Early Years Digest

17 June 2025

PRESS & MEDIA 

Children in England’s most deprived areas ‘less likely to achieve development goals by age five’ - The Guardian

Free school meals to be extended to 500,000 more children - BBC News

Children from PVI settings excluded from free school meal expansion - Nursery World Magazine

Councils in England warn of mass bankruptcies as Send deficits soar- The Guardian

Youngsters could face two-hour social media cap per app in new online safety package - The Daily Mirror

Labour under fire for touchscreen assessment plans for four-year-olds - The Telegraph [subscription required]

Seven in ten nurseries don't have enough staff to operate at maximum capacity, warns NDNA - Nursery World Magazine

 

FEATURE STORIES

Free school meals for more children in England is a positive thing, but there’s a catch - The Guardian
 

Eradicating child poverty must become Labour’s central mission - The Independent

How free nursery hours for more children backfired - The Times [subscription required]

Paternity leave: How much time off work do new dads get across Europe? - BBC News

Securing more money for schools is only the start of what we need to do to fix the education system - The Independent

Why childminders across the UK are giving it up - The Times [subscription required

 

BLOGS, PODCASTS & MORE

VIDEO: How does experience shape the brain? - Siren Films

BLOG: 2025 Spending Review: Childcare and Education Funding Explained - Childcare and Education Expo

AWARDS: Nominations for the Teach Early Years Awards are now open

 

RESEARCH & POLICY DEVELOPMENT

 
Popularity of new childcare entitlements could leave spending much higher than initially forecast - The Institute for Fiscal Studies
 
Everything to play for: A plan to ensure every child in England can play - Centre for Young Lives
 
Held back from the start: The impact of deprivation on early childhood - UNICEF UK
 
 

EVENTS & COURSES

The Early Years Leadership Conference, London 2025

14 November 2025, all day. Tickets £71.29

 

JOBS


Partnership Fundraising Manager (Scotland) - UNICEF (London/Hybrid)

Programme Manager - SOS Children's Villages UK (remote) 

Digital Content Officer - Froebel Trust (London/Hybrid)

 

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