Nursery World - Key challenge

Early years organisations which gave evidence to the committee have been impressed by its radical stance. 'We were struck by the number of recommendations on training,' says Jean Ensing, president of Early Education. 'We think it's a major step forward that the committee recommends a ladder of training in the long term rather than the current mish-mash of qualifications. 'The recommendations are much tougher than we thought they would be. That'll be costly, but at least there's a clear aspiration,' she says.

'The recommendations are much tougher than we thought they would be. That'll be costly, but at least there's a clear aspiration,' she says.

Commenting on the right to professional development, Jean Ensing pointed out that this would also place an obligation on practitioners to take up opportunities.

Eva Lloyd, chief executive of the National Early Years Network, says she feels the committee has 'really listened and understood our arguments', and that the 'recommendations are extremely welcome. The key challenge now is implementation.' She is pleased to see a recognition of the need to develop the existing workforce rather than just concentrating on new entrants.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included