HEADTEACHERS, teachers and parents have attacked the Scottish Government's record on nursery education, arguing the service is being "dismantled".
Key bodies representing primary and secondary staff, as well as parents, have signed a joint statement warning of the impact of a decline in the number of qualified teachers in early years education.
The issue is likely to form a key battleground for newly elected council administrations as they get to grips with public funding cuts.
In recent years, local authorities have replaced teachers with lower-paid child development officers – previously called nursery nurses – partly on cost grounds, but also because they work longer hours.
Councils argue child development officers are better qualified than ever before, following the introduction of new qualifications up to degree level, and their use allows them to open nurseries for longer to meet the demands of working parents.
However, research has repeatedly underlined the importance of teachers to the quality of nursery education.
The statement – signed by the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland, the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council – said: "Our organisations have long recognised the importance of teacher-led, high-quality pre-school education in improving cognitive and behavioural outcomes for pupils.
"Despite commitments by the Scottish Government and considerable evidence demonstrating the long-term impact of trained teachers in pre-primary settings, many local authorities are diluting or dismantling their nursery provision. In the interests of our pupils, and of Scotland's finances, this trend must be reversed."
The statement – which comes ahead of a discussion on the issue at the Scottish Parliament's education committee – also attacks the Government's Early Years Taskforce report, expressing disappointment the "important role and impact of nursery teachers" was not given more prominence.
The statement mirrors the position of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), although they were not part of the joint statement.
Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said: "Our membership, including the many teacher members working in early years provision, have long recognised the importance of pre-school education and the value nursery teachers bring to early years education."
When the SNP Government came to power it promised to deliver "access" to a qualified education specialist in every nursery in the country, but unions warned the wording of the commitment was too vague, and could even lead to councils cutting nursery teachers.
Figures published in 2009 showed more than one-third of state-run nurseries had no qualified teachers permanently on their staff – although 95% did have some input from a teacher.
According to Europe's largest pre-school research project, carried out in England, there is a direct correlation between the quality of a pre-school setting and qualifications of staff.
The so-called EPPE study found that: "Qualified, trained teachers working with children in pre-school settings - was linked specifically with better outcomes in pre-reading and social development."
Last night, Children's Minister Aileen Campbell said teachers continued to play a vital role in early learning, as well as many hundreds of other staff.
"It is up to local authorities to decide how best to deploy teachers based on the local needs of nurseries and children, and as part of an early years team," she said. "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% to 75% in the past three years."
The row came the day after a children's charity said the Scottish Government was missing a European target to provide full-day educational childcare for three in 10 youngsters.
The Government insisted it had made "significant" investment in services.
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