Greater pay and respect demanded by EYPs

A survey of 300 EYPs found that most respondents earned between £8 and £9 an hour.

EYPs should be paid by local or national government, according to 96 per cent of respondents, with 88 per cent saying it was very important that there was an agreed payscale for EYPs and 90 per cent saying there should be parity between EYPs in children's centres and PVI settings.

Aspect is launching the report In their own words: EYPs speak out along with a charter calling for 'professional respect and reward for EYPs' at the Early Years and Primary Teaching Exhibition in Manchester this weekend (25 April).

The survey asked EYPs and those currently on pathways towards EYPS about their experiences and their future plans.

It found that EYPs held more than 60 different job titles, with duties ranging from specialised roles to room leaders, owners and managers of nurseries, advisory roles in local authorities, and family support workers in children's centres.

Although the Graduate Leader Fund has improved pay in the short term for EYPs, there were concerns about long-term funding. One EYP said, 'Extra support from the local authority to provide a slightly better salary is only for a very short term, so many settings will not be able to keep their EYP in the long term.'

Many comments compared the position of teachers with EYPs, including benefits that teachers enjoy such as eligibility to apply for key worker housing. Respondents called for national salary scales to bring parity with teachers.

One Yorkshire EYP said, 'EYPs must be paid directly by the Government in line with teachers' pay scales. Otherwise, the notion that EYPs are just "cheap teachers" will prevail.'

According to the report, childminders felt they were 'uninvited guests' in the EYP project, and one childminder said she had been refused Graduate Leader Funding by her local authority.

Helen Willis, Aspect's national lead for EYPs, told Nursery World that the survey enabled EYPs to air their views in their own words.

'We had an idea of what the key issues were for our members - pay and conditions - and this survey overwhelmingly confirms it. There is a huge swell of concern.'

She added that although it was clear that many EYPs were 'excited about what they've learned and their skills', they were working in a graduate-level role but were 'expected to do it out of their own good will'.

Ms Willis added, 'Simple financial imperatives will drive people out of the sector.'

A spokesperson for the Children's Workforce Development Council, said, 'CWDC welcomes this latest thorough analysis of what is an important aspect of our work. We will now look in more detail at the findings of this survey and consider carefully how we can address those areas that fall within our remit.'

A charter for EYPs

Early Years Professionals are highly skilled graduates working to ensure every setting for under-fives gives every child the best possible start.

EYPs in Aspect call for:

- Professional pay for professional leadership;

- Genuine parity between Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS);

- A clearly-defined national pay framework;

- Ongoing professional development entitlements and funding;

- Post-accreditation specific support (new EYP entitlements);

- Career progression routes throughout early years.

Professional workers deserve professional respect and reward.