Editor's view - Just when we thought that ratio relaxation moves had gone away

I think that the early years sector has been preserving a quiet sense of satisfaction that, amid all the policy moves that could threaten quality services for young children, the proposed ratio changes for babies and two-year-olds had been fought off.

So there was a sense of dread and deja vu last week when it became apparent that the Department for Education was polling parents and early years experts in a clear push to increase the use of the 1:13 ratio allowed for graduate-led sessions for three- and four-year-olds.

There are several points that spring to mind immediately when examining this move. The structure and content of the parents' survey is lamentable, as our online analysis by Ross Midgley demonstrates so well, as well as the fact that using mainly social media is hardly inclusive.

The 1:13 ratio has already been rejected by parents as too high in a DfE survey earlier this year - is this a case of hoping that if you keep asking the same question you will get a different answer?

And although 1:13 is nominally the ratio for nursery schools and classes with a qualified teacher, in practice this rarely happens, and the structure and environment are also very different to most daycare settings.

It all starts to feel a little like the children's game Whack-A-Mole, where you bash one thing down with a hammer and another promptly pops up!

Nursery Chains

It's time once more for our annual Nursery Chains supplement, now in its 15th year. As the nursery groups continue to take a larger share of the daycare market, this publication is more essential reading than ever.