Nursery World - Eminent academics warn childcare reforms will lower quality

The Government's plans to reform childcare will lead to an unintended consequence of reducing quality, a group of eminent academics and experts in early years has warned.

Naomi Eisenstadt, (pictured), Professor Kathy Sylva, with Sandra Mathers from the University of Oxford, and Brenda Taggart from the Institute of Education have set out their concerns about education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss's proposals in the context of an analysis of research evidence.

While they applaud the aims of 'More Great Childcare' for a highly qualified, professionally led workforce, they say that they have 'grave concerns that the detailed proposals are unlikely to achieve the desired outcomes in the immediate future'.

They examine the impact cutting ratios would have on children's experiences based on the Evaluation of the Graduate Leader Fund, which explored the relationships between quality and the characteristics of early years settings, including staff qualifications and adult-to-child ratios.

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