Opinion: Debate - Do childcare staff need to be educated to degree level?

NO - Norman Glass, chief executive, National Centre for Social Research

I remain unconvinced. The evidence that a degree-level qualification for all staff makes a sufficient difference to be worth the extra money is still thin to non-existent. At this point it would simply be a recipe for less childcare. More fundamentally, however, the early years sector can be an important means for regeneration and for inclusion. To look at it solely from a pedagogic point of view seems extraordinarily narrow. It should open opportunities for parents too.

YES - Professor Peter Moss, Institute of Education But not 100 per cent.

I do think that at least half the early childhood workforce should be educated to a degree level (we really must get away from the language of "childcare", which is far too narrow and divisive). This is the situation in, for example, the Nordic countries, with the remainder of the staff having a lower level of qualification. An important question then is the level of education of this group and whether they can go on to acquire the high-level qualification.