Opinion: Letters

SPECIALIST TEACHER?

I have read Aspect's gloomy prediction regarding the future of EYPS with interest and a little cynical agreement (News, 16 April).

However, while the early years desperately needs a realistic salary framework, the area of professional acknowledgment is a more delicate issue.

There does sometimes exist a pretentious hierarchical attitude from those possessing Qualified Teacher Status. But I have worked with many dedicated early years teachers who have the child at the heart of their practice.

Sadly, QTS is often reflected in job descriptions too, particularly within the growing world of children's services. What does this mean in reality? To achieve QTS trainees must deliver approximately 18 months of teaching practice after achieving a degree in any subject. Early years practitioners have a range of routes to achieve EYPS, usually through a recognised early childhood studies degree pathway. Most of them are working in settings while achieving this, and may have been for years. Generally this equates to more than 18 months 'teaching' practice. These professionals arrive with their qualified status as specialised early years practitioners, often with a depth of knowledge, understanding and application through their work with under-fives far outweighing that of some teachers in EYFS units in schools. Dedicated teachers wishing to specialise in early years and add EYPS to their qualifications often have the barrier of finding the opportunity to study and work with under-threes.

With all these disparities in the sector there will always be a sense of historical pedagogical order and mistrust. Surely the answer is to create an 'early years specialist teacher' qualification, along the same lines as advanced skills teacher specialisms, with the same acumen that both QTS and EYPS professionals can access. As the Government is considering a Masters level teaching profession, maybe the time is right to put this possible qualification into those terms.

Janet Uwins, independent early years consultant and tutor

FIGURE THIS OUT

I make extensive use of Ofsted's publication of statistics on registered childcare providers and places in England for my research, monitoring changes in the level and distribution of provision.

As pointed out by Nursery World (26 March), the most recent publication uses a different classification of services to all previous statistics.

I wrote to Ofsted on 9 April, making the following comments, but I have not yet received a reply.

1. The change in classification of types of care means there is some discontinuity in the time series for these data. In particular, the distinction between full day care and sessional care is lost, and the specific figures for out of school day care are not distinguishable. This makes it very difficult to monitor changes in the levels of different types of provision. Would it not be possible to continue making figures available in the old format?

2. The interactive format of the Excel spreadsheets makes it difficult to extract data for each of the local authorities, for combination into a national table but showing data for each individual local authority. Again, would it be possible to make Excel spreadsheets available where each local authority forms a row rather than a page?

Charlie Owen, senior research officer, Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London

RAISING BOYS

As a literacy specialist who for the last 15 years has been doing talks on 'raising boys' achievement in writing', I cannot cheer loudly enough for Melanie Lacey (Letters, 16 April). She's absolutely right that we must stop over-focusing on literacy skills in the early years.

Research convinces me that current educational practices are seriously damaging for many boys. They need time to develop emotionally, socially, physically and cognitively before we start pinning them down to desks to do small scale, sequential processing tasks.

The sooner we all stop obsessing about 'raising boys' achievement' and return to the vitally important business of raising boys (and girls), achievement will go up.

Sue Palmer, author of 'Toxic Childhood'

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