By KUNA,
London : The British Government complained Thursday about a study saying early years childcare and education in England is falling behind that of other developed nations.
A UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report found England met only five out of ten benchmarks it considers vital for children’s first years.
UNICEF examined 25 rich countries and put England middle of the table. British ministers said it was an unusually poor report containing inaccuracies about several issues, including spending.
Britains Children’s Minister Mrs Beverley Hughes, who met UNICEF UK representatives last Tuesday, has taken the unusual step of writing to them to complain.
In her letter, she said the compilers of the report repeatedly ignored requests from officials in the UK Department for Children, Schools and Families to meet to discuss their work.
“Overall, we have to conclude that the report is poor, with factual inaccuracies which misrepresent the UK position on childcare and early learning in a number of ways and may well do the same for some of the other countries covered,” she said.
Hughes praised Unicef’s work but said the report fell short of its usual high standards.
The UNICEF study said England met the benchmark of having a national early years plan with priority for the disadvantaged.
And it offers subsidised and regulated childcare services for 25 percent of children under three, as well as subsidised and accredited early education services for 80 percent of four-year-olds.
England also met a fourth benchmark of ensuring 80 percent of all childcare staff were trained and a fifth that 50 percent of staff in accredited early-education services had a higher education qualification.
UNICEF found Sweden to be meeting all 10 benchmarks, while Iceland met nine and Denmark, Finland, France and Norway all met eight.
Bottom of the league table of early years services were Australia, which met two benchmarks, and Canada and Ireland which met just one.