A survey carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, on behalf of the DfES, has now attempted to measure its success, by tracking two waves of student enrolment between 2003 and 2005.
According to the DfES, the total number of funded places for the autumn 2003 intake was 2,852 students at 130 institutions. A total of 971 students participated in the first wave of the survey, through 119 responding institutions.
There has been a slight decrease in subsequent enrolment at these institutions - from 1,396 in 2003-04 to 1,194 in 2004-05. Most of the following data is based on wave 2 of the survey, which interviewed 643 students in 2004.
Profile of students
* 99 per cent of respondents were female
* The majority (67 per cent) were aged 36 or older and of white ethnicity (93 per cent)
* 12 per cent of respondents reported a health problem or disability expected to last for more than a year, but only 2 per cent said that this limited their daily activities
* Most respondents had worked in early years education or childcare for more than two years, while the remainder had less than the two years practical experience required before undertaking the course.
Meeting course demands
Many were concerned about meeting the financial demands of course fees, especially where they had reduced their work hours and pay to accommodate study time. In line with this, the pressures of combining work, home and study were a problem for more than two-thirds of the students.
There were also concerns about the difficulties of keeping up with the pace of the course (37 per cent) and with its academic requirements (35 per cent), although the quality of teaching was rated highly.
However, rates of student retention and achievement suggest that the course is challenging for the majority.
Out of a total of 414 respondents leaving the course between 2003 - 2005, 17 per cent had completed it, while 79 per cent opted to take a temporary break and 4 per cent opted out.
More than a quarter of students overall had progressed in their careers since starting their degree, either through assuming more responsibility or moving to a higher level position.
Career progression
Ninety per cent of current students expressed a firm commitment to working in early years and the childcare sector once they had finished their course.
Type of setting a student is most likely to work in the future, based on current students in the wave 2 survey
Setting %
Primary school 48
Nursery school 20
Nursery 14
Playgroup 3
Children's centre, family centre or Sure Start facility 3
Social work or social services setting 1
Out of school club or holiday club 1
Therapeutic setting 1
Other 8
Don't know 1
Base 584
Most students (66 per cent) who were working in the sector hoped they would achieve a higher level of responsibility after the course. Not all thought these aspirations could be met within their existing setting, with about 43 per cent anticipating moving elsewhere. Four per cent hoped to start their own business or become self-employed.
Over 80 per cent of those who expect to complete the course said they would build on it with more study in the future.
Further information
For the full survey see www.dfes. gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/ RR804.pdf
