Tuesday 29 January 2013

Liz Truss on ratios and qualifications - an ill-considered announcement

I've blogged previously on why I think Liz Truss is absolutely wrong to change the law around ratios in early education and childcare. In case you just want the highlights: every single piece of international research I can find contradicts her, and the well-respected OECD commented that ratios ought to be improved in England, not worsened.

At Policy Exchange this morning, Truss argued that we need a better qualified workforce, and that the evidence from the EPPE report shows the benefits of having a qualified teacher. Whilst praising the nursery class at Durand Academy, she did not point out that the very best outcomes for children were achieved, the EPPE Reports say, in integrated centres and nursery schools (although nursery classes in primary schools came out pretty well, too).

Unfortunately, we are continuing to see the closure of Children's Centres, the reduction in the numbers of Children's Centre teachers, and the loss of nursery schools every year in England. So we are losing much of our very best early years provision at the same time as the minister says she is emphasising quality.



Likewise, Truss's decision to reduce the role of local authority early years teams and expand Ofsted is misguided. Local authority teams don't just check up on the quality of early education and childcare, keeping an ear to the ground in a way which a national organisation like Oftsed will find difficult. They also combine that with targeted support for poorer settings, training for staff, and so on. Without the local authority teams, there will be a still further reduction is support and training for staff. Nurseries will have less access to quality training which is relevant to them individually. Very promising initiatives, like the English ECERS network - which is doing great work to improve quality -  might go to the wall.

Truss is right to say that the evidence points to the advantages of a better qualified workforce, but this needs to be held alongside the strong evidence that better ratios correlate strongly with better quality.

We need both - it's not a case of one or the other. There is no evidence anywhere that quality can be improved in a context where staff numbers have been cut.

My fear is that this is going to lead, frankly, to a kind of brutalisation in baby rooms and toddler rooms around the country. There just will not be enough staff to care for the children physically and meet their emotional needs.

In affluent areas, parents will continue to choose nurseries where there is a favourable ratio.

But in poorer areas, where choice is driven much more by cost considerations, nurseries will be tempted to operate at the edge of the new legal limits. That's not going to be good for babies and toddlers in the years to come.

Watch Liz Truss's announcement, including questions at the end.

Read more of my posts about More Great Childcare:

Leading researchers warn that government proposals will "lead to an unintended reduction in quality"

Professor Denise Hevey's comments on More Great Childcare

Can we afford not to provide high quality early education and care? Cathy Nutbrown responds to More Great Childcare

When is a teacher not a teacher?

Elizabeth Truss and nursery ratios: why there is no case for change

9 comments:

  1. Brilliantly put together, coherent argument against this utter madness. Thanks for putting what I want to say down so I don't have to. As an early years inspector, and a mummy blogger, I have so much to say on this subject I can barely type fast enough, but your clarity is unfaltering.

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    1. Hi - thanks for your feedback and enjoyed the blog, too. J

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  2. Thanks for such a coherent and rationale summary Julian I really hope that people in the sector will eventually be consulted !

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    1. Thanks Tracy. The consultation is at http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/consultations/a00220966/early-educ-childcare-staff-deploy

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  3. Julian I am always impressed by your unerring ability to see to the heart of the matter and here you go again. Low ratios and high quality, qualified staff are not mutually exclusive, as Ms Truss seems to believe. Why should it be either/or when both together have such enormous potential to significantly improve outcomes for all our children. I am very well qualified and have received 2 outstanding grades from Ofsted. My knowledge and experience make me good at assessing and responding to the individual needs of the children I care for. They do not make be able to grow an extra pair of eyes or arms in order to spread myself effectively among a larger group of children. I have cared for 4 under 5's occasionally as part of a continuity of care variation. I coped but in each case it was not full time and for a finite length of time. It was mentally and physically exhausting and the children deserved more than me 'coping'. I gave good enough care but not my best care and to me that says it all. If we increase ratios we will not be giving children our best.

    I too have grave concerns about the move from Local Authority support to Ofsted. I am part of an accredited Childminding Network. I support new childminders as part of my role and in turn receive support from a Network Co-ordinator who knows me & my needs well. I cannot imagine this kind of support from Ofsted. I can also imagine that with the introduction of childminder agencies that support will be eroded even further if I choose not to join them (I would not want to be part of an agency model as I would lose my right to individual Ofsted inspections).

    What I find most concerning however were the remarks Ms Truss made in her speech about the future of nursery education as she sees it...quite horrifying-
    ''We think teacher-led groups with structured activities are a good thing. Ofsted has made it clear to me that they do too''

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    1. Yep - I agree. Did you see the Sunday Times headline to their interview of the minister - "playtime is over in Britain's nurseries" ?

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  4. Hear , Hear Julian.

    The thoughts of many.

    Utter Madness in my opinion.

    You will be aware that I start a petition last week against just one specific aspect - the relaxed ratios - the number of signatures has just exceeded 15,000 and the range of early years professional supporting it is amazing. However many others are also signing - teachers, headteachers, social workers, mental health professional, prison officers - who can all see the damage that these ideas will do to a generation of children and beyond. Furthermore parents and grandparents are commenting that - yes they would like cheaper childcare - but not at the cost of less adults looking after their children.

    I am not adding the link as of course that is your choice but I am sure people will find it as we have the official support of the Pre school Learning Alliance, National Childminding Association, Laura Henry and Nathan Archer.

    Hopefully if enough people speak out we will be able to cause the government to rethink or even one of those U turns.

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  5. To see Penny's petition - https://www.change.org/keepratiosdown?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=url_share&utm_campaign=url_share_before_sign

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  6. Julian.. Great as always. Love your, question to Ms Truss as well. We are all too passionate about young children to stay silent.

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