DfE seeks views on new experience-based route qualification for early years practitioners

The Department for Education (DfE) first outlined plans for the qualification, which aims to recognise the ‘valuable experience and skills’ of practitioners who do not hold full and relevant qualifications, at the end of May last year within its consultation on regulatory reforms to the EYFS.

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It comes after the DfE published projections for the number of additional members of staff needed to deliver the full rollout of the expanded entitlement, revealing an extra 9,000 staff are needed by this September.

The new four-week long consultation outlines the proposed model for the experience-based route, eligibility criteria and requirements.

It also addresses concerns from some in the sector that the new qualification could negatively impact the quality of early years provision, outlining how the experience-based route could work in practice and the ‘parameters’ that could be put in place to ensure high-quality care is maintained.

In his ministerial foreword to the consultation, the children, families and wellbeing minister David Johnston, states, ‘We have heard from our stakeholders and early years providers that there are staff working in the sector who do not hold full and relevant qualifications, but who are otherwise experienced, competent and responsible. Over time, we want to explore options for fast-track routes for these staff who have demonstrated they have the skills and experience to operate at level 3 to gain a full and relevant qualification.’