Opinion - Stop social vandalism

The last decade has not been kind to maintained nursery schools: despite huge investment in the early years, nursery schools have been closing at the fastest-ever rate. So it is disheartening to read in the Government's White Paper that 'the Early Years Foundation Stage is delivered by a wide range of settings in the private, voluntary and independent sectors, including Sure Start Children's Centres, as well as in nursery and reception classes in schools'. Did someone forget about maintained nursery schools, the organisations that pioneered early education integrated with health services for families?

It seems to me that early education is being split into 'childcare' and primary schooling. The triumph of 'childcare' in places vaguely referred to as 'settings' has seriously damaged nursery education, leading to children's centres contracting out their childcare to whoever offers the best value, too often bypassing the local nursery school. The whole field is increasingly seen as a kind of market in which consumer choice trumps everything else. This thinking is driving on the requirement that local authorities must create a single funding formula for all early years providers. A single formula would be a welcome development if there was going to be a substantial rise in funding to allow all nurseries to employ qualified teachers, EYPs and nursery nurses in the same proportions as the nursery schools. But as there are no plans to make serious improvements to the funding of the early years, the only likely result will be significant cuts to nursery school budgets, which will probably lead to even more closures.