This month, Early Years Professionals (EYPs) will convert to Early Years Teachers. Those wishing to embark on the new programme will need to have GCSE science as well as maths and English to gain a place.
The Standards have been boiled down to eight, with a total 38 sub sections. The new Standards are a mirror image of the Teacher's Standards that were published in September 2012. The main difference is that in addition to the Standards required for a school teacher, Early Years Teachers should also:
- know and understand attachment theory
- engage in sustained, shared thinking
- engage with parents
- give children support through transitions
- contribute to multi-agency teams.
The Early Years Teachers will need to have excellent knowledge of child development to be able to support children in sustained shared thinking and ensure secure attachment. They will also need to be able to work effectively in teams and with parents.
This highlights how the Early Years Teachers will need to possess good communication skills as well as knowledge of child development, which is to be welcomed.
MIXED MESSAGES
However, there are also some omissions that may weaken Early Years Teacher Status when compared to Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), and there are still some very significant unanswered questions about the Early Years Teacher role.
The phrase 'change agent' no longer appears in the new Standards, although the phrase 'leading education and care' is used. It is unclear from this whether Early Years Teachers are simply role models, or whether they are expected to be disseminating practice in a more active way.
The specialist care and professional love that babies require is not highlighted. In fact, there is no differentiation between babies, toddlers and pre-school children at all. Whether this will be the case when the Standards are implemented remains to be seen.
There are also some mixed messages about how Early Years Teachers could be employed. The Department for Education (DfE) website states that 'head teachers in maintained schools have the discretion to employ people who don't have QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) as instructors' and that 'the Government would expect employers to want to pay Early Years Teachers in accord with their status'. This would appear to open the door for Early Years Teachers to be employed in schools, on teachers' pay and conditions.
For practitioners considering Early Years Teacher status, one of the most pertinent questions in the current economic climate is the length of time the Early Years Teacher pathways will be funded.
EYPS has come a long way and undergone some remarkable transformations since 2006. There are now more than 10,000 EYPs leading and supporting practice in a wide range of settings. The Evaluation of the Graduate Leader Fund report, commissioned by the Government and published in 2011, highlighted the areas in which EYPs were found to have most impact. These included support for communication, language and literacy, developing children's reasoning, thinking skills and scientific understanding, introducing developmentally appropriate schedules for children of all ages, providing for individual children's needs and child-initiated play. There seemed to be little impact, or use of, EYPs in baby rooms or with the very youngest age ranges.
As we look to the future with the launch of Early Years Teacher, it will be interesting to see how the eight new Standards will be applied and how the new role will develop.
EARLY YEARS STANDARDS AT A GLANCE
1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge all children.
2. Promote good progress and outcomes by children.
3. Demonstrate good knowledge of early learning and the EYFS.
4. Plan education and care, taking into account the needs of all children.
5. Adapt education and care to respond to the strengths and needs of all children.
6. Make accurate and productive use of assessment.
7. Safeguard and promote the welfare of children and provide a safe learning environment.
8. Fulfil wider professional responsibilities.
The new eight Standards broadly cover the same areas as the previous eight EYP Standards. However, there are a few differences that should be considered.
The new Standards state that Early Years Teachers need to 'set goals' (1.2) rather than 'facilitate further learning' (4.3 in the 2012 Standards). The implication is of a deficit model, where children are expected to achieve a 'goal' rather than holistic learning, which is the way children learn naturally.
However, the most significant addition to the 2013 Standards is in section 3, 'Demonstrate good knowledge of early learning and the EYFS', where practitioners now need to demonstrate understanding of Key Stages 1 and 2 (3.3), teaching of synthetic phonics (3.4) and mathematics (3.5). This is a significantly different focus for learning and development.
These Standards seem to be aimed at the pre-school age, rather than the younger age range. Research has already identified that the staff in the baby room feel isolated and undervalued (Nursery World, 14 January 2013) and this change in the Standards is unlikely to help the situation.
One addition to the 2013 Standards that I feel is very beneficial is 4.3 - 'Promote a love of learning and stimulate children's intellectual curiosity'. This always underpinned the previous EYPS Standards (and any good practitioner's practice) but it is very welcome to see it so clearly stated. Hopefully, this will encourage practitioners to reflect on practice in new ways.
FURTHER INFORMATION
LEGACY OF EYPS
There are many things to be celebrated about EYPS. It has represented widespread backing for the professionalisation of the early years sector and has been an important part of progress.
EYP networks have evolved to meet the needs of their members. Some are now being run by EYPs themselves while others are being run by universities, or local authorities.
Networks are breaking down geographical boundaries, joining force with neighbours in other local authorities or setting up online groups. Unfortunately networks are not available in every area, leaving some EYPs feeling isolated.
The Evaluation of the Graduate Leader Fund report, commissioned by the Government and published in 2011, highlighted that EYPs had the most impact on:
- the quality of support for communication, language and literacy
- positive staff-child interactions
- developing children's reasoning, thinking skills and scientific understanding
- developmentally appropriate schedules for children of all ages
- providing for individual needs and child-initiated learning through play.
However, there seemed to be little impact, or use of, EYPs in baby rooms or with the very youngest age ranges.
By August 2012, there were 10,000 EYPs. In the middle of 2012, the Nutbrown review of qualifications created more discussion when Professor Cathy Nutbrown recommended there should be a 'new specialist route to QTS, specialising in the years from birth to seven'.
The Coalition Government did not accept this recommendation. Had it been implemented, EYPs would have had to achieve yet more qualifications to perform the same role. However, it would have removed the ongoing debate that has dogged the EYPS about its lack of equivalence to QTS. It was evident very early on that there could not possibly be equivalence in pay and conditions if the Government was unwilling to subsidise the status.
Part 2 of this series, in 7 October issue of Nursery World, will look at Standard 1: Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge all children.
