Julian Grenier is a thoughtful blogger, so it was interesting to read his reflections on the Nutbrown Review on his Inside the Secret Garden blog. I share his disquiet about EYP status, I must admit: in 2002 I waved the flag for Senior Practitioner status and the Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree – and am still proud not only of our achievements in HE, but of the journey (yes I know it’s a cliche) of the thousands who have done the programme up and down the country. Then the goalposts changed, and I have since talked loud and long about Early Years Professionals, and we made a point of including EYP standards when the team here wrote the reflective reader (pause for a quick plug) . Now we move to maybe where I would have liked to be when I moved from being a headteacher ten years ago: an increasingly graduate group of professionals and certainly a well-motivated work force with access to Higher Education. Places like Oxford Brookes will continue to work energetically with and for these people, as well as work training Early Years teachers in line with whatever is accepted from the Nutbrown recommendations and in accordance with the vision of the Government and the sector.
But until the sector bites the bullet and calls teachers teachers (and pays them accordingly), and recognises that expertise, we will continue to have this rather odd and too-casual upskilling of some of the most important people in our society.
Julian is right to be concerned.
nicktomjoe 