Opinion

Great news for schools…disappointment for PVIs

The Government's £30m school nurseries fund may be great news for schools, but why should private and voluntary nurseries be seen as second-class citizens?

The Government is encouraging schools to apply for funding from a ‘School Nurseries Capital Fund’, with the aim of increasing the number of places in maintained nurseries, the initiative is intended to boost social mobility for the most disadvantaged children.  School nurseries are seen as the pinnacle of early years education – but are times a-changing?

Private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings have long since been the poor relation to maintained school nurseries.  However, this sector has evolved over recent years and perhaps the perceived gap in quality between the two has narrowed considerably.  Gone are the days of PVI settings being staffed by unqualified mothers who made their way into the sector after having their own children.  In recent times, there has been a drive to improve the qualifications of those working in PVIs, increasing the number of graduates and Early Years Teachers (EYTs) and therefore impacting on the outcomes for children.

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