Workforce Strategy, Part 1: Level 2 - Making a start

Hot on the heels of the publication of the delayed early years workforce strategy this spring came a general election, bringing with it further delays as policy-making was paused for the duration. Some in the sector are gloomy about the prospects of the commitments made in the strategy under the auspices of a new minister and a new government. Others, however, say that after the enforced pause, working groups are now beginning to convene to tackle some of the reforms promised by the strategy.

The first of those reforms is the development of a set of criteria for a suite of new early education qualifications at Level 2 – a level which is the equivalent of grades A to C at GCSE and aimed at nursery assistants. These new qualifications should be ready by September 2019.

Until now it has been Level 3 that has been in the limelight, with the introduction of the Early Years Educator role in 2014. Level 2 qualifications, on the other hand, have been somewhat ignored, leading to a situation where it is difficult for learners to progress from one level to another because they are so different.

The Early Years Educator qualifications were introduced in 2014, following recommendations from Professor Cathy Nutbrown in her ‘Foundations for Quality’ review. At the time she also pushed for designing Level 2 qualifications with a weather eye on progression to Level 3, but this did not happen.

‘Level 3 Early Years Educators move into that from a qualification that is designed in a different way, as well as having different content,’ says CACHE associate director Julie Hyde. ‘The problem is that Level 2 doesn’t talk to Level 3, although we designed our own qualification that did talk to the EYE, knowing that the Government hadn’t put any criteria together. Our Level 2 Introduction to Early Years Education and Care was developed at the same time as the EYE because we saw a need to design content that moves into the EYE, developing confidence in young people to move to Level 3.’

The Level 2 is supposed to equip the learner with the knowledge and skills required to perform competently in an assistant role, provide smooth progression opportunities, and form part of the Level 2 apprenticeship requirement. But experts say that this doesnot always give potential employees the knowledge and skills that they need to move into practice.

The current Level 2 childcare qualification was developed as part of a group of sector qualifications for the now-defunct Qualifications and Credit Framework back in 2010, says Suzi Gray, health and social care technical advisor at City & Guilds. ‘The qualification content and its assessment principles were developed collaboratively between the Sector Skills Council, Skills for Care and Development, and awarding organisations, with the hope that this would reduce the number and variation of qualifications on offer and, in time, increase employer confidence,’ she says.

EVOLUTION OF REQUIREMENTS

The content of a qualification can be impacted by a number of things, such as requests from regulators or sector bodies, changes to policy, legislation, new and emerging theory and best practice models, explains Ms Gray. ‘Often these changes can be accommodated by small amendments to qualification content or by the adding or removing of units or modules. It could be argued that the development of the Early Years Educator (EYE) qualifications should have been accompanied with the development of a new Level 2 qualification, but at the time this was not a priority.’

Things have changed since 2010, and new qualifications need to better equip learners with the knowledge and skills they need to meet the diverse demands of modern practice. Indeed, since the introduction of the GCSE requirement, the number of Level 3 recruits plummeted by 32 per cent within the first year of the qualification, according to Ofqual data (for the full picture of Level 3 completions since the GCSEs were introduced, see the next instalment of this series).

Ms Gray adds that because of this drop, ‘Some employers have reported that the expectations, scope and function of the Level 2 role have evolved, requiring some assistants to work more independently and innovatively and to assume greater levels of responsibility.’ The data also shows a 15 per cent increase in Level 2 certificates in the same period, which is thought to be linked.

Ms Gray suggests that new qualifications should help learners gain insight into how recent research, reports and reviews are shaping best practice models – for example, child-centred approaches and issues around early brain development.

‘There has got to be enough in there to cover all elements, but it can’t be so broad that the depth of study is lost,’ warns Ms Hyde. ‘There should be an understanding of themes that lead from Level 2 to Level 3, with core knowledge and content designed around the EYFS in both qualifications but progressing from an assisting to a leading role – that is what the working groups need to be focusing on.’

RAISING STANDARDS

Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at the Pre-school Learning Alliance, warns against throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to reviewing the Level 2 qualifications.

‘We deliver CACHE’s Level 2 qualification and we think it is a good progression onto Level 3,’ he says. ‘While all qualifications should be regularly reviewed, this should not proceed from an assumption that all existing Level 2 qualifications are inherently bad. We will be arguing in the review that any new qualifications should build on the best that already exist.’

When it comes to content, any new qualification needs to prioritise the application of skills as well as the demonstration of knowledge, says Ms Hyde. ‘We want to be able to say learners can apply the skills they have learnt about,’ she says. ‘Content has to consider the statutory framework and workforce regulations, and provide sufficient knowledge of children’s development, including SEND, and the importance of play.’

Changes to the Level 2 qualification will feed into the Government’s planned revision of all vocational qualifications. According to the Government’s Post-16 Skills Plan, published in July last year, all over-16s in England will be presented with two choices, the academic or the technical option. The technical option will prepare people for skilled employment, which requires technical knowledge and practical skills valued by industry, and will cover college-based and employment-based education, building on the current apprenticeship reforms. It will be in place from September 2019.

The early years trailblazer group, now led by Busy Bees, has recently been consulting on a new proposed Level 3 apprenticeship standard, to ensure that the standard reflects the criteria underpinning the Early Years Educator qualification, which is in reality a requirement of the standard as it is needed for students to count in ratios. For Level 2, however, there is no equivalent qualification and it could be left out.

Ms Gray says, ‘The standards themselves can used to measure the progress and attainment of the required knowledge, skills and behaviours and subsequently the apprentices’ readiness to progress to endpoint assessment. This decision to include a qualification is in the gift of the trailblazer group and, via consultation, the sector.’

The trailblazer group was unable to comment on its plans for the Level 2 standard. Whether or not there is a qualification included in the Level 2 apprenticeship, it makes sense to ensure the expectations of the new standard are aligned with any new Level 2 qualification criteria developed as part of the early years workforce strategy.

‘There is no doubt that the current Level 2 qualification is well beyond ready for a review and refresh,’ says Ms Gray. ‘The challenge for the sector is the pursuit of a set of design principles that ensure the resulting qualification content is as innovative as it is fit-for-purpose, and that approaches to assessment are designed to reassure employers, re-invigorate delivery and motivate learners towards achievement.’

‘It’s a good thing that the Government is recognising the value of Level 2 practitioners in settings, because there was quite a drive in 2014 to create that Level 3 workforce, which is a challenge for the sector to afford,’ comments Ms Hyde. ‘We also want highly qualified nursery assistants, so there is a place for Level 2 qualifications.’

For the rest of the articles in this series, see our Workforce Strategy Management Guide