Chief executive Steve Alexander told delegates to the Alliance's annualconference in London last week that local authorities' recent costanalyses of the NEG were 'flawed' and 'misleading', and that 'localauthorities may be top-slicing childcare money for other causes.'
Mr Alexander said, 'Unfortunately, still top of our concerns issustainability of provision. There has been a nationwide survey of costs(of the NEG). Our charity had input to the questionnaire that went toauthorities, but emerging evidence suggests that the findings from thiscost analysis are flawed. This is because some local authorities refinedthe questionnaire and ended up asking the wrong question, and indeed maynot be committed to a process that contributes to the Single FundingFormula, as it will inevitably cause more work for themselves.'
He said that the Government's 'reluctance to clip the wings of renegadeauthorities has created very patchy implementation of a wonderfulten-year plan', while many good local authorities were reeling under the'blizzard of initiatives'.
The conference also discussed the Early Years Foundation Stage, with MrAlexander urging delegates to put their full support behind its launchin September. Keynote speaker Sheila Scales, director of early years atthe Department for Children, Schools and Families, stressed that theEYFS was 'a play-based curriculum' with no targets or testing.
However, another speaker, Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, said,'I don't think we need a play-based curriculum. I think we need play!'She said she was worried about 'edu-play' and said that childrensocialising with each other was the best form of play.
One delegate raised the issue of inequality in pay and conditionsbetween Early Years Professionals and qualified teachers.
Ms Scales said that she was aware that many EYPs were being 'lured' intomanagement, but the upcoming duty for every early years setting toemploy a graduate would 'create a new demand' for EYPs.
