government
NEWS RELEASE
22 July 2005
Government must secure clear career routes and address pay and conditions, says Alliance, as it responds to the Children's Workforce strategy
The Government must address pay and conditions and ensure clear career progression routes, the Pre-school Learning Alliance said today, as it submitted its response to the consultation on the Children's Workforce Strategy.
The charity welcomed the consultation as a unique opportunity to restructure the workforce and made key recommendations on the priorities for reform. It concluded that:
- While the strategy contains admirable long-term goals, a more detailed plan is necessary following this consultation, to identify key milestones along the way
- Government must address pay and conditions in the early years sector as a matter of urgency. Low pay equates with low status. Until there is a coherent pay structure linked to qualifications, experience and responsibility, there will always be a net loss of experienced people from the childcare workforce in voluntary provision
- The qualifications framework based on the newly developed Common Core is welcome, but the labelling of employees with Level 2 and 3 qualifications as ‘support staff' undermines the extent of their experience and could have a detrimental impact on morale
- For flexible movement to flourish, career pathways through the voluntary and private sectors must be given equal status, through central support for providers. Otherwise, providers will lose staff that they have recruited and trained to maintained settings where pay and conditions are considered better
- Both pedagogue and new teacher models have potential to raise the quality of early years provision. However, the most pressing issue for Government is to define the key responsibilities of the role, which should strike a suitable balance between the care and education elements of working with young children
- The new qualifications framework must accredit prior learning and experience. Given the priority to secure a large number of new professionals, the strategy must develop individuals from within the existing workforce, allied to new entrants
Commenting on the response, Steve Alexander, Chief Executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance said:
"The consultation is an important step on the road to the reform of the children's workforce, which is long overdue. It is vital that the Government supports a range of routes for the existing workforce to pursue to become new lead professionals. This new role, whether pedagogue, new teacher or an alternative, must be defined by the right blend of skills and experience and take account of the care and education elements of working with young children".
"Clearly, pay is a complex issue for Government and for employers. However, it must be addressed as a matter of urgency to give a career in childcare the status it has long merited. Any reform of career structures and pay and conditions arrangements must be consistent across the sector. Otherwise, the private and voluntary and private sectors will recruit and train staff, only to lose them to the maintained sector where terms are considered better".
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Andrew Fletcher
Pre-school Learning Alliance
T: 020 7833 0991
Out of hours press calls: 07979 531 130
E: Andrew Fletcher
Notes for Editors:
- The Pre-school Learning Alliance links 15,000 pre-schools and 500,000 young children and their families in England. Established in 1961 and registered as an educational charity, the Alliance is the national dimension of the pre-school movement. The charity is involved in more Sure Start projects than any other organisation and operates a number of Neighbourhood Nurseries. For information about the Pre-school Learning Alliance, visit our website: www.pre-school.org.uk.
- The Children’s Workforce Strategy consultation closed today. For more information, visit www.dfes.gov.uk