Has Liz Truss tried looking after six toddlers? I have I scored myself six kids to test-drive the minister's theory that adults should be allowed to look after more children

Zoe Williams:

The Conservative MP Liz Truss, like so many in public policy, has noticed that childcare is unaffordable - families in the UK spend nearly a third of their income on it; more than anyone else in the world.

Truss is unique, I think, in identifying the problem as over-regulation - specifically, she thinks the current adult-to-child ratios are too stringent. In her plan, one adult would be able to care for six two-year-olds (at the moment it's four). This would force up wages (apparently), and professionalise the role of childcare - which process, incidentally, would be shored up by new requirements, including C grades in maths and English GCSEs.

Opinion gathered along party lines - rightwing thinktanks and blogs hailed this as Truss's "moment"; lefties said she was barking. Ah, the smell of Napisan in the morning, I love it. But did anybody test-drive her theory for her, even in its planning stage? I do not think they did.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at February 3, 2013 2:16 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas