I agree with the Daycare Trust that low pay is a problem in the early years sector, but some rates are lower than those mentioned by its report. Classroom assistants can be on less than 5 an hour, not the 10,000 to 13,000 a year quoted for nursery nurses working in schools. I have been working as a classroom assistant and learning support assistant - the latter is better paid - for two years. I have paid for and gained an HNC in Childhood Studies and taken the Open University course in Child Development. But I am unlikely to ever recoup the costs of these qualifications. Once I believed that the highest level of qualification would make me a better practitioner, but I am disillusioned.
I agree with the Daycare Trust that low pay is a problem in the early years sector, but some rates are lower than those mentioned by its report. Classroom assistants can be on less than 5 an hour, not the 10,000 to 13,000 a year quoted for nursery nurses working in schools.
I have been working as a classroom assistant and learning support assistant -the latter is better paid - for two years. I have paid for and gained an HNC in Childhood Studies and taken the Open University course in Child Development. But I am unlikely to ever recoup the costs of these qualifications. Once I believed that the highest level of qualification would make me a better practitioner, but I am disillusioned.
Jacquie Sherwood, Manchester
