Early years teachers and consultants last week expressed their disappointment at the deal. Early years consultant Marian Whitehead said she was 'shocked by the cynicism of the decision'.
She added, 'I am afraid that not only is the Government not bothered about recruiting teachers for the early years, it is clearly planning to use cheap and poorly trained or untrained workers in the early years sector. The obvious failure to meet young children's immediate and long-term care and educational needs will be compounded by the effect on serving and prospective early years teachers - they will leave the sector in droves.
'The message is clear: anyone can teach young children so let's keep it cheap and cheerful!'
Jean Ensing, president of Early Education, and Jenny Liggins, headteacher of Kintore Way Nursery School in London, both suggested the Government had simply forgotten the nursery sector and pointed out that nursery teachers had also been omitted from the threshold assess-ment scheme, while nursery schools had missed out on allowances for small schools.
Ms Liggins said, 'Nursery teachers are highly qualified, like any other teacher -you can't have two sets of rules. It is disheartening and devaluing when you are fighting for quality.'
Ms Ensing added, 'If it's really just for statutory school-age children, what do you do with a teacher who returns to a mixed-age class? We all know there's a shortage of qualified early years teachers.'
But she also criticised the principle of bonus schemes and said they did not reward staff who stayed in the profession.
A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said that a teacher who was solely employed to provide nursery education would not be eligible for the bonus, even when working in a primary school nursery unit or class. But teachers who taught some compulsory school-age classes as well as nursery classes might be eligible.
The spokesman pointed out that individuals' circumstances varied but said, 'Eligibility will depend on a number of factors, including whether the teacher is employed under School Teachers' Pay and Conditions document, which is a complex issue.'
