--- title: Early Years Digest - 17 June 2025 description: Welcome to the ninety fifth Early Years Digest. Every fortnight we provide a summary of some of the work published in the EY sector. image: https://info.kindredsquared.org.uk/hubfs/EY%20Digest.gif --- ## Kindred² [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.twitter.com/kindredsquared) ## Kindred² [![Kindred Horizontal Logo](https://info.kindredsquared.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Marketing%20Email%20Template%20Build/Kindred%20Horizontal%20Logo.png?width=150&name=Kindred%20Horizontal%20Logo.png "Kindred Horizontal Logo")](https://kindredsquared.org.uk/) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.twitter.com/kindredsquared) # Early Years Digest ## 17 June 2025 Sign up to our fortnightly digest PRESS & MEDIA  Children in England’s most deprived areas ‘less likely to achieve development goals by age five’ - [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/jun/09/children-in-englands-most-deprived-areas-less-likely-to-achieve-development-goals-by-age-five) Free school meals to be extended to 500,000 more children - [BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdr5mr5l2d1o) Children from PVI settings excluded from free school meal expansion - [Nursery World Magazine](https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news/children-from-pvi-settings-excluded-from-free-school-meal-expansion) Councils in England warn of mass bankruptcies as Send deficits soar- [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/jun/13/councils-in-england-warn-of-mass-bankruptcies-as-send-deficits-soar) Youngsters could face two-hour social media cap per app in new online safety package - [The Daily Mirror](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/youngsters-could-face-two-hour-35344665) Labour under fire for touchscreen assessment plans for four-year-olds - [The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/06/14/labour-bridget-phillipson-four-year-olds-devices-testing/) \[*subscription required*\] Seven in ten nurseries don't have enough staff to operate at maximum capacity, warns NDNA - [Nursery World Magazine](https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/content/news/seven-in-ten-nurseries-dont-have-enough-staff-to-operate-at-maximum-capacity-warns-ndna)   FEATURE STORIES Free school meals for more children in England is a positive thing, but there’s a catch - [The Gua](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/05/free-school-meals-children-england-government)r[dian](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/05/free-school-meals-children-england-government)   Eradicating child poverty must become Labour’s central mission - [The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/free-school-meals-children-labour-poverty-welfare-b2764454.html) How free nursery hours for more children backfired - [The Times](https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/money/article/how-free-nursery-hours-for-more-children-backfired-8g97ztb5c) \[*subscription required*\] Paternity leave: How much time off work do new dads get across Europe? - [BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8d3l7858zo) Securing more money for schools is only the start of what we need to do to fix the education system - [The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/bridget-phillipson-spending-review-education-children-schools-b2767973.html) Why childminders across the UK are giving it up - [The Times](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/parenting/article/where-have-childminders-gone-fzvfds6g3) \[subscription required\]    BLOGS, PODCASTS & MORE VIDEO: How does experience shape the brain? - [Siren Films](https://www.sirenfilms.co.uk/library/how-does-experience-shape-the-brain/) BLOG: 2025 Spending Review: Childcare and Education Funding Explained - [Childcare and Education Expo](https://www.childcareeducationexpo.co.uk/news-article/2025-spending-review-childcare-education) AWARDS: Nominations for the [Teach Early Years Awards](https://www.teachawards.com/teach-early-years/) are now open RESEARCH & POLICY DEVELOPMENT   Popularity of new childcare entitlements could leave spending much higher than initially forecast - [The Institute for Fiscal Studies](https://ifs.org.uk/articles/popularity-new-childcare-entitlements-could-leave-spending-much-higher-initially-forecast)   Everything to play for: A plan to ensure every child in England can play - [Centre for Young Lives](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ckOdG4Rf7tdUUv4B2P6C7BoP5ei_ferT/view)   Held back from the start: The impact of deprivation on early childhood - [UNICEF UK](https://www.unicef.org.uk/press-releases/new-report-from-unicef-uk-warns-of-alarming-impact-of-deprivation-on-young-children-in-england/#:~:text=The%20report%2C%20'Held%20back%20from,childhood%20health%20and%20educational%20outcomes.)     EVENTS & COURSES [The Early Years Leadership Conference, London 2025](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-early-years-leadership-conference-london-2025-tickets-1115484647609) 14 November 2025, all day. Tickets £71.29   **JOBS** [Partnership Fundraising Manager (Scotland)](https://www.unicef.org.uk/jobs/partnerships-fundraising-manager-scotland/) - UNICEF (London/Hybrid) [Programme Manager](https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs?keywords=early+years&sort=latest&page=2&jobId=1023938) - SOS Children's Villages UK (remote)  [Digital Content Officer](https://www.froebel.org.uk/news/join-our-team)- Froebel Trust (London/Hybrid)   ### Sign up to the digest ##### Every fortnight we provide a summary of some of the work published in the EY sector. Sign up using the form below.