Elizabeth Truss ‘very wrong’ over nursery reforms
This piece outlines a speech by Elizabeth Truss (the Under Secretary of State for childcare at the Department for Education) at Policy Exchange this week. In her talk, Truss outlined her vision for early years childcare, including addressing what she believes is the under-qualification of the people who work with young children (calling upon nursery staff to achieve grades C or above in English and Mathematics, the introduction of graduate-level early years teachers) and increasing ratios for two-year-olds from four children per adult to six children per adult; and for ones-and-under to from three children per adult to four children per adult.
In rural areas finding decent childcare can be even more difficult than in towns and cities. Many rural settlements lack a nursery and have limited after-school clubs and parent-toddler groups. All of this highlights the importance of providing mobile and innovative childcare for rural parents and carers. Will Truss’s proposals revive childcare? Will they make childcare more affordable and increase family living standards?
Elizabeth Truss speech can be found here