Early years settings should be led by trained teachers, says Lib Dems

15 February 2010 1 min read Ross Watson Education

The Liberal Democrats have called on all early years professionals to aspire to become qualified teachers, despite the sector calling for equal pay and status between the roles.

The government created the Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) for graduates working in early years, as part of its aim to have a graduate in every setting by 2015.

Ministers have previously stated that EYPS is on a par with qualified teacher status but those in the sector argue it is not as well-paid or well-respected.

Annette Brooke, children's spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, told CYP Now that while the party agrees with the principles of the EYPS, practitioners should "strive for more as time goes on".

"We've always felt in an ideal world that you would want somebody with fully qualified teacher status to lead an early years setting," she said.

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