In response to the article by Peter Moss regarding the early learning and childcare (ELC) system in Scotland, National Day Nurseries Association respectfully rebuts his arguments that the system in Scotland is “deeply flawed” and is divided between childcare services and schools.
For many years, Scotland has worked hard to eliminate the divide between care and education. Following the 2006 National Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce Response, Scotland’s early years workforce has been transformed into a degree-led profession with practitioners at all levels required to hold Scottish Social Services Council qualifications.
This transformation ensures that children, regardless of parents’ choice of provision, have access to high-quality ELC. This is in complete contrast to the suggestion that the private voluntary and independent (PVI) sector workforce is underqualified in Scotland.
The inference that the ELC provided in PVI-sector nurseries is somehow “weak” in comparison to school provision is deeply offensive to providers within that sector. Any provider who is delivering the Scottish government’s 1,140 hours funded childcare policy is beholden to the national standard, which ensures that in order to deliver these hours, providers must be delivering high-quality ELC for their children.
This ensures that parents have their choice of provision to suit their family needs and those of their children, knowing that their child will have access to the same provision as they would get in a local authority nursery.
This provider-neutral approach ensures that children are experiencing both high-quality care and education, regardless of setting. Providers in the PVI sector are also required to follow both Curriculum for Excellence and Realising the Ambition (the latter being national practice guidance specifically for the early years) in order to be delivering the same provision as a local authority setting.
It is wrong to surmise that Scotland has the same system as England and, therefore, that the issues will be the same. Generalising that a “universal basic service” would meet the requirements of all families is out of step with the ELC system in Scotland, which offers parental choice under a provider-neutral system.
That is not to say there aren’t issues with the 1,140 hours policy. PVI settings are often not paid a sustainable hourly funding rate, which reduces their ability to reward their staff at the same level as local authorities. Throughout the pandemic, the PVI sector continued to deliver much-needed education, care and support to families despite financial hardships.
There is also a significant staffing crisis in the ELC sector as staff move to financially more appealing jobs in local authorities, a direct impact of the low funding rates. External funding pressures, such as cost-of-living increases, rising National Insurance increase and the real living wage requirement all add to the challenges facing the PVI sector.
However, despite all those challenges, the providers in the PVI sector continue to deliver high-quality ELC to children and families. There is general agreement that the 1,140 hours policy benefits children and families, but the challenge remains for the PVI sector to gain parity in funding so that it can continue delivering the high-quality ELC that everyone wants to see.
Professor Moss is correct in saying that part of the solution would be “getting the system right”, but not in the way he is suggesting. ELC in Scotland is delivered in a provider-neutral way and has the potential to be excellent, but we need to focus on getting the funding system right.
The PVI sector is a key partner to the Scottish government and local authorities in delivering the ELC priorities - and they should be celebrated and acknowledged for the fantastic work that they do.
Jane Malcolm is national policy manager for National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) Scotland
