You quite often get what you pay for

Abstract

I MANAGED TO get out of the offi ce recently, not an every day occurrence, but it was a pleasant enough experience. I attended a conference about the future of the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Primary Curriculum where the keynote speech was given by Professor Robin Alexander, the author of the Cambridge Primary Review, and what the good professor said made for interesting listening, especially in light of the forthcoming reviews of both stages of education. I am not sure what level of engagement you have had with the Cambridge review, but if you have any spare time it would make for interesting reading, and without spoiling too much, in case you do read it, I think it has an enlightened view of learning in the early years, foundation through to primary, and how key stage 1 could incorporate many of the messages from the EYFS. Given the forthcoming reviews, where we seem to be talking more about content, rather than delivery and costs, I was interested to read that the Daycare Trust, along with Save the Children, are conducting a survey into the very real impact that rising childcare costs will have on families, and whether it is cost effi cient to work. Th is report will dovetail nicely with a recently published document by the Department for Academies and Free Schools (sorry, the Department for Education...). Th e Qualitative research into families’ experiences and behaviours in the Childcare Aff ordability Pilots (CAP09): 100% Costs Pilot (catchy title, I think you’ll agree) details a study across fi ve London boroughs where selected families had their childcare costs met in full through working tax credits, allowing parents  mainly single females  to return to work. You will not be surprised to hear that the positive benefi ts were felt by everyone, and that following the end of the pilot, many of the parents faced a real struggle fi nancially to stay in work, which really is a ludicrous situation, especially given the government’s decision to reduce the amount a family can claim in working tax credits for childcare from 80 to 70 percent. Save the Children’s recent State of the World’s Mothers 2011 report ranks the UK as the 23rd best place to raise a child. Compare that to somewhere like the Netherlands, which came 9th, where they have a far more enlightened approach to paying for childcare  parents that I have spoken to over there cannot believe how much we pay. Now, if the EYFS is to be largely statutory then surely the government should be expected to pay for nursery education in full, to put it on a par with primary and secondary education. Th is would tie-in with the copious research and the enormous amount of anecdotal evidence that categorically states the positive benefi ts of children attending high quality childcare settings. It would also allow more parents to return to the workforce and help to move more families off the poverty line, raising life chances and self-esteem of parents and children. Th is would have a positive impact on those problems faced later in a child’s life that we seem to spend so much time, money and resources on? Surely this would be so much more cost eff ective in the long-term...? Editor Neil Henty MSc