Nursery World - It's time to recognise BAs in early childhood

I found Jane Akroyd's In my view, 'World-class qualification' (5 June), very interesting. In Australia, she states, the manager of a childcare centre is qualified with a BA in Early Childhood Education. There has been so much emphasis recently on the importance on having highly trained staff, qualified with NNEB, BTec or NVQ 3. But here in our country how often does a nursery nurse position - let alone a manager position - ask for a degree in Early Childhood Education?

There has been so much emphasis recently on the importance on having highly trained staff, qualified with NNEB, BTec or NVQ 3. But here in our country how often does a nursery nurse position - let alone a manager position - ask for a degree in Early Childhood Education?

This level of qualification exists in the UK as well as Australia. Unfortunately, in the UK, rather than this being seen as an intensive three-year course covering the period from birth to eight years of age, and producing competent child development graduates, it is very rarely mentioned among other childcare qualifications. On the odd occasion that it is, we seem determined that in the UK we do not need a degree, as we are not snobs, and our NNEBs know better than any graduate.

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