More than one in 10 nursery staff say they often hear children swearing, a survey suggests. Thirteen per cent of those surveyed said they had seen a general increase in the number of children swearing in nurseries, and 12% highlighted they often hear children using profanities. The poll was conducted by  daynurseries.co.uk  and received 1,125 responses from nursery owners, managers and staff. Sue Learner, editor of daynurseries.co.uk, said: "These findings are not a surprise as swearing seems to have become more socially acceptable, and if young children do not hear it at home, they can hear it in pop songs or on YouTube." Nursery staff say children often hear swearing on pop songs and YouTube.  Credit: PA Ms Learner added: "However, despite it becoming more prevalent in society, it is still shocking and incongruous to hear profanities coming from the lips of a young child. "There is a real power to swearing and when a small, seemingly innocent child swears, the words have even more resonance.” John Warren, who has worked in the childcare industry for more than 30 year, from nursery practitioner to Ofsted inspector, said: "Swearing is definitely more accepted in today’s culture and the word 's**t' has replaced so many words, for example, 'this is good s**t'. "So rather than introducing children to a world of beautiful language we are introducing them to a language, well that is s**t. "And this language is not reserved for less affluent families it is also quite happily used on giant billboards for children to view such as the 'B*****ks to Brexit' campaign." A former Ofsted inspector said children should be able to invent new words.   Credit: PA Mr Warren added: "We need to bring back the innocence in children’s lives, awe and wonder, the tooth fairy, Father Christmas, unicorns and fairies. "Let them have fun with language, invent new words and don’t be so quick to jump on the child who says 'poo, fart and bum' and then giggles." He added it was condescending to say the parents need to be educated, but that parents need to be supported with tools and advice to use new vocabulary. However, not all nursery staff believe children should be taught not to swear, but rather they should be instructed that nursery is not the right place for it. Cheryl Hadland, managing director of Tops Day Nurseries, said: "I would agree that we are hearing more children swearing in a day nursery, and that it is generally more acceptable in society. "However, we are also preparing young children for school and for learning that there are different rules in different locations, so learning to refrain from swearing at day nursery 'because we don’t use that word here' is acceptable in my opinion."   CREDIT / REFERENCES:  daynurseries.co.uk   https://www.itv.com/news/2018-11-25/nursery-staff-say-they-are-hearing-more-children-swearing/      

Hiring an apprentice can bring big benefits. Our guide explains the legal requirements, benefits of hiring an apprentice, employment frameworks, and general ins and outs of this popular option for small business owners. Apprentices and Redundancy: What you can and can’t do Hiring your first employee What is employers’ liability insurance? How do I hire an apprentice? So what are the benefits of hiring an apprentice? You’ll get an extra pair of hands and a good first step towards becoming an employer, and at the same time you’ll be giving a lot back to the next generation or your working community. We’ve already covered a lot of  the benefits of hiring an apprentice , so here we’ll go through the things you need to do to get your apprenticeship off the ground, and how to make a success of it for you, your apprentice, and your business. How to hire an apprentice – employing an apprentice must-dos First things first, it’s crucial to know and understand your legal obligations as an employer before taking on an apprentice. Once you’re finished with this article, make a note to check out our  guide to the latest employment law updates and changes in the UK for 2018 . Specifically for apprentices though, here are a few things you must take care of to keep on the right side of the current legislation. 1 Hiring an apprentice? Check their age… Apprentices must be aged 16 or over by the end of the next summer holidays. 2 …and where they’re living The apprentice will need to be living in England if that’s where the apprenticeship is based. Take a look at the  Scottish ,  Welsh , and  Northern Irish  apprenticeship websites for region-specific guidance. 3 Are they in full time education? If so, they can’t do the apprenticeship. Only people who are out of full-time education can start one. Apart from that, it’s up to you to review any applications and decide who would make the best apprentice for your business. Apprentices can be new to your business, or they might already be an employee. What’s the cost of hiring an apprentice? You’ll need to pay at least the  minimum wage , which is currently £3.50/hour for apprentices. Remember, the rate is reviewed every April. All apprentices are entitled to this rate if they’re aged under 19, or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. If your apprentice is aged 19 or over and has completed the first year of their apprenticeship, you’ll need to pay the correct minimum wage for their age group. Do I need to pay my apprentice sick pay? Here’s what you can expect to be paying and providing: Pay for training and/or studying time while at work or college (or at their training organisation) Any benefits and pay that other employees at a similar level/role are getting (this could include paid holiday, sick pay, and other benefits such as childcare voucher schemes) It might sound like a lot, but remember, you’ll be getting a valuable extra pair of hands and there’s significant funding available depending on your business circumstances. Apprenticeship funding options If you’re in England, there is government funding available for the running costs of your apprenticeship. If you’re in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, take a look at the links at the end of the article. As an employer in England, the amount of funding you can get will depend on whether or not you pay the apprenticeship levy. You’ll be paying this if you have a pay bill over £3 million each year. I don’t pay the apprenticeship levy You’ll pay 10 per cent towards the cost of training and assessing your apprentice. Once you’ve agreed a payment schedule with the training provider or organisation (see below), you’ll pay this directly to them. The government will pay the remaining 90 per cent (or up to the funding band maximum) directly to the training organisation. Remember, you may also be eligible for extra funding. This will depend on you and your apprentice’s circumstances, so check the  2017 apprenticeship funding details  on Gov.uk’s website. I do pay the apprenticeship levy For businesses paying the levy, funds are available for training and apprenticeship assessment. On top of these, the government will add 10 per cent.  England ,  Scotland ,  Wales , and  Northern Ireland  all have their own system for processing funding – check their websites to get started. However, as funding will be paid directly to the training organisation or provider, it may be best to start there and see how they work and manage funding. Choose your apprenticeship framework To obtain funding and manage your apprenticeship from start to finish, you need to find and use a framework (or ‘standard’) that’s right for your business and the type of apprentice you’d like to bring on board. Some are longer than others, and each carries its own funding band. For frameworks applicable in England, use the  handy search tool on Gov.uk  to find the right framework for you, and play around with the different options. They’ll also summarise each framework for you, pull out helpful documents taking you through the standard for your role and and an assessment plan, plus a direct link to your local training providers. Not in England? Use the links specific to your region at the end of this article. Find a training organisation or provider Now you’ve chosen your framework or standard, the next step is to make contact with an organisation or provider that offers the right kind of training. Again, Gov.uk have everything you need for finding a training provider in England. Use their tool to  search for training  and providers by job role or keyword. Advertising an apprenticeship All set with your training organisation? It’s time to advertise your apprenticeship vacancy. For apprenticeships in England, your training organisation can get the ball rolling through Gov.uk’s  find an apprenticeship service , and applications should start rolling in from there. If you know someone who’d like to apply for the role directly, talk this through with your training provider. Apprenticeship agreements So you’re working towards a framework, happy with your training organisation or provider, and ready to offer your apprenticeship to the best candidate. It’s now very important that you make an apprenticeship agreement with your apprentice. The agreement should give details of what you’re agreeing to do for your apprentice, including the length of their employment with you, the training you’re going to give, their working conditions, and the qualifications they’ll be working towards. It’s fine to write your own, but Gov.uk also has an  apprenticeship agreement template  if you’re looking for help. Sign your commitment statement Finally, you, your apprentice, and the training organisation will need to sign a commitment statement. This should include the content and schedule you plan for the training, what’s expected and offered by you (as the employer), the training organisation, and your apprentice. It will also need to provide details of how you’ll resolve queries and complaints. Do I need to insure my apprentice? Yes, your apprentice will be classed as an employee so you’ll need to have  employers’ liability insurance  in place. You’re legally required to have a cover level of least £5 million, and while there are some exceptions, this ruling applies to most employers. How long does an apprenticeship last? According to Gov.uk, apprenticeships in England must last for at least a year. They can go on for up to five years though, depending on the framework you’ve chosen.  How do I end my apprenticeship early? This depends on whether you’re making the apprentice redundant, or ending the apprenticeship for other reasons. If you’re making the apprentice redundant, you should follow Gov.uk’s guidance for making staff redundant. Apprentices will have the same rights as your other employees. If it’s not a redundancy, you’ll want to get legal advice for ending the apprenticeship early. Hiring an apprentice in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? Many of the principles above will apply wherever you are in the UK. However, if you’re not in England and looking to hire an apprentice, here are the websites you’ll need to get started with frameworks, training organisations, funding, and paperwork. Hiring an apprentice in Scotland Take a look at the  Scottish apprenticeship authority website . Hiring an apprentice in Wales Wales has its own  SkillsGateway service  with all the details on how to set up an apprenticeship. Hiring an apprentice in Northern Ireland Use the  government website  to find out more about apprenticeships in Northern Ireland. Useful links and contact details There’s lots of information available to help you get started. Making sense of it is the challenge, so here are some key places to start. And as always, Simply Business Knowledge will keep you updated on all the latest. Hiring an apprentice in England – government help and funding Gov.uk have a dedicated apprenticeship centre, along with information on the current  National Minimum Wage  rates. You can also get in touch with the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600, or look through their website for lots of tips for hiring an apprentice. The Apprenticeship Levy – help and guidance For any queries on the Apprenticeship Levy, Gov.uk’s  general employer enquiries  page has direct contact details and information. Apprenticeship funding bands Depending on the framework and standards you’re looking at, here’s the guidance for which  funding band  you’ll fit into.   More information: https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2017/08/hiring-an-apprentice-for-your-small-business/

Millie's Mark settings awarded in March Following a panel held at NDNA HQ on 15 March, here are the latest settings that have been accredited with Millie's Mark:   Oakland Hall Day Nursery, Ipswich Greenwoods Nursery, Coleford Kids Planet Lymehurst, Manchester Kids Planet Hale, Altrincham Kids Allowed UHSM, Manchester The Owls Nursery, Bolton Co-operative Childcare Swindon Hospital, Swindon 22 Street Lane Nursery, Leeds The Co-operative Childcare Reading, Reading Capellas Nursery, Solihull Barnetby Under Fives, Barnetby Ladybirds Nursery, St Albans Congratulations to all of these awarded settings! Head over to our  case studies  to read new, inspiring stories from settings that have been through the Millie's Mark accreditation journey.