Hi!
I'm new to this so I'm just figuring it all out and decided to start with a blog so here goes...
I've decided to start a blog as I have recently had some big career changing decisions to make. After 8 years of working for a fab Sure Start come Children's Centre I took the difficult decision to take redundancy. I loved my job managing Early Years Services for an Action for Children Children's Centre. At the end of March this year I left without no job to follow and an Honours Degree in Early Years along with Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). I am very proud to be an EYP and always will be, but my next career choices were limited, not by far from my expertise, but restricted by the people we call Government.
For those who don't know, an EYP is meant to have equal status as Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). In other words, equal to, equal opportunities, equal pay, but this has never happened.
I am by no means saying someone with EYPS can go and teach in a Primary School if they don't have that experience, however we have been specially trained to work with the under 5's, so we are more than qualified to be a professional with equal rights within an early years setting. I also find it disappointing that the government did not look into EYP's leading on the 2 year old Early Education that they adamantly wanted in schools. When I asked the former Education Minister Liz Truss on a #twitter night of @EYTalking (set up by the wonderful Laura Henry @LauraChildcare) if they would need qualified teachers her reply was 'All children will have access to a qualified teacher'. When I asked her if these could not be EYP's/EYT's as this would be a great opportunity to raise equal status her reply was....no reply!
I know many EYP's will share my views.
So the next step...
I felt I had no other option but to apply for an Early Years/Lower Primary PGCE, that will make me QUALIFIED in the governments eyes...£9000 later.... (Another of the governments bright ideas to raise university fees!) ...so I applied, got an interview, and received an offer a few days later!
I had also managed to get job working in a Primary School for the Summer Term as a Special Support and Teaching Assistant. As it will be my last day at the school tomorrow, I will be spending the summer with my 2 beautiful little boys as I prepare to start my journey to becoming a qualified teacher.
So if you would like to follow my journey please do as I would love to share it with you!
And if the government ever decide to give us EYP's equality like it was always meant to be...please direct them to send a £9000 refund my way plus a free holiday for the blood, sweat and tears! ;)
On a serious note I have loved being a part of a school over the last three months and I am sooo excited to start my journey in September :)
Pam x
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AuthorPamela Clough. Archives
August 2016
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