IT’S been two years since I was elected to represent the people of Airdrie and Shotts as their Member of Parliament, having previously worked as a secondary school teacher of modern studies and politics.
I often find myself reflecting upon my previous profession. Not least because I usually remark that my former pupils were better behaved than some MPs in the House of Commons chamber.
However, recently I was reminded of my past career when I was raising, in Westminster, the ongoing struggle of North Lanarkshire’s Grade 9 early years practitioners. They are currently facing insecurity over their future, caused by Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council’s decision to cut early years funding.
Although, perhaps this should have been expected given the decision of Labour’s London office to U-turn on support for abolishing the two-child benefit cap – effectively abandoning some of the most vulnerable children in our society during a time of great need.
Starmer and the wider Labour leadership have chosen to subvert progressive policies that would protect thousands of families from the threat of poverty in favour of pandering to those on the political right.
In my constituency of Airdrie and Shotts, figures from Action for Children highlight how there were around 5335 children living in poverty between 2021 and 2022.
More broadly, just last week this newspaper reported that more than half of North Lanarkshire families have been impacted by policies such as the two-child benefit cap and are missing out on support for at least one child.
Keir Hardie, the very man who founded that Labour Party, was born in Airdrie and Shotts. I wonder how he would have reacted to the current state of the Labour Party and their alienation of core party values. Early years education is the cornerstone of any cradle-to-the-grave social security system.
It is principal within the values that inform Scotland’s national identity and it serves to define our nation-building process.
Within the early years system, key workers and early years practitioners have the integral role of being the first mentors that young people will encounter on their journey through education.
Both are vital in ensuring that Scotland’s future generations get a head start in life and are at the forefront of our mission to bridge the attainment gap.
Whilst this remains a joint effort between key workers and early years practitioners, the roles are separated by levels of training and experience. To become an early years practitioner, an individual must undertake a process of upskilling through assessed training. Equally, many bring a catalogue of invaluable experience along with them into the role.
As such, early years practitioners have oversight of the early years educational setting and are responsible for creating a play-based environment for children.
Long before pupils set foot in my secondary school classroom, it was early years practitioners who fostered an atmosphere where children could begin to develop learning and social skills. Such skills go on to serve them not only within educational settings but also in wider society. The importance of early years practitioners, therefore, cannot be understated.
That is why I am proud to be a member of a party that has a strong track record in government of putting early years at the centre of education policy. It was apparent back in 2009 – within the Early Years Framework publication – and it remains apparent to this day, with the transformative expansion of childcare for those aged three and four, as well as for two-year-olds from low-income backgrounds.
This value was echoed at last year’s SNP conference which saw party members vote in favour of introducing a play-based kindergarten phase for children – something that would see the formal school starting age increase to six.
In Scotland, we are trailblazing towards childcare policies that resemble the highly successful Nordic models. The approaches taken by our Scandinavian neighbours are often credited for their combination of high-quality care and emphasis on the educational value of the experience.
The Nordic nations have also demonstrated that bold and ambitious approaches to early years education can have a wider influence on social inequalities. Yet, when I recently met some of my constituents, who are impacted by the Labour-run council’s decision, they conveyed an overwhelming sense of feeling undervalued when compared with the recognition that is received by others in theteaching profession.
Who could disagree when they are being faced with pay cuts of up to 30% – hitting a profession that is comprised of predominantly women?
I could see first-hand the damage that North Lanarkshire Council’s decision is doing, with one early years practitioner becoming visibly upset while explaining that she’d no longer be able to afford her mortgage payments and was clearing her house in order to downsize.
The reality is that Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council are imposing unacceptable employment practices upon our early years practitioners – employment practices that bear a striking resemblance to “fire and rehire” procedures.
We owe it to the young people of Scotland to ensure that they are equipped with all the necessary skills to have the best possible start in life. However, it is paramount that we all recognise the vital role of early years practitioners working at the very heart of achieving this mission.
In treating experienced early years practitioners as disposable parts within the education delivery process, I worry that Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council will come to realise their value only when it is too late.
Payment for this article was donated to Ponies Help Children based in Shotts. They are an organisation founded in 2015 and have helped form a network of support with local organisations across Airdrie and Shotts. Ponies Help Children provides therapy for disadvantaged children and young people through connecting them with animals
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