Planning education and training provision Appendix 1: Six phases of education: national overview of types of education and training provision The six phases of education and training provision Early years and Foundation Stage: 0-5 years The Early Years Partnership Board guides the programme of work with children from conception to the age of five. The Board’s initial focus is on raising educational attainment at the Early Years Foundation Stage, and a phased programme is in development which will, over the next two to three years, incorporate other key issues such as the model for our children’s centres, effective engagement with the most vulnerable children and families, and local authority childcare provision. The Board reports to the Haringey 54,000 Programme Board, and is one of the workstreams set out in Haringey’s overarching Children and Young People’s Plan. Children’s centres Sure Start Children's Centres provide a range of services for children and their families from pregnancy through to when a child goes into reception class at primary school. The services are aimed at improving a child’s health and wellbeing, including readiness for school and the family’s economic wellbeing through education and employment. Sure Start Children’s Centres are inspected and registered by Ofsted. Childminders A childminder provides care in their own home for one or more children under the age of eight, to whom they are not related, for more than two hours each day for reward. Nationally, they make up the largest group of childcare providers. The number of children a childminder is registered for will be stated on the registration certificate issued by Ofsted. However, they should never have more than six children in their care at any one time. Group childminders are where two or more people are registered together and can look after larger numbers of children. Some childminders also work with an assistant. More men are becoming childminders, either working with partners or alone. All childminders and anyone in their household over the age of 16 go through a thorough vetting procedure by Ofsted which includes checks with: Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) Social Services Ofsted - who will interview the prospective childminder to assess their suitability to look after children New childminders attend an initial training course and must get a First Aid for Children and Babies qualification before being registered. They must also attend training on Safeguarding and Child protection, Food Hygiene, Understanding How to set up a Home based Childcare Service and the Early Years Foundation Stage (for the education and welfare of children between birth and the age of five). Childminders are inspected and registered by Ofsted. Preschool playgroups Children are usually able to start a preschool playgroup between the ages of two and three and can either keep attending until they start school or leave to start Nursery School for at least a term or two before starting "big" school. Most preschool playgroups offer short sessions (often mornings) to help 'ease' children out of the home and into a more sociable childcare setting and learning environment where they can play, learn and have fun with other children of a similar age, introducing them to the ways of education without their parent present. Preschool playgroups also help children build confidence, social and cognitive skills, and provide a good transitional base between home and 'big' school. Each group will have a varied mix of toys, games, singing, story-time, reading, painting, art and craft activities, with a free play or outdoor area for children to run around in. They are a good option for non-working parents who feel their child is ready to socialise with others. Most playgroups are voluntary and grant-aided by the council’s early years service and a few are privately run. Prices vary from group to group. Free places are available for eligible two-year old children and for three and four-year olds. Some playgroups rely on parents to support the running of the group. This gives parents an opportunity to take an active role in their child's education, either by helping out at sessions or joining the management committee. Playgroups are registered with Ofsted. Nurseries Some nurseries provide care and education for children from birth to the age of five, while others accept children over the age of two. Full day care is offered normally from 8am until 6pm. Parents can choose to use days and hours within these core times to suit their needs. Nurseries provide a wide range of activities offering children the opportunities to experiment and learn through play activities such as sand, water, paint, music, construction and imaginative play. Throughout the day the children tend to follow a routine of play, meals, rest, etc as similar to a home environment as possible. There are three main types of nurseries council nurseries private nurseries community nurseries Nurseries are inspected and registered by Ofsted and must follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework for the education and welfare of children. Nursery classes and school nurseries A nursery class is a pre-school class attached to a school. They differ from day nurseries as they provide early education and childcare to children usually aged between three and five years. They are normally open from 9am until 3.30pm, offering either a morning or afternoon session (and close during school holidays). Nursery schools and classes can be part of the state education system and are free except for meals and trips. Some are run by private or voluntary sector organisations and charge fees. They all offer experience and development activities. School nursery classes are inspected and registered by Ofsted and must follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework for the education and welfare of children. Schools: primary and secondary1 All children in England between the ages of 5 and 16 are entitled to a free place at a state school. With the exception of some independent schools, schools are inspected and registered by Ofsted. The purpose of inspections is to: provide information to parents and carers promote improvement and, where applicable, hold schools to account for the public money they receive. 1 The majority of research concludes that the size of the school as a factor on its own does not impact upon attainment. Evidence does support the argument that children from low economic families tend to benefit more in smaller schools. However, there was no defined value as to what constituted a ‘small school’. Additionally there is no conclusive evidence as to what the optimum size of a primary school should be. School inspections are required by law, and Ofsted provides an independent assessment of the quality and standards of education in schools, and checks whether pupils are achieving as much as they can. The legislation around free schools and academies has a significant impact on the role of the local authority as the strategic commissioner of school places. The Education and Inspections Act 2006 as amended by the Education Act 2011 places a statutory duty to give precedence to academy/free school proposals, where a local authority identifies the need to establish a new school in their area. As the presumption is that local authorities will no longer provide new community schools, and other traditional methods (bulge classes and permanent expansions) of providing additional places becomes more challenging as existing capacity is exhausted, other ways of providing additional places needs to be explored. Management and leadership arrangements may vary between schools. Federated schools describe a formal agreement by which at least two schools share a single governing body (under sections 24 and 25 of the Education Act 2002): each school retains its separate legal identity in respect of its budget, admissions and performance tables; each school is also subject to a separate inspection by Ofsted. Collaboration enables schools to share expertise, good practice and ideas for innovation, to provide support and opportunities for developing leadership across a number of schools, as well as tackling issues of inclusion and narrowing of the achievement gap. Academies Academies are publicly-funded independent schools providing primary or secondary education. Their funding comes directly from central government. Academies are independent of the local council, self-governing and most are constituted as registered charities or operated by other educational charities. They may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind. Academies must meet the same National curriculum core subject requirements as other state schools and be subject to inspection by Ofsted. However, they also have the freedom to adapt the Curriculum, to vary teachers' pay and conditions, and to vary the length of the school day/week/year. However, they are still bound by the Admissions Code 2012 and the borough’s Admissions service must co-ordinate offers at the normal time of transfer (at reception and secondary stages). There are different types of academies: Convertor academies – this allows for good and outstanding schools to convert to academy status without the requirement to have a sponsor Sponsored academies – this allows for struggling schools to have a sponsor to help the raise standards and outcomes. The Academies Act 2010 enabled more schools to convert to Academies, without the need for a sponsor and also gave the Secretary of State specific powers to make academy orders where a school is eligible for intervention. Academies are responsible for setting their own admission number, and thus capacity, with the agreement of the Secretary of State. The local authority seeks to work in partnership with existing and new providers to secure a wide range of education options for parents and families, whilst ensuring that there are sufficient good school places.