Extra nursery hearings planned as Education accused over "double standards"

Tuesday 05 April 2016

More hearings are being arranged for members of the public to have their say about controversial plans to cut free nursery places for families earning more than £75,000 per year because of the huge backlash against the cuts.

Education Minister Rod Bryans is due to face a Scrutiny panel tomorrow to answer questions about his plan - but the panel say that the "unprecedented" level of calls and emails about the proposals mean that they've had to put on another meeting so that as many people as possible can get involved.

At the same time, the co-owner of one of the Island’s private nurseries concerned over Education’s controversial plans to cut free nursery care for families earning more than £75,000 from September 2017 has called for an overhaul of the whole nursery system.

Juliet Pearmain, who runs Cheeky Monkeys Nursery at Durrell, says it’s time there was more regulation, a fairer system for all childcare providers and parents and a more thought out approach to funding for nursery places.

Just before Easter the Education department announced that free nursery places for three and four year olds are being cut for households earning over a £75,000 threshold. Those with incomes under the threshold would continue to receive the free provision.

The department said it was making the cut because it can’t afford to fund the current scheme and that this will save them more than £250,000 per year. The Education Minister said that the universal benefit could no longer be justified as the States cut spending to meet the £145 million deficit.

He is due to face questions at an emergency hearing at 12 noon tomorrow - but now a follow-up meeting has been set up for Wednesday next week at the Pomme D'Or Hotel so that more members of the public can attend.

Mrs Pearmain said the means testing is a concern for all nursery operators and parents with young children and will hit working families who depend on childcare all year round and she doesn't think it's fair that Education are targeting private nurseries.

She said: “There does seem to be a case of double standards being applied here, in that the means testing only applies to private nurseries, though this absence of a level and logical paying field as between private and States-owned nurseries on certain issues, is nothing new; one only need look at the position on the regulations on adult to child ratios, which should, of course, be designed to ensure the welfare of the child when at a nursery, regardless of the ownership of that nursery

“In a non States-owned nursery, the ratio is one adult to every eight children for ages three to five years, whereas nurseries owned by the States have a ratio of one adult to every ten children.

“Are those who work for nurseries owned by the States in some way able to safely monitor 20% more children than those in privately run nurseries when in reality those people have the same skill sets and qualifications?

“Is it less important for children at States nurseries to be closely supervised or are privately run nurseries being overly regulated in this respect and why? Hopefully, a better thought through approach to both regulation and funding for nursery places will be put forward in the future, as clearly there are issues with the current position.”

More than 2,500 parents have signed a petition against the plans, that was set up after Education's announcement by Claudia Le Blancq who says the proposals are "unacceptable" and will hit working parents and private nurseries the hardest.

She's been told by Deputy Louise Doublet, a former teacher who heads the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel, that it's only funded places in private nurseries that will be denied to those earning over £75,000.

Mrs Pearmain said: “It is of concern that means testing will affect parental choice of nursery for some people and I am not sure that the proposals have been properly thought through on a logical basis.

“It is difficult for parents to get jobs that are term time only and of course it is only term time during which States-owned nurseries are open. Difficult choices for parents caught by the new proposals will need to be made in many cases."