Opinion: Letters

WHAT DEGREES TAKE

I have followed with interest the thread on the Nursery World website (Have Your Say, www.nurseryworld.co.uk) about graduate employees.

I have worked in childcare for more than 14 years and am currently studying for a foundation degree while carrying on working. The course has been very intensive, and the criteria for applications prior to starting were extremely stringent.

If degree courses are seen in such a derogatory way by nursery managers, I wonder why I and my fellow students have put ourselves through this demanding course?

Reading the comments on the website I feel that, when I do finally have Early Years Professional Status, if degrees are seen in such a negative way I may not stay within the nursery environment - I may be forced to move to another area.

If my views are shared by other degree students, then we are not going to raise the public's perception of the childcare industry to the professional standard that it should be.

Perhaps nursery managers need to find out about the amount of knowledge and the hard work the participants have taken on in following such courses, and then maybe they will have a little more respect for us poor struggling students.

Kathy Bricklebank, Werrington, Peterborough

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COURSE QUESTIONS

I am a nursery nurse and wanted to continue studying for my degree, but it will take me another 17 modules. Why are courses so long?

I have a Level 4 qualification but it appears to lead me nowhere. I have worked with NQTs, supporting them throughout my 11-year career, and I believe that there should be quicker courses for adults who have worked in the sector for more than three years.

I believe that it should also be compulsory for employers to offer further training, with financial support from their local authority.

Althea Powell, London

TRAINING OPTIONS

I am writing in response to the article, 'Call on an expert' (Management Focus, 13 March).

I want to point out that Train to Gain is not just available for NVQ qualifications but also for some 'full width' vocational qualifications or those such as the CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Pre-school Practice and CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Pre-school Practice.Train to Gain for Level 3 qualifications is also subject to certain individual criteria.

It is also important to mention that the Learning and Skills Council have now extended Train to Gain to include volunteers working in a setting.

I feel this is an important point to make, as the NVQ route to a qualification does not suit everyone and if we want to make training available to as many practitioners as possible, we need to make people aware of all the options available to them.

Anne Jones, early years and play training provider

A MACHO STANCE?

A Unison national officer says his union is trying to 'establish pathways for experienced nursery staff to progress to Early Years Professional Status, as we believe that in many cases these are the real early years experts and professionals in working with children' (Letters, 3 April).

Early Years Professionals in Aspect know only too well how important this experience can be. It would be unfortunate if, by this reference, the officer means to suggest that EYPs, who are designated as the curriculum leaders under the Early Years Foundation Stage, are in some way not 'real professionals'.

The issues that concern us, and the need for a national pay framework and for effective guarantees that our qualifications and status match those of professionals with comparable responsibilities, such as teachers, are too important to be the subject of this type of 'macho' stand-off.

Rosie Bloomfield, chairperson of Aspect Early Years Professionals National Committee

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO ...

The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP letter.nw@haymarket.com 020 8267 8402.