Nursery resources 'spread thinly'

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An extension of free nursery education in England is having the "unforeseen consequence" of reducing the care children get, teachers have claimed.

The entitlement to free care for three and four-year-olds is being extended from 12.5 hours to 15 hours a week.

The National Union of Teachers suggests resources are being spread more thinly, the care given to each child being cut.

The government says it expects local authorities to support the availability of good quality childcare.

The NUT's evidence comes mainly from a small sample of 80 teachers working in nursery schools that have piloted the extension of free hours.

Less time for talk

The most common strategy to manage the extra work reported in the NUT's questionnaires was a change to the pattern of the day.

Nurseries had introduced earlier start times and/or later finishes for teachers and support staff.

As a result more than half the teachers said their workloads had increased.

A third said the extension had reduced the amount of time available for teachers to talk with parents about their children's progress.

The NUT sees the responses as a straw in the wind indicating that problems are developing.

Its head of education, John Bangs, said: "There is a bizarre unforeseen consequence of a reduction in care because you are spreading resources more thinly."

He added: "This is an initiative that could go pear-shaped and this is a wake-up call to government and local authorities."

A spokeswoman for England's Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "The prime minister has announced that we will extend a free early education entitlement, stage by stage, to all two-year-olds, building on the existing 63 pilots and beginning with the most disadvantaged children.

"Local authorities play a prominent role in managing the local childcare market - and that will be even more important in an economic downturn."

She added: "We expect local authorities to work closely with parents where nurseries do close to find alternative provision and to use their 'sufficiency and access' funding and other market management levers to support the availability of good quality childcare for all families who want it in their areas."