Contacting the new Education Secretary...
We have been thinking about the changes in the Govt on our Independent childminders Facebook group...
So... the Govt reshuffle has taken place and Gove and Truss have been moved on. While for many in early years this has been seen as a cause for celebration, I would like to inject a note of caution for those childminders who want to stay independent of agencies.
Last time I spoke to Ofsted about childminder agencies they said that our assurance we don't have to join them comes from Truss - and none of us know what might happen if she was no longer there! Well that time has come - she is no longer there - and I think we need to be proactive and make sure her replacement knows our feelings on agencies.
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The decision was made to write to Ms Morgan and ask for her support...
Dear Ms Morgan
Congratulations on your new post as Education Secretary.
I am writing on behalf of childminders throughout the country who are hoping that, with your new appointment, the Department for Education will start listening to us.
We have, as Ofsted figures show, lost a lot of dedicated, well trained and hardworking colleagues over the last few years. While Ms Truss has been pushing on with her agency plan, completely ignoring all opposition from thousands of childminders across the country, what she has failed to realise is that one of the biggest reasons for childminders leaving the profession is her agency plan and the rhetoric surrounding its introduction.
Ofsted tell us we are too expensive to inspect and not good enough … DfE keep changing the rules with which we have to comply … we are told we are too expensive when many of us work for very little money … Ofsted inspectors place more and more barriers in our way … we are downgraded at inspection by Ofsted for sometimes quite ridiculous reasons … there is a huge amount of uncertainty and confusion. Is it any surprise that childminders are leaving in their droves?
Over the past few years we have sent petitions, lobbied MPs and members of the Lords, had local and national meetings and informed you via our representatives in Pacey, PLA and UKCMA that we do not want to be railroaded into joining agencies. Yet DfE seem intent on removing our Local Authority support and introducing childminder agencies and hard selling them as the only option for childminders in the future.
We have a letter from Ms Truss clearly stating that agencies will always be optional for established childminders – we would like your reassurance that her promise is still true now she is no longer in office. We would also like to be assured that childminders who choose to stay independent of agencies will receive access to local support, training and promotion equal to those childminders who join agencies.
Thank you.
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If you have any suggestions, please let me know :D