Do You Have To Have A Qualified Teacher In Nursery?

[HappyMaz]

p.s. Sorry but i feel so strongly about this

No need to apologise for feeling so strongly about how best to meet children's needs!

 

I guess it depends on the quality of the person they employ - it doesn't necessarily follow that the person with QTS won't have a good grounding in early years. However, whatever their qualifications and experience, making two members of staff redundant is always going to be a very difficult thing to do. And as biccy says, I wouldn't want to be the person coming in to run things after this had happened. Even if I was an early years specialist with bags of birth to five experience who was an Ofsted inspector in my spare time....

 

Talk about hard act to follow!

 

Maz

[Guest budgie1]

I know Chilli, it is so frustrating. I have seen out nursery taught by teachers and it has never been as successful as it is at the moment staffed by NNEBs. I have argued, fought and made a big fuss about this but all to no avail. I argued that the children in nursery do have QTS input because I am involved in planning and assessments as well as some teaching, I also pointed out that Ofsted were very impressed and our LA had also been pleased with what was going on but it has been wasted effort!!

[MrsL]

I agree, it seems ridiculous to replace good practitioners with bags of experience. I don't know how we will go about this, and don't think HT will be happy about having to make the changes at all, but I will just have to wait and see unfortunately.

[Marion]

Please can someone explain to me how replacing two staff who are qualified in early years being replaced by one QT who may not have 3-5 training/ experience and at best be reception can possibly be seen as either progress or right. I feel furious that QTS is seen as being the perfect qualification for 2/3 year olds. Guess what ..... it just might not be! We are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 

p.s. Sorry but i feel so strongly about this

 

 

Call me a cynic but it is childcare on the cheap ~ schools are going to be expected to be open for 51 weeks and for extended hours but because we have QTS we are expected to oversee many more children. Another side to EYFS?

 

I'm not sure what the knock on effect will be to the private sector

Edited April 2, 2008 by Marion

[catma]

Please can someone explain to me how replacing two staff who are qualified in early years being replaced by one QT who may not have 3-5 training/ experience and at best be reception can possibly be seen as either progress or right. I feel furious that QTS is seen as being the perfect qualification for 2/3 year olds. Guess what ..... it just might not be! We are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 

In defense of people with QTS, there's a lot of us out there doing an excellent job, who ARE trained in that age range and despite not having the generous ratios everyone else gets to enjoy and working in an organisation that isn't geared solely to the needs of one phase.

Cx

[Guest budgie1]

Sorry Catma,

I know there are loads of excellent QTS practitioners out there (and I hope we can find one for our nursery) and I understand what you are saying about the ratios ( I teach 30 with one TA) its just such a shame that the new law could not have been "guidance" so that successful settings could continue as they are.

I appreciate the difficulties of trying to keep the FS "foundationy" and not get dragged into all the target setting, result driven, data chaos that is the rest of the school! I sometimes think my head would love to have the Reception class doing "some proper work!" I seem to spend much of my time defending the child initiated way in which we work!

Think I need to shut up and get a glass of wine!

[mundia]

This requirement isnt actually new, it was always the case that a school maintained nursery SHOULD have a teacher, just that many schools (and some LAs) didn't abide by it (as Im sure sure some will continue not to).

Im pretty sure that schools should be allocated funding on the basis of a QT for each class inc nursery which means that every school will have enough teachers for every class but some locally made decision will have a teacher who is non class based for whatever reasons and therefore the nursery will go without one.

 

Its a real shame that Budgie, your staff couldn't have been redeployed elsewhere in the school, although my guess would be that they wouldn't be happy with that?

[Guest]

Can I also jump in on this thread.

 

My pre-school is being taken over by the primary school who's ground we are based in.

 

Would I be right in reading from all the information found here that we will indeed need a QTS or EYPS in order to operate as well as 1 other Level 3 from Sept, as we too will then beomce a maintained pre-school?

 

I think we too will be in a similar situation as Mrs L. The Head didn't even know what an EYPS when I had a meeting with her not long ago. I know that she is wokring closely with the LA and EYA's so I am hoping that they are informing her of all the right requirements but as one of the current supervisors I want to know exactly what to expect as my current contract ends in July.

[Shiny]

That is a tricky one Shelly35. If you do require QTS is your job under threat? When are you able to negotiate a new contract? Let us know what happens.

[Guest budgie1]

Hi Shelley,

I dont think you have to have QTS in a pre school as the ratios are different (1 to 8) instead of 1 to 13 with a QTS in a nursery school, I think. Are you going to stay as a pre school run by the school or a nursery class incorporated into the school? Honestly its all so confusing and I've spent so much time trying to sort this all out and find out what is legal when I could have been doing something useful that will actually benefit the children!!!! Good job its the holidays and we can all relax!