NDNA agrees the two-tier system should be examined and a national scale for teaching assistants would be beneficial, but we are concerned about its possible effects on the early years sector.
Private and voluntary childcare providers supply the majority of early years education and care. Our members are already losing staff to schools, and unless workers in private and voluntary care are considered in revised scales, the drain on early years will increase. This could jeopardise the availability and affordability of childcare and the sustainability of the sector.
We would like to see a level playing field for both practitioners in childcare and the education sector from age 0-16.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive, National Day Nurseries Association
