Unit 1 – An introduction to working with children
E1- Describe three different types of settings which provide care and education for children in your area. This must include one example of the
Statutory sector
Voluntary sector
Private sector
Throughout childcare and education there are three sectors, the statutory sector, voluntary sector, and the private sector.
The childcare and education market includes all different care settings that are all available to children in England. These include primary schools, nurseries, pre-schools, crèches, child minders, private schools, and private tutors.
A private setting is a business that is set up to make a profit for the owner or shareholder. All parents that have to take a child to a private school, nursery or child-minder have to pay for their child’s care and education instead of through taxes. A private setting is a lot more expensive compared to a statutory setting as the parents only have to pay for school trips and dinner money in a school, but in a private setting it costs anywhere between £2000-£10000 a year and in some schools it costs this much per term, the price will differ depending on the amount of time the child spends in the setting. An example of a private setting is Hunter Hall School. Hunter Hall School teaches children from the age of 3- 11 years old. Hunter Hall prepare the children for secondary school, and their aim is to build the children’s confidence and prepare them for a “rapidly changing world.” (www.hunterhall.co.uk)
Voluntary settings are set up to help children make friends and work with their parents in, for example, a playgroup. This is often for a small fee and they do not expect to make a profit. This is set up by people who have the same qualifications in the day care setting. An example of this is Meeting House Lane. Meeting House Lane is set up for children from the age of 3-5 years old. Their aims are to gain confidence in a caring environment, to learn to socialise and become independent, gain self-esteem and expand language and communication skills. This setting is open from half 8 until 12 and then 12:30 until 4:30, and the children can either go for a full day or half a day. this is a disadvantage for parents who work early as they will need to get somebody to look after their child until the setting opens then person who is looking after the child will have to take them to the setting, also if the parent finishes work later than the setting shuts then they will have to organise for somebody to pick the child up from the setting and look after them until the parent finishes work, an example of this in my setting would be when a group of children get picked up by a local child-minder and they are taken back to her house until the parent has finished work.
A statutory setting is provision provided by law which is set up by the government, and parents don’t have to pay for their child to attend but they have to pay through their taxes. An example of statutory provision is a state primary school. From the age of five all children must be in full time education. The aims of primary schools are to set children up for secondary school, for example, teaching the children to read, write, and learn the basics for later life. The setting is normally open from 9-3:30 making it again difficult for some parents to take and pick up their child from the setting. Some statutory settings have breakfast and afterschool clubs where the children can come in earlier (when their parent goes to work) and go home later (when their parent finishes work)
E2- Describe how each of the types of settings identified in E1 aims to support children and their families.
A private setting will support the child and their family by giving them equal opportunities, just the same as voluntary setting and statutory setting. In a private setting if the parent wants their child to be picked up early or taken to school early because they have work early in the morning then