The growing number of early years organisations, practitioners and parents signing the three petitions, which have a total of 52,364 signatures, reveals the mounting opposition over reforms to relax childcare ratios in early years settings.
A petition started by childminder Penny Webb, (right), which, as Nursery World went to press, had 21,793 signatures, has now gained the support of the National Day Nurseries Association and the National Childminding Association.
The petition, 'Drop plans to increase child to adult ratios', calls on the Department for Education to stop its plans. Signatories include Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, Lincolnshire Montessori, and Laura Henry, who runs Childcare Consultancy.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance also started a petition last week for parents whose children attend its settings. The petition, which calls on the Government to reconsider its decision and undertake a proper consultation, gained more than 11,000 signatures in just 48 hours.
Neil Leitch said, 'These are parents of children who will be directly affected by this proposal and it is clear they feel as strongly about this issue as childcare practitioners do. We are told by Government that no nursery will be forced to accept the change but this is wholly misleading. At best it will create a two-tier system which will favour more affluent parents while the remainder will have to accept less one-to-one support for their child.
'This policy benefits no one and I am dismayed that the Government should have been so poorly advised to introduce policies that have little support from providers, parents and early years academics. It is not a weakness to accept that a mistake has been made and we urge the Government to bring a halt to this misconceived policy now.'
Another petition by the Childminding Forum - 'Leave our early years ratios alone', has also proved popular with 19,571 signatures from childminders, practitioners and parents.
A comment on the petition from a Surrey childminder questions how they can go on regular outings with a double buggy, two toddlers holding on and a baby in a sling.
Amid mounting opposition over reforms to relax childcare ratios in early years settings, the education and childcare minister Elizabeth Truss appeared to be softening her stance during a live webchat on Mumsnet on 7 February.
In response to a question from 'mellowcat', who said she would rather leave the profession than fail children in her care once ratio changes come into force, Ms Truss claimed that the relaxation of ratios would give settings flexibility, for example, if a member of staff was off ill one day.
- Penny Webb's petition
- Childminding Forum petition
