Mayhem was envisaged when Julie White and her staff team first discussed turning Bents Farm Day Nursery near Halifax into a mixed-age open plan setting. 'We pictured 60 children on the move and didn't know how we'd cope,' says Ms White. 'But we have been working this way since May and it is not chaos. It is very relaxed, because the children have more space, freedom and choice and they are more calm and independent. It is a lovely atmosphere - I keep wondering why we didn't do it earlier.'
Birth to Five consultant and trainer Sally Thomas says the norm for early years settings being organised into age groups has fed down from the age grading in schools. She believes they should stop thinking like primary schools when caring for under-fives.
'It is not natural for children to spend extended time with a lot of other children of the same age, size and understanding of the world around them, in this earlier, more ego-centric stage of development. Rigid age grading can be very stressful for a group of one- or two-year-olds together all day, and three-year-olds can find this exhausting. Many three-year-olds enjoy short times with other children of the same age, but need to balance this with social play with other ages, as well as time to follow their own interests,' says Ms Thomas.
'A young child's greatest need is to be "recognised" and supported by a playful adult. Mixed age groups have a far more relaxed atmosphere because the children rarely crave the same toys or type of attention at the same time.'
In a mixed age setting, siblings can be together if they choose and, conversely, twins have the opportunity to spend time apart and develop their own identities. The number of transitions children go through before starting school are also reduced, enabling them to form closer bonds with children and staff and avoiding the stress of adapting to new routines.
'One of our principles is that the children will have someone to depend on so that they can be independent. This is an important part of emotional well-being,' says Kim Barker, who has operated Slade Day Nursery in Oxford as a multi-age group setting for four years. She thinks that the Early Years Foundation Stage guidance is a 'godsend' to the practice, because they no longer have to work from the two documents of Birth to Three Matters and the Foundation Stage.
The 45-place local authority nursery runs a key-person approach, with staff paired as 'buddies' who work opposite shifts with 'family groups' of children aged from six months to six years. Ms Barker explains, 'We sit in family groups for mealtimes and it's not uncommon to see an older child feeding a ten-month-old. The key person is there, but the older children automatically help the younger ones. There is a lot of nurturing and consideration, and they are learning not only practical skills but social skills.'
Ms White agrees, 'There is a lot of empathy going on. Older children start to understand different children's needs and take that into consideration and learn from it.
'The younger ones also benefit greatly. It has been proven that children learn from their peers who are more developmentally advanced. We are already seeing the 12-month to two-year age group develop rapidly because they are mimicking their peers. They are also making far more choices at an early age, which is helping development. I hope it will help them to form stronger personalities because they are not being steered by adults.'
Val Holland, proprietor of Valmary's Children's Centre in Nottingham, has noted that her mixed age setting has a positive influence on social development. It helps the children develop self-assurance through gaining a sense of themselves and their group identity. She says, 'In the home corner we often hear the older children telling the younger ones the nursery rules, such as not to run. They learn how to pass on information to each other. The older children also enjoy reading stories and talking through books with the younger children.'
Being challenged
Sally Thomas notes that the intermingling of the ages does not have to last all day. 'Older children need to have opportunities to spend time with other four-year-olds exploring and discovering, enjoying adventurous play together and listening to "meaty" stories,' she says.
Slade Day Nursery staff ensure that age-appropriate challenges are available. They allow Foundation Stage children to work on projects uninterrupted, such as if they are building a street scene in the block area. 'We have boxes of equipment for the older children and they know where tools like scissors are safely kept,' says Ms Barker.
'When older children are doing fine-motor play there will be an adult in the space to monitor and be sure that the little ones can safely join in if they wish, but they will be helped so that they are not disruptive. Staff know it is all right to move a younger child to a different area if necessary.'
Ms Barker adds, 'It sounds idealistic, and we do have bad days, but the majority of the time it is a really good way to work.'
BENEFITS OF THE MIXED-AGE APPROACH
For children
- Stressful transitions are removed;
- Younger children learn from the older ones, rather than just from children of their age and the staff;
- Nurturing, sharing and co-operation is encouraged;
- Children can interact and communicate with a larger peer group;
- Quiet or withdrawn children can gain confidence and improved social skills from mixing with younger children;
- Children are less likely to display aggressive behaviour or compete with others at the same stage of development;
- Helps children to extend skills physically, verbally and socially;
- Encourages children to develop an appreciation of the different needs of younger and older ages;
- Access to many resources that may have been restricted to age-appropriate rooms.
For staff
- Facilities do not have to be duplicated in every room - for example, having three home corners;
- Practitioners develop a good understanding of every stage of development, which improves their knowledge and helps them develop professionally;
- They can build closer relationships with the children;
- Staff are not confined to one room;
- A calmer, more varied and relaxed atmosphere to work in can be created, which increases job satisfaction.
Parents
- Siblings can share a keyworker who will see to the whole family's needs, so parents only have to directly deal with one practitioner;
- Parents do not have to tell more than one person about confidential issues.
MANAGEMENT POINTS: RATIOS
While Ofsted is happy to register mixed-age settings, there is no set formula for calculating ratios.
Bents Farm Day Nursery: Ofsted would not grant an open age-plan registration for the 60-place setting, so all children are registered as under two. This results in more space and more staff per child, but also higher running costs. 'But it is not all about finance - you have to think of the children,' says Julie White.
Valmary's Children's Centre: Ofsted registers the nursery on a points system - for example, six two-year-olds need two members of staff. 'Keeping an eye on ratios to make sure we are covered is a challenge. The staffing isn't as simple as it would be with one room, but now the system is in place it isn't too difficult,' says Val Holland. But she finds the system reduces staffing costs because the ratios of the whole nursery need to be met, rather than over-staffing to ensure there are enough staff in the individual rooms.
Slade Day Nursery: Kim Barker says, 'On our initial Ofsted inspection they measured each area and wanted to make it seem like we had an under-twos room, a two-year-olds room and a 3-5 room. But they were really excited by the way we work when we had our first inspection when we were operating. In February we were inspected again and the inspector loved it and could see how the way we work really supports the children.'
The nursery is registered for: 12 under-two places; 12 two-year-old places; and 24 three- to five-year-old places.
Despite being legally within ratio, extra staff are sometimes needed to ensure every child has a keyperson or buddy.
