Keith Brumfitt, CWDC director of research and development, gave a snapshot view of the draft report on the EYP consultation responses at the Pre-school Learning Alliance's annual conference in London last week.
He said, 'The responses are quite heartening. There is between 80 and 95 per cent agreement on the draft standards. However, there are some areas where views are divided. Most of the responses are very much in favour, but there are one or two areas where views are polarised.'
He did not give examples, but said that the independent report would be published shortly after the publication of the national standards for EYP status on 14 July.
Mr Brumfitt confirmed that the new EYP status was likely to be set at graduate level, because people were in agreement with this, and he said that there was 'strong support' for the proposal that the EYP should cover the nought-to-five age range.
He said that the new role of EYP would be someone who can lead practice across the Early Years Foundation Stage in a 'range of settings'. But when asked if there would be an EYP for each setting, as set out in the ten-year strategy for childcare, he responded, 'The Government has this direction of travel - that's where it's going. Our challenge is to get it started within the window of the Transformation Fund, which lasts until 2008.'
He added that 'logistically' it would not be possible to train 38,000 EYPs, which is the number of full daycare settings, including schools, in the UK, over the next two years.
The CWDC will publish a prospectus on 30 June with details about training and assessment on its website at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk.
* See 'In My View', page 31