Take twos - three sessions a day
James Hempsall
Friday, April 19, 2013
Historically the sector has worked hard to embrace flexibility when it comes to offering early learning.
With the demand for new places over the next two years, there are opportunities for two-session settings to consider moving to three a day. James Hempsall highlights how this has worked for a nursery in Reading.
The Department for Education is keen that providers be funded to deliver early learning at times and in patterns which support parents to maximise the use of their child's place. Many providers have already moved from a traditional stand-alone morning or afternoon session. Greyfriars Day Nursery and Nursery School is a private organisation affiliated to Greyfriars Church in Reading. The nursery and nursery school are situated in Reading town centre and attract families from the immediate surrounding area, as well as from further afield. Families are working and non-working, and there are 26 languages spoken.
Opened in 2006, the day nursery offered all year round full daycare. It was not long before it expanded its offer by opening the nursery school on the same site. This gave families a flexible term-time only offer while the full daycare provision continued to meet the needs of working families. Ninety per cent of children attending the nursery school use their free entitlement, and two-year-old places have been offered for two years (as they were part of Reading's pilot).
The nursery has always had a flexible approach when delivering early education places. The nursery school is open from 8.30am until 5.30pm and there are three sessions offered each day: 8.30am to 11.30am, 11.30am to 2.30pm and 2.30pm to 5.30pm. Parents can use stand-alone sessions or block sessions together to create a longer six-hour or nine-hour day.
Families take up a variety of session patterns depending upon personal circumstances and can buy additional time should they wish. The flexibility in the offer provides parents with options when circumstances change. All three sessions are popular, and the 8.30am start for the first session has proved popular given the demand for morning sessions. By offering a third session, the nursery has increased the number of places it can offer, and achieved a useful income across the lunchtime period.
James Hempsall is director of Hempsalls (www.hempsalls.com).
