Appeal to recruit more top nursery teachers

A DRIVE has been launched to get high quality candidates to train as nursery teachers.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership said this was Yorkshirean opportunityto join a successfulfor people sector.

Across the region more than four out of five nurseries and other early years providers ( 86 per cent) are rated as good or outstanding, up 21 per cent on 2010.

Tax-free bursaries of up to £9,000 plus training fees of £7,000 are being made available to get graduates working with young children. Graduates already employed in nurseries are also being encouraged to train, their fees will be paid plus their employers will receive funding to support them while they are training. The recruitment drive comes as childcare providers are being asked to come forward to be the first in the country to offer 30 hours of free childcare a week. The move to double the provision is being rolled out to parents in September 2016 - a year earlier than planned.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is asking childcare providers and councils to come forward with ideas of how they would deliver the new offer. She is also asking parents across the country how the extra hours will help them. New figures show the majority of working parents - more than 80 per cent - would take up the extended offer of free childcare.