Editor's view

The protests about the introduction of the nursery education grant Code of Practice are gathering force, particularly in Kent, where nursery and pre-school owners are holding meetings, alerting the press and writing impassioned letters to council officials, MPs and ministers (see News, page 4 and Letters, page 31). It's heartening to see these providers joining together and making their feelings known in such a direct manner. For the past few years, the private and voluntary sector has worried about its future, faced with the lack of a level playing field, competition from state settings and lack of involvement with local...