Consultations closed

For details on all closed consultations please search the Department for Children, Schools and Families consultation archives.

22 June 2005

Consultation on the Code of Practice on the provision of free early education places for three and four year olds.

To support 'The Ten Year Childcare Strategy' we consulted with local authorities, early years providers, key partners and parents in June 2005, on the revised Code of Practice on the provision of free early education places.

The Ten Year Strategy 'Choice for Parents, the best start for children' sets out the Government’s vision that every child gets the best start in life and parents’ are given more choice about how to better balance their work with their family commitments.

From April 2006, the minimum free entitlement will be extended to 12.5 hours per week, for 38 weeks per year. We will also begin to increase the free entitlement to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks from April 2007, on the way to a longer term aim of 20 hours per week. Also from 2007, parents will have more flexibility to use the free entitlement across a minimum of three days.

We will be writing to Local Authorities, Early Education providers and other key partners about the launch of the consultation. The consultation will provide an important opportunity to comment on and influence the delivery of the enhanced early education entitlement.

The consultation closed 30 September 2005. Further information on the consultation is available by clicking on this link DfES Consultation website.

3 June 2005

Consultation on whether heads of maintained nursery schools should be exempted from the NPQH mandatory requirement if they hold, or are working towards, the NPQICL

The Education (Head Teachers' Qualifications) (England) Regulations 2003 requires first-time head teachers of maintained schools (including nursery schools) in England to either hold, or to be working towards obtaining the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

NPQH is aimed at preparing teachers for headship. The National Professional Qualification for Integrated Centre Leaders (NPQICL) has been piloted to meet the needs of leaders and managers working in integrated children centres. It is envisaged that by 2010 there will be an integrated Sure Start children's centre in every community and that the majority of maintained nursery schools will be involved.

The DfES is consulted on whether heads of nursery schools should be exempted from the mandatory NPQH requirement if they hold, or are working towards, the NPQICL. The consultation closed 25 August 2005.

Further information and the consultation questionnaire is available by clicking on this link DfES Consultation website.

2nd November 2005

Childcare Legislation Consultation

To download full report on the public consultation on proposals in the Childcare Bill click here

The Consultation on the proposed Childcare Bill to be introduced to Parliament this session closed on 7 October 2005.

The proposed bill will enshrine in law parents' legitimate expectation of accessible high quality childcare and early years provision as part of the modern 21st century welfare state.

The Childcare Bill will confirm the vital role of local authorities as strategic leaders, working in partnership across all sectors to shape the provision of childcare and delivery of early years services, raising quality and improving outcomes for all children and parents. This will build on local authorities’ existing roles without imposing new burdens.

The Bill will:

• place a duty giving local authorities the lead in facilitating the childcare market to ensure it meets the needs of working parents, in particular, those on low incomes and those with disabled children
• require local authorities to improve the outcomes of all children under five, and close the gaps between groups with the poorest outcomes and the rest by ensuring early years services are integrated and accessible
• ensure people have access to the full range of information they may need as a parent
• lead to a reformed, simplified childcare and early years regulation framework to reduce bureaucracy and focus on raising quality.

To download full report on the public consultation on proposals in the Childcare Bill click here.

01 April 2005

Consultation on Children's Workforce Strategy - consultation closed

The Green Paper, Every child matters, recognised the crucial importance of the children's workforce to improving outcomes for children and young people.

The Children's Workforce Strategy sets out the Government's vision of a world-class children's workforce which is increasingly competent and confident, inspiring trust and respect from parents and carers as well as from children and young people themselves. The document contains proposals on the major strategic challenges: the need to recruit, retain and develop more high quality staff, the need to strengthen inter-agency working, and the need to promote stronger leadership and management.

A consultation on the Children's Workforce Strategy closed on 22 July 2005.

28 January 2005

Social Exclusion Unit - consultation closed

The project focussed on three large groups of working age adults who are more likely to experience disadvantage:

• Disabled people and people with long term health conditions
• People with poor basic skills; and
• People from certain ethnic minority groups.

The team gathered views and evidence on mainstream public services such as education and training, health and social services, housing, and employment and benefits.

Full details of the project are available on the Social Exclusion Unit website.

The consultation closed on 14 February 2005.

29 November 2004

Consultation on Children's Services Guidance - consultation closed

Formal consultation on draft statutory guidance, to be issued under the new Children Act 2004, on the roles and responsibilities of Directors of Children's Services (DCS) and Lead Members for Children's Services (LM), began in November 2004. DCS will replace local authorities' Chief Education Officers, as well as take over responsibility for children’s social services and any health functions that an authority agrees to discharge on behalf of the NHS.

The consultation, which closed on 18 February 2005, Visit DfES consultation archive for futher informaton.

6 September 2004

The future of early years inspection - consultation closed

Ofsted launched a public consultation on its proposals for the future of early years inspections.
The current two-year programme of childcare inspections will finish at the end of March 2005. The Future of Early Years Inspection: A Consultation sets out proposals for inspecting providers of childcare and funded nursery education from April 2005 onwards.

For further information and to view the consultation documents please visit the Ofsted's website

25 August 2004

Common Assessment Framework – consultation closed

The “Every Child Matters” Green Paper proposed the introduction of a national Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as an important part of a strategy for helping children and young people to achieve the five priority outcomes of:

• being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle
• staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect
• enjoying and achieving: getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood
• making a positive contribution: being involved with the community and society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour
• economic well-being: not being prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential in life

It is clear however that the practical design, application and management of a CAF raises complex issues which must be resolved before a specific proposal can be agreed and implemented nationally. The consultation closed on 7 November 2004.

The DfES will take responses carefully into account in producing a Common Assessment Framework, supporting materials and tools for its effective use, and an implementation plan, which is expected to be published in December 2004.

17 May 2004

Childcare: extending protection and broadening support - consultation closed

The Sure Start, Extended Schools and Childcare Group launched a consultation called Childcare: extending protection and broadening support.

The consultation outlines proposals for an approval scheme which will extend the availability of tax credits to a range of childcare provision, including care in the home and group-based care for over eights - for which parents are currently unable to claim under tax credit legislation.

Alternatively, you can order hard copies from DfES Publications.

Call 0845 60 222 60 or email and quote reference CHILDAPP0504.

The consultation closed on 16 August 2004.

26 March 2004

In 2003, the Sure Start, Extended Schools and Childcare Group consulted on two aspects of early years and childcare regulation; proposed minor changes to the national standards for under 8's childcare; and how childcare provision in schools would be regulated and inspected.

You can read the document - Consultation Report and Annex A, an analysis of responses to the consultation.