Yet another government look at early years

I’m very pleased to hear the call from Cathy Nutbrown for improved minimum qualifications for early years staff. Quality nurseries, such as my own, are already upgrading their staff to a minimum Level 3 relevant qualification in childcare and development as well as training staff to degree level and Early Years Professional Status.

This is being done at a time when government money to fund the free early education entitlement has either been frozen or reduced, at a time when their business rates have been reviewed upwards, minimum rates of pay and staff benefits such as maternity and holiday entitlement have increased, at a time when local authority support for early years has been reducing and at a time when occupancy levels are falling in many settings mainly due to the high cost of providing a child's place.

The new government commission is an admission that the Tickell review of the Early Years Foundation Stage did not do what the government wanted, i.e. reduce the cost of childcare while maintaining a high quality level. The EYFS is the statutory framework that all early years settings have to comply with.

Dame Tickell's review never looked at some of the major cost factors within that framework. So the government is now forced to review the system yet again. What a waste of time and money.

But understand this, the government is purely looking for ways of not spending more money on funding the free hours of early years education. It has nothing to do with lack of childcare places apart from a lack of affordable places.

Fund the free early years education correctly and they will see the cost of childcare go down in real terms.