise Dodds has also now called for greater financial support for the early years sector, stating: "Early years providers are also teetering on the brink, with this new lockdown likely to further impact attendance ... It is a short-term financial consideration to not be supporting childcare providers right now." Funding and financial support will also be a key focus of another update parliamentary debate, entitled 'Effect of the covid-19 outbreak on early years settings', taking place at 2.30pm on Tuesday 12 January (you can watch it live here). We are keen to gather the views and experiences of as many early years providers on the need for greater funding support as possible, to help us make as strong an argument as possible to government. Please take a few minutes to fill out our brief form explaining the key financial challenges you are facing. Scientific evidence We know that there are still many questions about the scientific basis on which early years providers have been asked to remain open when primary schools have been closed to all but critical worker children and vulnerable children. The Department for Education has provided some feedback, and our chief executive Neil Leitch also attended a meeting with SAGE officials last week, a summary of which is available on our website here. The DfE has also today published updated statistics on the number of reported Covid cases in early years settings - this is available here. There is also a live dashboard available on Gov.uk, which outlines the latest Covid data, including a breakdown of positive cases by age - this is available here. However, we believe there is still insufficient evidence on the role of young children on transmitting the new strain of Covid-19, and the risks to the early years workforce, given that young children often show little to no symptoms and therefore are likely to be tested less frequently than adults. We are continuing to push for more detailed scientific data on these points, and will share any new information as soon as we can. Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we work hard to try and get you the information and answer you need. Please continue to share your questions with us at feedback@eyalliance.org.uk. Ask your MP to #ProtectEarlyYears As part of our new #ProtectEarlyYears campaign, launched in partnership with NDNA and Pacey, we have developed a new template letter that providers can send to their local MP by just filling in a few details, available via the button below. |