Nursery World - Scottish care rules 'favour public sector'

Private nursery providers have expressed disappointment that the new national care standards for early education and childcare in Scotland have not created a true level playing field with local authority nurseries. Patricia McGinty, a director of the Scottish Independent Nurseries'

Patricia McGinty, a director of the Scottish Independent Nurseries'

Association (SINA) and director of Bishopbriggs Childcare Centre in Glasgow, said that the different ratios for sessional and full daycare would benefit local authority provision, as these settings were more likely to be offering sessional care. The staff:child ratio for three- and four-year-olds in full daycare is 1:8, whereas for sessional care - defined as up to four hours of the day - the ratio may be 1:10.

Ms McGinty said, 'This will benefit local authorities but it will make planning for us, for an integrated approach and staffing, very complex. What if you have a mixture of children who come in for a day, so their ratio is 1:8, and children who are in for four hours, so their ratio is 1:10? Also, this came in right at the end of the consultation process.'

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