Thousands of parents and childcare staff back petitions against PM’s plans to relax ratios

A petition started by the parents of a boy that died after a medical emergency at nursery, that warns reducing ratios in early years settings could ‘endanger’ children, has attracted more than 14,000 signatures, while an open letter to the prime minister on the same issue by LEYF’s chief executive has been signed by over 1,100 people, including childcare providers and teachers.

They are in reaction to claims that the prime minister Boris Johnson is looking at relaxing staff: child ratios as a way to reduce ‘living costs’ for families, as reported by Nursery World last week. The children and families minister Will Quince is also due to visit other countries including France and the Netherlands who have a 'different regulatory structure, including different ratios'.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said however that any changes would require consultation.

The petition on the Parliament website, which has attracted 14, 264 signatures and will therefore receive a Government response, was started by Zoe and Lewis Steeper, whose son Oliver died in September, days after he was believed to have choked at nursery. The nursery is now permanently closed.

They argue within the petition that ‘Increasing how many children an adult can legally be held responsible for risks increasing the danger that those young children, the most vulnerable in society, are being subjected to.’

The parents of Millie Thompson, who launched Millie’s Mark after their daughter died after choking on food at a nursery in 2012, have also urged the prime minister not to reduce ratios. In a letter to the PM posted on social media they state that ‘reducing health and safety measures in childcare is not the answer.’

They go on to say, ‘We will never ever know what happened to our daughter properly, we will never know the ins and outs of that day. What we do know is that the childcare sector needs as many health and safety rules as possible to keep our children safe, yours included. As parents, we need to know that our children are being looked after by efficiently run childcare establishments with specially trained staff.’

LEYF open lettter

Similarly, the open letter to the prime minister from June O’Sullivan, chief executive of the nursery group LEYF, claims that relaxing ratios would be ‘catastrophic’ for children, parents and the sector.

The letter states, ‘Increasing the adult to child ratios will, without doubt, significantly reduce the time available for staff to spend with each child. This is particularly important for the youngest children – our little babies and toddlers whose welfare and social and cognitive development is closely linked to social interaction and forming secure attachment relationships with adults.

‘Furthermore, choosing to push a policy that effectively puts more pressure on staff who are quitting the sector in droves because of lack of respect for what they do, low status, poor salaries and lack of support, is simply foolish.

‘Our new education minister, Will Quince, must get to grips with why thoughtful ratios are critical for the wellbeing of children and the ability of staff to support their learning and development successfully. We have some of the best childcare in the world, yet cutting corners in such a demeaning and dispiriting way should not and cannot be an option.

‘We strongly urge you to make the right decision.’

LEYF said it was keen to gain further support from parents and parenting groups in particular.

 'This petition shows the level of concern'

Commenting on the petition started by Zoe and Lewis Steeper, Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said, ‘This petition shows the level of concern there is among parents and providers about any plans to tinker with ratios in isolation.

‘Although nurseries have many safeguards in place such as paediatric first aid training for their staff, reducing ratios could increase the levels of risk to children.

‘The proposed plans to reduce the cost of childcare for families show a lack of understanding of how the early years sector works. Instead of penny pinching now, the Government must invest sufficiently in our youngest children which will pay dividends in their later lives.’

In a statement the Department for Education said it was 'looking for ways to improve the cost, choice and availability of childcare providers', and added that 'health and safety as well as quality of provision will continue to be of paramount importance'.