The Government appears to be trying to reconcile a certain amount of internal conflict. It frequently speaks about engagement, consultation and localism, all of which suggest it recognises that any legislation and guidelines should reflect local needs and imply that the State which it wants to shrink is meant to be a facilitator. Yet whenever it makes policy decisions they are almost without fail made as though Nanny knows best and that the nature of these policies must be suited to Government expectations as I have written. Whatever the rhetoric, it is inconceivable that a modern Government would not place a priority on the needs of children and their education. The youngest amongst these and their educators are arguably those who deserve the greatest attention. This is in part due to the robust evidence provided by the various reports on ‘early intervention’ and also because despite the constant chatter about the high cost of British pre-school education, that our 0-5 educators are paid the least of all those who work in education and appear to be respected the least by the rest of the educational establishment.

The Department for Education is staffed by some very capable Civil Servants and during the tenure of Tim Loughton and Sarah Teather, the grasp of many of the issues affecting children was certainly strong. However since Tim and Sarah moved on, the good work appears to have been rolled backwards. It is noticeable that although the DfE does have a female Minister in the team, that Elizabeth Truss is but one among six, yet this is a Department that should merit a much more even gender balance, and ideally Ministers with some real educational experience. Not a single Minister in the team has had any hands on experience at any age level with teaching or training according to the departmental biographies. In a progressive department this would lead to a greater focus on the views of non departmental experts, but with Michael Gove in charge, such an idea is not even visible on the horizon. The latest suggestion which relates to the cinderalla service of childcare seems to be a classic case of the department doing what it believes to be right, despite a clear representation from those who actually work with children. The DfE wants to ‘simplify’ staff management in the sector. That is something of a euphemism!

According to this article in the trade magazine the department “plans to remove requirements for childcare settings to regularly appraise staff and improve qualification levels”. This is the sort of proposal that one might understand if it came from the ‘creative’ end of a small party which never expects to be in power and therefore doesn’t need to worry about being scrutinised too closely. If the proposal was being made for the medical profession and in particular those who attend to our Royal Family or Senior Politicians, the outcry would resound across Whitehall. Because it is regarding the youngest members of our society it appears to be acceptable. This proposal is part of a consultation which began on 16th July and ends on 30th September. It is vital that we make clear to the Government that we do not support their proposals in the strongest of terms. Please read the article and check out the consultation and do respond to it.