Budget cuts hitting pledge on nurseries claim unions

THE education of Scotland’s pre-school children is being undermined by cuts being made to the number of qualified nursery teachers by cash-strapped councils, it has been warned.

A number of Scotland’s teaching unions have joined forces to highlight what they call a “very significant reduction” in the number of nursery teachers, despite assurances from the Scottish Government.

Ahead of a meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s education committee on the issue today, five of the country’s main teaching unions – the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the Scottish Primary Teachers Association, the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association and the NASUWT – and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council issued a joint statement calling for the situation to be reversed.

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They said “unprecedented budget cuts” being made by local authorities had seen the removal of registered teachers from nurseries, despite a pledge from the Scottish Government that every child in the country would have “access to a nursery teacher”.

Since 2005, the number of nursery teachers in Scotland has fallen from 1,702 to 1,496, the unions said.

Brenda Bleackley, convener of Scotland’s newest teaching union, the Scottish Primary Teachers’ Association, said: “The move by local authorities to replace teachers in nurseries with non-teachers runs contrary to the learning needs of our children and also the demands of implementing a new curriculum.

“While we recognise that there are very capable workers in the early-years sector, their training and knowledge is not the same as that of a nursery teacher.”

In a joint paper issued by the unions ahead of today’s committee meeting, it was argued that the removal of qualified nursery teachers is putting the implementation of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence, at risk.

Appealing to MSPs on the committee, they called for nursery teachers in nursery schools and classes to be fully reinstated and for an increase in the number of nursery schools and classes around Scotland.

Keith Robson, the ATL’s national official for Scotland, added: “Qualified early years teachers should be involved in all aspects of children’s education.”

A spokesman for the Scottish local government organisation Cosla said: “We believe that a mixed workforce provides the flexibility and appropriate range of skills and experience to provide Scotland’s children with the best start in life.”

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MSP Aileen Campbell, the children’s minister, said: “It is up to local authorities to decide how best to deploy teachers.

“However, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring all children receive access to a pre-school teacher. The number of children in nursery with access to a teacher has increased from 66 per cent to 75 per cent during the past three years.”