February 2022 Parenta Magazine

Childcare news
and views
The “exceptional circumstance” of
COVID-19 allows early years settings to
relax ratios
The DfE has confirmed that all early years
settings can relax their ratios - in line with
the EYFS – should they struggle with staff
absences, which have risen due to rising
cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The EYFS framework already has in place
a contingency for settings to temporarily
relax ratios in exceptional circumstances,
but this is the first instance that the
Government has openly stated that it
considers the current COVID situation to be
an ‘exceptional circumstance’.
In its ‘Covid-19 and the EYFS and staffto-child
ratios update’, the DfE states, “It
remains a priority to continue providing
face to face education and childcare,
but we know that COVID-19 continues to
put early years settings under significant
pressure, particularly in relation to
workforce absence.
“Government considers Covid-19 to be
an exceptional circumstance in which the
staff-to-child ratios set out in the EYFS can
temporarily be changed if necessary, for
example to respond to COVID-related
workforce absences. This relates to
paragraph 3.31 in the EYFS.
“In some cases, providers may choose to
respond to staff and child absences by
temporarily mixing age groups of children
who would otherwise be educated or cared
for separately. Ratios should be guided by
all relevant requirements and by the needs
of individual children within the group.
For the purposes of meeting EYFS ratio
and qualification requirements, all staff
educating or caring for a mixed age group
of children can be considered “available
to work directly with” all the children who
have been grouped together.
“We will update guidance to reflect this
soon. In all circumstances, settings remain
responsible for maintaining the quality of
care, safety and security of children.”
Read the full story on parenta.com here.
Ofsted cancels ‘intrusive’ guidance
requesting updates on childcare
workers’ health
Ofsted has cancelled its guidance which
required that childcare providers reveal
health conditions, such as cancer, diabetes
and mental health issues, amongst their
staff and any ‘significant’ events in their
private lives. This follows a backlash from
early years professionals, national trade
organisations and industry experts.
In Ofsted guidance, published on 12th
January, childcare providers were told they
must inform the education watchdog if staff
are diagnosed with new health conditions
or changes to their mental health, such as
depression.
The controversial guidance sparked
outrage amongst early years professionals
who called it “intrusive“ and “offensive”,
resulting in Ofsted removing the guidance
less than 24 hours later to review it.
Examples of ‘significant events’ in nursery
workers’, childminders’ and nannies’
private lives - as well as changes to
health - were stated in the guidance, and
‘significant events’ that had to be reported
included anything that happens while a
childcare worker is off-duty that triggers
increased anxiety, hardship or emotional
problems including a bereavement, illness
or injury.
It also includes any incidents of domestic
abuse or an incident where a child may
have been at risk of harm, e.g. if a staff
member is not working but involved in a
car crash and police are investigating a
possible offence.
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years
Alliance, said: “The scope – and potential
intrusiveness – of this new guidance, which
details the kinds of health conditions that
might fall into this category, is extremely
concerning”. Referring to the pandemic’s
impact on workers’ mental health, Mr
Leitch said: “The idea that the impact that
this may have had on their mental health
is now something that they would need
to report to Ofsted is both offensive and
completely counter-productive.”
Purnima Tanuku said: “When nurseries
are recruiting, they ensure that people
working with children are suitable and
fit to practice and this is dealt with by
responsible employers on a daily basis.
However, this process, brought in without
consultation, risks being unworkable for
both providers and Ofsted. We have had
an urgent meeting with Ofsted about the
guidance document where we shared the
concerns of the sector. We welcome that
this guidance has been taken down while it
is thoroughly reviewed. We understand that
it will be made clearer that the guidance
will only apply to the registered person
whose suitability is checked by Ofsted at
registration.”
When the guidance was removed on 13
January, June O’ Sullivan tweeted: “Well
done to #earlyyears for putting a coherent
objection together. This is why we need to
pull together and become strong voice for
children and staff.”
Read the full story, as reported by
daynurseries.co.uk here: https://www.
daynurseries.co.uk/news/article.cfm/
id/1663323/Ofsted
COVID virus turning children into fussy
eaters: University of Anglia
A growing number of children are turning
into ‘fussy eaters’ after they have caught
COVID, according to Fifth Sense, the charity
for people with smell and taste disorders.
Smell experts from the University of East
Anglia have joined forces with the charity
and want to raise awareness that some
children - after contracting COVID - may
be suffering parosmia, a symptom where
people experience strange and often
unpleasant smell distortions.
For example, instead of smelling a lemon,
people with parosmia may smell rotting
cabbage, or chocolate may smell like
petrol.
Prof Carl Philpott from UEA’s Norwich
Medical School said: ”Parosmia is
thought to be a product of having less
smell receptors working which leads to
only being able to pick up some of the
components of a smell mixture.
We know that an estimated 250,000
adults in the UK have suffered parosmia
as a result of having COVID. But in the
last few months, particularly since COVID
started sweeping through classrooms last
September, we’ve become more and more
aware that it’s affecting children too.”
He has found that in many cases the
condition is putting children off their food,
and many may be finding it difficult to eat
at all.
He continued: “It’s something that until now
hasn’t really been recognised by medical
professionals, who just think the kids are
being difficult eaters without realising the
underlying problem. For some children, and
particularly those who already had issues
with food, or with other conditions such
as autism, it can be really difficult. I expect
there are a lot of parents at their wits’ end
and really worried.”
The guidance aims to make parents and
health professionals, as well as schools
and nurseries, aware that children should
be listened to and believed. Parents can
help by keeping a diary to make a note
of foods that are safe and those that are
triggers.
The full research can be found here:
https://www.fifthsense.org.uk/covid-19-
research-studies/ and the story in full can
be read here.
4 February 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | February 2022 5