I read with interest the story 'Teachers' status for early years workers'
(News, 20 January).
I am an early years graduate working in a pre-school that offers daycare. I started my working life as a speech and language therapist, but moved to early years when my children were at school. Being an early years teacher would have been my first career choice, but in the1970s there were few appropriate courses at degree level. I've worked my way from NVQ3, D32/33, I've done an LSA qualification and an adult teaching qualification. I completed my degree this summer after a further three years study, the majority of which I paid for myself. I received 450 from the EYDCP but I think the degree cost me in the region of 6,000, probably more with books, travelling and postage.
Having visited Denmark as part of my studies, I like the idea of pedagogues. However, Danish students are not 18-year-olds fresh from school, but generally people in their mid-twenties with more life experience.
I am concerned about calls for leaders of early years groups to have QTS as well as a degree. The recent census form asked how many qualified teachers were employed in the setting. I felt slightly offended to have to put 'none'. I have nothing against teachers, but I believe I would have to leave my job to get on either a Graduate Teacher Programme or a PGCE course at a local college. Yet a colleague at a similar pre-school situated on a primary school site could potentially access the GTP through the school.
How can it be good for such settings if experienced graduate staff have to leave in order to obtain QTS? The 'powers that be' need to consider that if the talk is ever to become reality, schools are not the only place where education happens and that it should be possible to gain QTS in other situations.
* Diane Maltby, Sleaford, Lincolnshire
