Childcare leaders export 'outstanding' nursery expertise to China

UK childcare experts have returned from the Government’s first early years education trade mission to China and have attracted Chinese delegates back to check out British nurseries. The 14 UK delegates with Antonia Romeo, permanent secretary for the DTI and Chinese hosts Credit: DTI

The Department for International Trade (DTI) selected 14 representatives of UK nurseries, chains and training providers to fly to China to attend early years forums and networking events in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

More than 700 Chinese partners recently met with UK representatives who arrived in China to share their expertise, while UK delegates observed first hand existing early years provision in China.

With the largest education system in the world, China is predicted to have an industry worth £340 billion by 2020.

China’s interest in UK nursery provision has resulted in it inviting UK companies to discuss expansion into this booming market.

Chinese nurseries have 200+ children at a time

Trade delegate Paul Whitehouse, director of Buttercups Nursery Group which owns eight settings around West London, said: “The extent to which the EYFS is known and welcomed by many already in China was a real surprise.

“The scale with which it was implemented was also a shock with some nurseries being 200 or 300-place settings."

Other UK delegates included Stephanie Molnar, director of the Elmscot Group in Cheshire and Mary O’Reilly, international professional team lead at Early Years in Northern Ireland.

The UK early years experts benefitted from the chance to liaise with well-established and new nursery providers in China, as well as property developers, who are now planning trips to visit British nurseries.

After the trade mission, representatives from a Chinese real estate firm visited Buttercups Day Nursery in Ealing to see how early years provision is delivered.

Some 75 per cent of Buttercups nurseries are rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted. Currently, no inspectorate exists for children aged under three-years-old in China.

Mr Whitehouse added: “The trip was an excellent chance to imagine expansion for which the barriers, to an organisation of our size, would initially seem insurmountable.”

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