The HM Inspectorate of Education report into early years provision in Scotland assessed the impact of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000. This came into force in 2002 and gave councils greater flexibility in deploying teachers in pre-school centres, as well as removing the statutory ratio of one teacher for every 20 children in nursery classes.
Based on analysis of inspections carried out between 2003 and 2006, the report found a higher standard of care and learning was provided by centres that employed teachers and had a strong commitment to developing staff leadership and management skills.
It found that 65 per cent of nursery schools and family centres with teachers achieved an evaluation of "very good" compared with just 49 per cent of those with no teacher input. The report concedes some centres with no teachers still provided a high-quality learning experience, but this was achieved through a strong commitment to training for non-teaching staff in both education and management.
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