Nursery World - Raise your game

Tackling mediocrity is the UK's problem, not poor quality. Tony Bertram and Sue Owen discuss how practitioners facilitate change Quality, it has been argued, is a subjective term that has no real meaning except as a warm, undefined word to which we all subscribe. Such a word, it is suggested, allows parents and practitioners to feel comfortable about services without questioning them, and encourages Government to use the term with little precision throughout its literature.

Quality, it has been argued, is a subjective term that has no real meaning except as a warm, undefined word to which we all subscribe. Such a word, it is suggested, allows parents and practitioners to feel comfortable about services without questioning them, and encourages Government to use the term with little precision throughout its literature.

However, we believe that the word is central to the collective debate about what constitutes a high-quality service in early childhood settings and how to ensure improvement in the sector.

By attending a centre-based setting, parents and children may, for the first time, be confronted with a different set of values from that of their own family or community.

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