Regional Focus, Part 2, Devon - County of contrasts

Devon boasts above average early education results. In 2012, 68 per cent of its 59,500 children achieved an overall good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage compared to 64 per cent nationally.

Ofsted's annual report in 2012 highlighted that Torbay in Devon had the highest proportion of outstanding and good childminders, nurseries and pre-schools, with more than nine in ten early years providers achieving at least a good grade. This success looks set to be repeated this year.

Higher than average childcare prices suggest the area is prosperous, with the South West region England's third most expensive for nurseries and fourth for childminders. But these averages conceal differences in wealth across the county's rural, urban and coastal areas. For example, 20 per cent of areas in Exeter and north Devon are in the most deprived 30 per cent in England. But only two per cent meet this category in southern South Hams.

The county is governed by Devon County Council, with Plymouth City Council and Torbay Council administering two coastal areas. Devon County Council has offered free childcare for disadvantaged two-year-olds since 2009. Its 2gether scheme began as a Government-funded pilot that provided 15 hours of weekly care to 168 children at eight children's centres in its first year. In April 2012, the council expanded the offer throughout the county.

Devon County Council business support manager Rob Cornock says the gradual expansion helped Devon deliver 1,179 statutory places for two-year-olds this September. But he says that number may rise to 3,000 next year, when the entitlement is extended. 'We're comfortable for childcare places, apart from in about six more disadvantaged areas where places are insufficient,' he says.

The council also runs a specialist Early Years Professional (EYP) accreditation scheme, which encourages providers to visit EYPs who can share expertise in a specific field. Devon County Council's EYP mentor Vicky Bamsey says evaluations of the scheme have been positive so far.

PLANS FOR CLUSTERS

Reduced local government funding has not seen Devon County Council close any of its 43 children's centres. Children centre and locality manager Val Smith says the council reduced budgets but worked with centres to maintain services.

The council has never managed centres directly, but commissions services through five-year tenders. Action for Children, Barnardo's, The Children's Society, Exeter Community Initiatives and two governing bodies currently hold contracts. Few children's centres in Devon offer childcare beyond the 2gether offer. Instead, they work with local private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nurseries and childminders to deliver free entitlements.

Action for Children runs six children's centres in Devon - three in Exeter and three in East Devon, and all of Torbay Council's three centres. In Exeter, the centres provide childcare through the Sure Start Cedars Nursery. Nursery manager Corinna Marvin says children accessing the nursery from the Beacon Heath and Whipton areas are particularly vulnerable. Of the 24 two-year-olds attending, 13 are open to additional services. The nursery caters for 46 children daily, with threeand four-year-olds having stayed on after accessing 2gether support.

Ms Marvin says many children need help with personal, social and emotional development. The nursery addresses this by assessing children through the Thrive programme - a developmental approach that has proved successful in Devon's schools. 'We look at what the interrupted development is and put in support to improve outcomes,' she says.

Action for Children's children's services manager Christine Cottle says the centres offer universal services for families, such as six free baby massage sessions. Targeted provision includes support for parents within child protection measures and adult learning. Recently, the centres' cooks taught parents how to cook healthy meals and linked it to accredited training in maths or literacy.

Recently, the centres have had to address rising numbers of families with English as an additional language (EAL). 'About ten years ago, most with EAL were clustered around Exeter centre,' says Cottle. 'We've noticed an increase in rural areas.'

Plymouth City Council is considering plans to reorganise its 16 children's centres into six cluster areas. The council runs six of the centres, but hopes to save almost £1m by offering all of them for tender.

SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT

The three councils combined offer 648 PVI nurseries and 1,065 childminders. Devon County Council supports the PVI sector through a group of childcare experts who advise non-domestic settings, of which many are managed by charitable committees. Childminders can access an annual visit from a council-contracted training and management support company. The council also offers part-funding for early years qualifications, but Val Smith says this support is likely to decrease as budgets are squeezed.

Mama Bear's Day Nursery chain (pictured) entered Devon in 2010. Regional manager Kerry Sturmey, who recently scooped the Nursery World award for this position, says each of its five settings has to operate independently to meet families' particular needs. Mama Bear's acquired the Torbay nursery from a private provider in 2012, raising its ten-year-long Ofsted satisfactory grade to outstanding within seven months

Ms Sturmey says children in Plymouth and Torbay are affected by poverty because of the seasonal nature of work in coastal towns. However, Mama Bear's Plymouth nursery bucks the trend because its families work at the local Devonport Naval Base. To accommodate parents' shift patterns, the nursery's bookings system allows them to book sessions with a month's notice. As parents are away for long periods, many children present behaviour connected to missing them.

The two-year-old entitlement caused Mama Bear's occupancy levels to rise sharply. Ms Sturmey says one of the group's Paignton settings has few fee-paying children, which has caused financial challenges. The nurseries have adapted their settings' environments to accommodate two-year-olds and recently hired more staff.

Woodlanders Day Nursery in South Hams is a single-site nursery for up to 30 children. Its position in one of Devon's least deprived areas means families are mainly fee-paying, although it has two two-year-olds accessing free care. Nursery manager Elaine King says staff use training and EYP network meetings provided by the local authority. She is concerned about this support disappearing under Government proposals to change the way authorities work with the childcare market.

Ms King says one of her biggest challenges is the lack of local transport. Buses in the nursery's rural location are infrequent, which makes it difficult to recruit staff.

'To access training, I try to team up with other providers and share journeys with them,' she says.

•  Devon Early Years Hub, www.devoncpd.co.uk/eyp/cpd

Case study: Bluecoat Children's Centre

'Bluecoat is located in Torrington, north Devon. The area has higher than average levels of child poverty and we identified high numbers of mothers suffering postnatal depression, anxiety or isolation,' says Bluecoat Children's Centre leader Viv Jones (pictured). 'We were already helping mothers referred to us through the common assessment framework, but realised there was a need for a more holistic solution.

'As a certified expressive arts therapist, I've used methods involving movement, drama and writing to support mothers with perinatal mental illness in the past. A year ago, we launched the Beyondblue suite, which I adapted from a programme I'd used successfully in Wolverhampton for four years.

'The programme offers five interventions targeted at women who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing postnatal depression. We broke the programme into seven-week long chunks.

'I facilitate the small group of up to 12 mothers with a local health visitor. We begin by assessing their needs and adapting the programme to suit them. We explore the pleasures and difficulties of balancing life with children, partners and extended family and friends. We might do this, for example, by writing a collective poem. 'A recent group came up with the following lines: "As a woman I feel full of love and laughter/As a woman I feel wild, strong and free/As a woman I feel capable, creative and excited about the future." Or we might consider hopes and dreams by modelling them with clay. After the first seven weeks, we have a week-long break before the next session begins.

'Beyondblue has helped mothers develop self-esteem and emotional literacy. By recognising their strengths, they are able to build better relationships with their families. Some mothers are so changed by the experience they have become volunteer mentors to other parents.'

• Part 3 to be published in Nursery World 18 November will focus on early years services in Birmingham