Nursery teacher training plan 'may not work'

Published on Wednesday 20 May 2009 21:04

A PILOT scheme to train teachers to be early years specialists has been announced by the Scottish Government.

However, critics warned the 60 university places created at Aberdeen and Stirling to help fulfil an election promise of access to a nursery teacher for every child might not succeed, as, under the concordat, cash-strapped councils could not be forced to employ the graduates.

Many councils, such as Glasgow and Stirling, have already cut nursery teachers and replaced them with nursery nurses, who earn less pay.

A spokesman for Scotland's biggest teaching union, the EIS, described the 210,000 pilot as a positive step, as it recognised the value of qualified teachers in a nursery setting.

But he added: "The concern remains that there will continue to be a disparity between the Scottish Government's aspirations and the reality that is delivered by local authorities."