Salaried Schools Direct Teacher Training for Early Years

I have been looking out for September 2014's list of Salaried Early Years Schools Direct Teacher Training Places.

Regrettably, I have observed that the new Schools Direct list has NO salaried training places for Early Years. (https://education.gov.uk/schooldirectapplications/ui/public/search/course/_source/menu/_pageId/10/_pageVn/0.21)

This implies that I must give up my low paid but secure Early Years job to undertake further training in an age group that is different to the Early Years to enable me to achieve QTS and then to apply to teach in the Early Years!

Catastrophically ridiculous!

Letter to Ms Truss 121013

As I have never received a response to my personally addressed letter to Ms Truss (dated 280813 - proof of delivery retained) I have penned another letter of which I may send copies to other MPs, media etc.

I don't plan on giving up this fight any time soon!

Feel free to copy and paste:

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Elizabeth Truss MP

Department for Education
Castle View House
East Lane
Runcorn
Cheshire
WA7 2GJ

12^th October 2013

Dear Ms Truss,

Further to our recent communications via Mr Graham Stuart MP, I will be most grateful if you will in future respond personally and directly to my communications in respect of the difficulties currently encountered by Early Years Professionals (EYPs). It seems impractical to involve my local MP in a matter which relates purely to the Department for Education (DfE) and which effectively removes his attention from local but equally important political matters.

I am appreciative of your responses to my concerns however I remain anxious that in spite of your rhetoric, which clearly establishes the value of Early Years Professionals and the newly titled Early Years Teachers (EYTs), there remains no conclusive decision or plan to pay these highly skilled individuals a wage commensurate with their level of expertise and graduate qualification. Indeed, I suspect that many existing EYPs may well be considering leaving the sector in order to earn a wage that can more effectively meet the financial commitments of a family!

May I suggest that you take a close look at the disparity between the wages of teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and those without QTS on the document to which you refer in your last email -(http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/2013%20stpcd%20master%20final.pdf). It is apparent to all Early Years practitioners that there is a colossal and unfair difference, a matter on which I have never received an acceptable explanation. And yet, your department continues to claim that EYPs and EYTs, specifically trained to deal with the ever-changing needs of our youngest children, are equally as important as teachers of our older children.

With respect to your comments regarding the other options which may be available to me should I wish to achieve QTS, I do not currently get paid a wage (£12600) that can effectively support my family, let alone support me through yet further education or assessment to qualify to teach a different age group.

I have begun to investigate your suggestion that there is potential to achieve QTS through the ‘assessment only’ route, however I am being advised that this is not available to me locally (East Yorkshire) and that I am required to be able to demonstrate experience in another age range to be accepted. I wonder if you would suggest that I give up my relatively secure, although poorly paid, permanent job (£8.16/hour) to seek primary school experience which will likely be at a lower pay rate and on a temporary contract, so that I might be considered a suitable candidate to pay approximately £2000 plus travel expenses for this assessment route?

I continue to stress that my existing skills and training have been explicitly honed to focus on the very different needs and education of the under 5s (as directed by the EYFS), yet I feel that I have been more than suitably equipped with the knowledge and understanding to teach older children. Despite all these abilities, I ought to admit that I am beginning to wonder whether my protracted qualifications, experience and skills are still considered to be ‘good enough’ and, if not, why were vast sums from tax payer funds used to train so many EYPs for something so worthless.

I should advise that I have been very dissatisfied with every DfE response that I have received to date as the department seems unable to comprehend the harsh impact that their punitive decisions have had on the financial security and career prospects of Early Years Professionals who have provided dedicated service to the sector.  In fact, I have not received any response to my most recent letter (addressed to you personally) which was posted in August 2013.

I look forward to your new response so that I may share your comments with my fellow campaigners and relevant Early Years media.

Sincerely,

 

Julie Dervey

P.S. You may wish to take a look at my Blog which relates to my campaign and the comments from others who have signed the Petition which is committed to improving salary and conditions for EYPs. I have provided the links below:

http://eyptrials.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/department-for-education-stop-discrimination-against-early-years-professionals

 

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