I wonder what the Early Years Sector will make of this!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2362692/Liz-Truss-tipped-promotion-cabinet-just-years-MP.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Liz Truss has been tipped for promotion in Cameron's Cabinet reshuffle!!

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Personally, I think this is absolutely ludicrous! How can one individual with such minimal skill or experience within the EY Sector be allowed to cause such devastation without castigation. Promotion should be totally out of the question!

Has the sector got to pay the price for her ineptitude!

Nursery World support

I am extremely pleased to announce that the esteemed Early Years magazine, Nursery World has published an entire page dedicated to this matter.

It can be viewed on: http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1190525/complaints-spark-teach-first-review

Dear Mr Stuart. My response to email from Ms Truss

I sent the following email to Mr Graham Stuart MP today and have received a mail acknowledgement receipt as proof of delivery.

Dear Mr Stuart,

Many thanks for forwarding to me a copy of Ms Truss’s recent email to you. I must draw your attention to several key points.

It would appear that Ms Truss is unaware that following my recent campaign (http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/department-for-education-stop-discrimination-against-early-years-professionals) to address some of the issues relating to the poor status placed on the skills and training of EYPs, Teach First have agreed to review their eligibility criteria for Early Years QTS training. They have assured me of due consideration to those candidates with Early Childhood degrees and Early Years Professional or Early Years Teacher Status to ensure that they are not unfairly discriminated against in future. In fact Nursery World have published an article to this effect. (Link as follows: http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/article/1190525/complaints-spark-teach-first-review).

I must further contend Ms Truss’s claim that Early Years Professionals/Early Years Teachers do not need to obtain Early Years QTS to improve their status. Unless EYPs and EYTs hold QTS, they will not attract an equivalent National Teachers Pay Award and will therefore will never be paid as a Qualified Teacher.

Those settings that would prefer an EYP or EYT for their youngest children have not been provided with suitable funds to offer an equivalent and acceptable remuneration package. In fact, most schools will not employ an Early Years Professional or an Early Years Teacher, who has been specifically trained to work in the Foundation Stage. This is because primary school financial plans have become so constrained that they must employ staff who can be used flexibly throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 to sustain budgetary control. As EYPs and EYTs are not qualified to teach children above 6 years, they cannot be utilised in this way.

If qualified EYPs are not going to be paid an equivalent rate to those with QTS, then those that wish should be enabled to be fast-tracked to access free additional training to achieve Early Years QTS. At present many dedicated members of the workforce are undervalued and have received no increase in status or pay following several years of intensive study. This is a disrespectful situation which does little to motivate the workforce or to sustain provision for the country’s youngest children.

I also have personal experience of attempting to access Early Years QTS training through the Schools Direct scheme. There are extremely limited training places available for Early Years QTS through this scheme and successful candidates are generally required to have had primary school experience.

Thus it seems that unless EYPs/EYTs are able to self-fund further training through the Early Years PGCE, they encounter a total block to accessing QTS and receiving Teacher's pay. Regrettably, the fact that many EYPs have been unable to secure permanent and well-paid employment makes this self-funding option becomes even more remote.

I thank you for your kind attention to this matter, but I must regret that the information provided by MS Truss does not offer any solutions to the plight of Early Years Professionals or Early Years Teachers. I must therefore request that she further considers how to ensure that those who have worked hard to achieve higher levels of skill and excellent and specific capabilities to offer the vital provision needed for very young children should receive suitable remuneration and acknowledgement to be valued appropriately.

I look forward to further communications.

Ms Truss response dated 16/07/2013

Mr Graham Stuart MP was kind enough to forward this copy of an emailed response that he had received from Ms Elizabeth Truss MP.

Department for Education response!

I have received the following email today (12th July 2013):

'Dear Mrs Dervey,

Thank you for your email dated 21 June 2013 about the eligibility criteria for Teach First programme. I understand you have written in similar terms to the Rt. Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Education and Liz Truss MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare.

A reply will be provided shortly by Liz Truss MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare and will be sent to Graham Stuart MP who raised the matter on your behalf. In the meanwhile if you need anything further please do not hesitate to contact me. Your correspondence has been allocated reference number XXXXXXXXX. If you need to respond to us, please visit: www.education.gov.uk/contactus, and quote your reference number. Yours sincerely, Glyn Newton Early Years and Educational Psychology Division www.education.gov.uk '

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Would it be cynical of me to suspect that several of my pertinent questions may remain unanswered or be 'glossed over'? Wait and see....

Magazine interest

I am pleased to report that Under 5 Magazine have mentioned my problems on their website: https://www.pre-school.org.uk/sectornews/13/teach-first-to-review-early-years-eligibility-criteria - The article dated 27th June 2013 reads as follows:

Teach First to review early years eligibility criteria

27th June 2013
Under 5 news exclusive
Educational charity Teach First is reviewing the eligibility criteria for its primary provision following the extension of the programme to include early years, Under 5 can reveal.

Earlier this year, Teach First announced that it was extending its primary provision to include early years, a move that would allow trainees to complete the two‑year Leadership Development Programme while working full time in schools, nurseries and other early years providers.
However, an early years practitioner recently informed Under 5 that when she enquired about applying for the programme, she was told that she would need a 2:1 degree in a core subject, such as Art, French or History, despite the fact she had a First in Early Childhood Education & Care.
However, Teach First has since confirmed that it is examining its current application requirement in light of its recent expansion into early years.
“While we have recently expanded our reach to allow successful candidates to train in early years settings — working with children aged three to five in some of the most disadvantaged communities — this took place halfway through our recruitment season," a spokesperson told Under 5.
“We therefore continued recruiting based on our existing degree criteria for primary and secondary — these vary according to the needs of our partner schools and university training providers and are set out on our website.
“However, we are now reviewing our eligibility criteria for applicants interested in early years.”

A degree of success!

Following a veritable 'Ping-Pong' of emails between myself and Teach First, they contacted me on 4th July to advise as follows:

'I understand you were in communication with some of my colleagues recently and I wanted to continue those conversations if you remained interested in applying to Teach First.  The reason being is that we are currently reviewing our subject eligibility criteria and this will consequently impact the commentary provided to you re eligibility to apply.'

I was very pleased to hear that my complaint had begun to have an impact on the criteria for selecting candidates for this training. However, my pleasure has been diminished by a subsequent communication later on the same day, which elaborated that:

'...it is the case that participants offered a position in Early Years teaching will only be placed in London (or neighbouring Kent & Medway) at this time.  Teach First’s expansion into Early Years teacher training is currently in its first year (ie academic year 13/14) of a three year pilot.  As the pilot develops we will assess such things as regional expansion however at this time I am unable to confirm when this might occur and which regions will be impacted.'

Thus, I remain in this situation where I am unable to access Early Years Training for QTS!

I have received more marginally comforting news from a University Co-ordinator as follows:

'..., it really does seem like a tricky one, yet experienced colleagues I have contacted feel that your qualifications are fine.  I realise the HCTS told you your qualifications weren't quite right for them, I don't think you should let this put you off applying again. I am told by Dr Wendy Jolliffe at the University that we should expect to see more Early Years places coming up for School Direct in the next year or two as the numbers grow.  As a University we would be happy to support a School Direct Early Years student but I'm afraid this is really beyond our control as schools manage their student placements by applying for permission to train a certain number of students; they specify the particulars and then bring in a provider, such as the University of Hull, to work with them and provide QTS.  I think you should keep checking the website to see if any Early Years places become available:

http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/teacher-training-options/school-based-training/school-direct/applying'

 

This news indicates that further improvements to availability of training may arise over the next couple of years, however this does not guarantee that my need for a Salaried Schools Direct Early Years QTS position will be on offer!

 

I am interested to hear your alternate perspectives.