Delegates passed a resolution brought by the union's national executive calling on the Government to safeguard the quality of early years education, to ensure that where provision is designated as education it is provided by qualified teachers who are early years specialists.
The union opposes the Government's proposal to replace the 12 and a half hours a week free nursery education for three- and four-year-olds with 'educare', which it says will cancel out the long-term benefits of early years education.
An amendment to the motion was also made to include a statement that 'conference believes that the term "educare" is a ruse' by the Government to embed its remodelling agenda for schools.
This includes using support staff to reduce teachers' workloads. The NUT opposes support staff taking lessons without a qualified teacher present.
While it backs the setting up of children's centres and early excellence centres, the union said this would need 'careful management, led by schools'.
Union members called on the Government to guarantee funding for early years settings and primary schools to offer high- quality education and care, and employ 'trained and experienced professionals and support staff from health and social services'.
The NUT also wants the Government to work with it and other unions on guidance for introducing childcare outside normal school hours in primary schools.
It said it should be up to schools themselves to decide whether to develop out-of-school provision and that it had concerns around funding, pay and conditions, staff numbers and health and safety.
The NUT also called for smaller class sizes with a limit of 20 children to one qualified teacher and for all classroom assistants to hold a minimum qualification of NVQ level 3 or equivalent.
