Alliance comments on decision to remove protective bubbles in early years settings

Commenting on the announcement that early years settings will no longer be required to keep children in protective bubbles from 20 July, chief executive of the Alliance, Neil Leitch, said:

“We know that in the early years, one size doesn’t fit all and so the way a large nursery operates on a day-to-day basis is likely to be very different to, say, a small pre-school operating from a church hall or a childminder working out of their own home.

"As such, it is positive that today’s guidance change will allow providers the flexibility to operate safely in a way that is most appropriate for their own provision.

"There is no doubt, however, that keeping children, parents, practitioners and other early years staff safe has to be a priority and so it is important that there is clarity on the scientific basis for this decision, and what steps providers can and should take to ensure that they are still able to minimise the risk of infection transmission without the use of ‘bubbles’. 

"What’s more, with parental demand for childcare places still significantly below normal levels, we are clear that this change alone will not solve the huge financial challenges that nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are currently facing. It remains vital, therefore, that the government commits to an urgent financial support package for the sector to ensure that they are able to survive this difficult period, and provide the care and education that families across the country need."

 

Editor notes 

  • The Early Years Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.
  • The Alliance represents 14,000 members and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training programmes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.
  • The Alliance website is