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Press Release

Early years report

19 January 2011

Commenting on the report by Graham Allen MP, Early Intervention: The Next Step, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“This report shows how vitally important positive early years work is and clearly supports the case for Sure Start. It is essential that the trend to close such provision is reversed as it brings together parents and children to provide the support and intervention this report says is required.

“We welcome the suggestion of increasing the number of ‘graduates’ in early years education but this should be early years trained teachers and not just graduates. There is a difference

“There is a glaring lack of comment about children with SEN in this report. Attention to those in this group is clearly important.

“Cuts to central support services and local authorities will certainly reduce the effectiveness of existing Early Years programmes where there is a wealth of expertise. The privatisation envisaged in this report is untried and untested. It is singularly inappropriate to experiment with this vulnerable group of children.”



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National Union of Teachers

National Union of Teachers

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