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The parents of a boy who died after choking on food at his nursery are calling on the government not to increase the number of children that staff are allowed to look after.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Zoe and Lewis Steeper’s petition on the issue will be debated by MPs on Monday, after it passed 100,000 signatures. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ministers are considering increasing how many two-year-olds a staff member in England can supervise at any time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The aim is to reduce costs for parents and give nurseries more flexibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The government is expected to set out its response to a consultation on the proposals, which ran between July and September, soon. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It asked the public and people working in the sector whether they thought the current minimum staff-to-child ratios for two-year-olds in England should be changed from 1:4 to 1:5, as is the case in Scotland. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n- Nurseries resist staff looking after more children<\/li>\n
- Parents left without childcare as nurseries shut<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The idea was raised under Boris Johnson’s government earlier this year to help tackle the rising cost of living. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The reports emerged just months after the death of Oliver Steeper, who died in hospital in September last year, after he choked on food at his nursery in Ashford, Kent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“After losing Oliver in a childcare setting, when this came about, we just thought we can’t allow another set of parents to go through what we’re living,” Lewis told the BBC. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The family cannot comment on the specifics of Oliver’s case as a police investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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However, they decided to launch their petition because they were concerned that increasing the number of toddlers staff can look after could put children at risk. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“It’s not physically possible to keep as good an eye on five children as it is on four,” Zoe said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“To have more children under your care, knowing that they are literally the most precious thing that a parent can give to you, I can’t imagine that sense of responsibility.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The parents also argue that changing ratios would add to the pressure on staff. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“They’re already overstretched, underpaid, and overworked as it is,” Lewis said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n