All change, all out?

11 October 2006

Letter of the week wins 30 worth of children's books With the continuous changes in childcare qualifications and the demand for graduate managers, I am concerned we will end up with no-one left working in the sector.

With the continuous changes in childcare qualifications and the demand for graduate managers, I am concerned we will end up with no-one left working in the sector.

Having owned a nursery for ten years, I have interviewed many nursery nurses, and have seen the quality of candidates drop dramatically. Many newly-qualifieds have no idea about the most recent standards, inspection frameworks, Birth to Three Matters or the Foundation Stage. On top of this they have learned nothing that I learned years ago, such as how to form letters correctly, how to present children's work and wall displays, or how to read a story to a group of children while keeping their attention and then asking the appropriate questions.

I have also seen wonderful nursery nurses leave the profession because of the pressures of increasing paper work to keep third parties happy monitoring and assessing provision. Young children need love, hands-on care, a carer who can think on their feet and adapt and change activities as they go along as appropriate.

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