As a rat that has left the sinking ship I feel a bit of a fraud seconding this motion. Not because I don't agree with it, but rather because, despite having a job I loved for many years, I eventually had to put my family first and stop being an underpaid nursery nurse. This year for the first time in ten years we are going on a proper holiday, on an aeroplane. It will only be the second time in the lives of my children that this has been possible.
Those of you who have young children or work with them, will be well aware of the phrase 'selectively deaf' - this condition appears when an adult says 'It's time to tidy up now.' I accuse this Government, its predecessors and paid advisors of being selectively deaf.
Teachers complain of heavier workloads, greater professional responsibility, more accountability and so on. They have been heard. They have been rewarded. But teachers alone have not been responsible for the improvements in standards. A team of other professionals - not professionals who pop into school occasionally, but early years workers who help young children to achieve every day - has supported them. In mother and toddler groups, creches, playschemes and Sure Start initiatives, before children come to school, qualified professionals ensure that the children in their care are ready for school. Once they are at school nursery nurses, support workers, classroom assistants and others contribute to the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom.
Just as workload, responsibility and accountability has increased for the teacher, so it has for the rest of the team. The supporting team has worked hard to ensure that it is professional and up to date, and can perform special tasks. Yet the rewards have been derisory and do not reflect the dedication or professionalism of this sector of education.
