Editor's view - More than one way to think about twos
Monday, February 10, 2014
There has been plenty of outraged reaction to the prospect of schools offering provision for disadvantaged two-year-olds, particularly from private sector nurseries and early years experts.
Yet the situation is not straightforward, as our Analysis piece (pages 16-17) in this issue shows.
It is the child's experience, not the type of setting, that matters, of course. Some schools, such as those featured in our article, have the experience, space, approach and staff to meet the needs of two-year-olds.
But elsewhere there are justifiable concerns. Many schools will struggle to offer the right environment in terms of spaces and resources.
Many do not have the experience of very young children required. We have heard reports of early years experts running training days attended by headteachers who acknowledge that they had no idea that twos would be so different to older children.
And some leading PVI nurseries have been 'sharing' best practice for twos with local schools who will effectively be taking business from them.
At a wider level, there are many areas of the country that are facing severe shortages of primary school places in the next few years. Squeezing in disadvantaged two-year-olds is not going to be easy.
PVI providers who have been renting space on school sites could now face eviction to make way for the schools' own classes for two-year-olds.
And if private and voluntary sector nurseries become unsustainable as schools take ever younger children, you have to ask just how this will help the 'childcare crisis' that the Government is so keen to solve.