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| Education experts share Nick Clegg's doubts on childcare reforms | Education experts share Nick Clegg's doubts on childcare reforms |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Nick Clegg will have won many friends in the education research community by threatening to block one of the coalition's key education reforms – a proposed rise in the number of young children a nursery worker or childminder can look after in England. | Nick Clegg will have won many friends in the education research community by threatening to block one of the coalition's key education reforms – a proposed rise in the number of young children a nursery worker or childminder can look after in England. |
| Leading educationalists, such as Prof Kathy Sylva of Oxford University, and Brenda Taggart of the Institute of Education, University of London, have shown that the government's plan to relax the ratios of children to adults will have a particularly detrimental effect on those under three. | |
| Nurseries will be less able to "provide for children's individual needs", their paper, More Great Childcare or Not – Research Evidence, states. | Nurseries will be less able to "provide for children's individual needs", their paper, More Great Childcare or Not – Research Evidence, states. |
| Liz Truss, the childcare minister, wants nursery workers and childminders to have far better qualifications. Ideally they should be graduates, she says, as they are in France. She laments how many in England have little more than basic maths and English. | Liz Truss, the childcare minister, wants nursery workers and childminders to have far better qualifications. Ideally they should be graduates, she says, as they are in France. She laments how many in England have little more than basic maths and English. |
| But the researchers say that, as far as children under three are concerned, having graduate-level carers will not undo the damaging effects of having more children for each adult. | |
| For three to five-year-olds, however, the picture is different. Studies show that if early-years carers have better qualifications and the number of children per adult rises, the quality of the care will stay the same, rather than go down. It's hardly a ringing endorsement for the reforms. | |
| One of the major studies on early years – the Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project – has found that children under the care of childminders will miss out most of all from the government's reforms. | One of the major studies on early years – the Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education Project – has found that children under the care of childminders will miss out most of all from the government's reforms. |
| "A rich early years home learning environment which includes reading to children, playing with numbers and letters and walking to the library … has long-term benefits." The coalition's proposals will lead to a less rich experience, the study says. "Indeed, safety concerns will make informal outings virtually impossible," it says. | "A rich early years home learning environment which includes reading to children, playing with numbers and letters and walking to the library … has long-term benefits." The coalition's proposals will lead to a less rich experience, the study says. "Indeed, safety concerns will make informal outings virtually impossible," it says. |
| The government believes England is out of step with its neighbours. Our nursery workers can look after four two-year-olds, compared with six two-year-olds in the Netherlands and eight in France. | |
| But the problem, researchers say, is that we have no way of comparing how good these nurseries are to ours. The government merely states that just 10% of our nurseries and childminders are given an outstanding rating by Ofsted. | But the problem, researchers say, is that we have no way of comparing how good these nurseries are to ours. The government merely states that just 10% of our nurseries and childminders are given an outstanding rating by Ofsted. |
| Ryan Shorthouse, of the Social Market Foundation whose report A Better Beginning was scrutinised by ministers before the reforms were announced, admits that comparing early years settings across countries is "problematic". | |
| "It's pretty ambiguous when it comes to saying what the perfect ratio is," he says. | |
| However, what is clear, he says, is that better-qualified staff do improve quality of care. "The ideal is to keep ratios as they are, but ensure staff have better qualifications," he says. | However, what is clear, he says, is that better-qualified staff do improve quality of care. "The ideal is to keep ratios as they are, but ensure staff have better qualifications," he says. |
| Education researchers agree. But this would cost extra money and so, for the moment, is most certainly off the cards. | Education researchers agree. But this would cost extra money and so, for the moment, is most certainly off the cards. |