Nursery nurses carry a fuller load
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
In response to Tracey Knight's letter (30 August) about a nursery nurse's salary and responsibilities, I take great offence at her implication that nursery nurses do not have any responsibility for curriculum planning or children's welfare. Has she not realised that nursery nursing has moved on? Our job now incorporates care and education, which means we plan and deliver a quality curriculum. To ensure our curriculum is balanced, we also carry out regular observations to help us in our assessment of every child's needs. These findings are recorded and reported to parents and outside agencies who may be involved with the child as well as with the teachers of the primary schools which they will attend.
Has she not realised that nursery nursing has moved on? Our job now incorporates care and education, which means we plan and deliver a quality curriculum. To ensure our curriculum is balanced, we also carry out regular observations to help us in our assessment of every child's needs. These findings are recorded and reported to parents and outside agencies who may be involved with the child as well as with the teachers of the primary schools which they will attend.
Our job involves working in partnership with parents and families, encouraging parents to become involved in their child's education through parenting skills classes, parent workshops or through taking an active part in the nursery. To accommodate working parents, staff give up their free time without pay to encourage parental involvement. This also happens for passing on information as regards the children's pre-school transition records or profiles.
I could go on to mention that some nursery nurses work longer hours and also through school holiday periods. Many have gained extra qualifications, such as the Professional Development Award or BA in Early Childhood Studies. Yet we still have to put up with the old-fashioned, biased view that our job is not as important as that of a teacher's when it comes to professionalism and pay.
I am aware that teachers train at university for four years, so their salary should reflect this, but nursery nurses should also be given a salary that reflects their commitment and expertise. After all, our speciality is the early years, whereas teachers are trained in primary teaching with only two weeks based in a nursery establishment.
Siobhan Martin, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
