Childcare boss calls for Covid test kits given to schools to be redistributed to nurseries

The chief executive of Co-op Childcare is calling for the lateral flow testing kits that had been sent to schools to be redistributed to nurseries, so they can carry out Covid tests on their staff.

With schools in England currently only open to vulnerable and key worker children, the testing regime on school pupils that was to start in the new year has now been postponed.

However all nurseries in England have been told they can stay open to all children, with vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi saying nurseries present “very little risk” and are Covid-safe.

Neil Leitch, Early Years Alliance chief executive, said: "Many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders want to remain open, but only with clear scientific evidence that it is safe for staff as well as young children.

“The Prime Minister must be honest about what he is asking early years practitioners to do, and provide the support they need to do it."

Phil Ponsonby, chief executive of Midcounties Co-operative, which runs 45 nurseries across the country, has written to the vaccinations minister Nadhim Zahawi and nurseries minister Vicky Ford to urge the government to prioritise Covid vaccinations for nursery workers and make lateral flow testing kits available to childcare providers.

He said: “As a co-operative organisation representing the interests of 700,000 members, we are calling on the government to do three things. To prioritise vaccinations for nursery workers, re-direct to the many thousands of lateral flow testing kits that were shipped to schools that are now closed to pre-school nurseries and provide financial support to the sector.

“The financial viability of many nurseries, especially small independently-owned and run providers, is being tested to the extreme given the on-costs that they are bearing to run Covid-secure sites. “

He added: “As a large and diversified co-operative, Midcounties is fortunate to be able to subsidise many of these costs but this isn’t the case for many others. The Government needs to take action now by vaccinating childcare workers and provide additional support for the sector before nurseries have no other option but to close.”

June O’Sullivan, chief executive of London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) is also calling for immediate access to free testing as well vaccinations for all nursery and childcare workers as part of the 13.2 million ‘priority' people.

“So far, ministers have failed to give any valid explanation as to why the Early Years is not being prioritised after society's most vulnerable groups and NHS workers have been given the jab,” she said.

“What’s more, funding from local authorities for the most vulnerable children could be under threat if nurseries are forced to close because staff are off sick with the virus or needing to self-isolate; or if parents are too nervous to bring their children to nursery, she added.

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