Speaking to the BBC last month, David Cameron said he will not serve a third term as Prime Minister if the Conservative party remains in Government after the general election.
He has now revealed exclusively to Nursery World the real reason behind the move – that he wishes to fulfil his lifelong dream of opening a nursery.
Mr Cameron said, ‘It is clear that the seeds of competence, decency, and the ability to formulate a long-term economic plan that turns the country round are sown in the early years. Therefore, it is only right to start at the beginning. We’ve helped parents across Britain get back on their feet again, now we are going to teach their children how to walk.’
Mr Cameron, who has no childcare qualifications, will first train as an Early Years Teacher (EYT) under the Prime Minister to Teacher (early years) programme, designed to bring high-level diplomatic, budget deficit management and international leadership skills into the sector.
The entry-level requirements of the programme are still undecided, though the programme is being launched next week. Reports suggest all prime ministerial applicants will need to take functional skills in maths and English, though an A* in GCSE English and maths can be counted as equivalent if the GCSE was taken before GCSEs came in. O levels are not held as equivalent unless they were taken after GCSEs came in.
Mr Cameron said that while being an EYT was equivalent to having Qualified Teacher Status, because the entry requirements were the same, he wouldn't be able to teach in a school because the status was not equivalent. 'Actually, that doesn't matter, because you don't need to be a qualified teacher to teach in a school now anyway,' he added.
Once he has completed his training, Mr Cameron says he will open an early years setting within his London home. It is understood he hopes to benefit from new rules coming in giving tax relief to providers with settings with two or more kitchens.
Experts have called for the savings to be used to prop-up the shortfall in funding to deliver the early education places for three- and four-year-olds, or childcare subsidies for parents.
Mr Cameron’s longer-term plan also includes franchising pubs to provide childcare for two-year-olds if their parents forget about them.
He said, ‘I think it is right that hard-working families have a choice, a choice between getting ridiculously expensive childcare, or getting childcare which is ridiculously expensive. And that is the choice that Britain faces. And that is why only the Conservatives can deliver for hard-working families.’
Mr Cameron says he is currently still deciding on a name for the setting, possible front-runners include ‘The Big Society nursery’, 'Cameron’s children', and ‘a stronger, healthier nursery for Britain.’
For those of you who didn't guess, this story was an April Fool.