The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said day nurseries were being treated unfairly because, unlike playgroups and pre-schools, they must have a staff:child ratio of 1:4 for children under three. Ofsted recently changed its rules to allow playgroups to treat children whose third birthday falls within a term to be classed as being three from the beginning of that term, for the purpose of staff ratios.
Mary Graveney, proprietor of the Ambourne House Day Nursery, said her colleagues in the 47-member South Gloucestershire Private Nurseries'
Association felt 'very strongly indeed that we are being discriminated against'. She has written to education secretary Charles Clarke, enlisted the backing of her MP and received a 'very sympathetic' response from her local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership in a bid to get a level playing field for all providers on the staff ratio issue.
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