Training: Exclusive - The end of an era for EYE?

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T-levels are big news for the early years sector, but you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The new courses, designed to be a vocational equivalent to A-levels, have been on the Government’s agenda for a couple of years, but key detail about crucial elements has been sketchy and they have failed to generate much interest among the sector at large.

Yet the Education and Childcare T-level will be one of the first to come in, launching from September 2020. And this matters: Nursery World can reveal that Government funding is expected to dry up for college-delivered Early Years Educator courses once the T-level is established, unless the Government decides to make an exception.

Why do a T-level?

At Nursery World’s Business Summit last November, early years leaders asked why a prospective childcare student would opt for a T-level, which will be ‘equivalent’ to three A-levels but covers children up to 19, over the current early-years-specific EYE course.

The answer could be that, for college-based students, there will not be a choice. The Department for Education has confirmed to Nursery World that it ‘expects funding for 16- to 19-year-old students studying Level 3 qualifications to largely be for T-levels and A-level programmes. As T-levels are introduced, we expect to withdraw funding from other Level 3 qualifications that do not meet quality expectations, serve a distinct purpose, or support students’ progression.’

The DfE will not say whether EYE will fall into any of those three categories, but a spokesman added that existing Level 3 qualifications would be reviewed with the aim of ‘simplifying’ the system. ‘We have committed to carrying out a review of post-16 qualifications at Level 3 and below, excluding A-levels and GCSEs. The aim is to simplify the current qualification landscape. For those Level 3 qualifications that remain, however, we do not expect to change the existing funding arrangements.’

An industry source said DfE officials had told a ‘stakeholder meeting’ last year that withdrawing funding was a Government policy for all vocational courses where there is a T-level. This does not necessarily mean the EYE qualification will disappear completely, as it is still a key part of the Level 3 apprenticeship (see box).

Placement length

Another key problem with T-levels for the childcare sector is placement length. T-levels are designed to follow a standard model – and this means a set requirement of 45 days of placement across all industries offering them, from accountancy to science.

In some sectors, this means significantly longer work placements than the current norm. In childcare, however, the current standard work placement time is more than double this (over 700 hours as opposed to 315) and an integral part of the qualification, enabling the candidate to gain enough experience to count in ratios once qualified.

As one industry expert put it, ‘The trouble is the one-size-fits-all system. In some sectors, e.g. engineering, it makes perfect sense to do a Level 3 T-level and then get more on-the-job experience. But childcare is not like that: you need the licence to practice.’

Following Nursery World’s highlighting of the issue last July, resulting in an outcry from sector organisations and awarding organisation CACHE, the DfE said, ‘We have listened to comments from the sector on the need for longer Education and Childcare T-level placements, and are working with the T-level panel to agree a longer minimum placement expectation.’

Now, the DfE has acknowledged that the technical qualification developed by the awarding organisation ‘should include further time for learning and assessment which must be undertaken in the workplace’.

A spokeswoman said, ‘The awarding organisation will be required to ensure the minimum grade standards meet the expectations of employers in the sector. This means that students who pass T-levels must be sufficiently competent to start work in an early years setting.’ Crucially, she said, this should bring the total time spent in the workplace ‘in line with current practice of 730-750 guided learning hours’.

The T-level panel is understood to have pushed for a longer placement, and last week the DfE also confirmed to a panel member: ‘We are aware students need to spend a significant amount of time learning in the context of real practice. As part of this requirement, students will spend a minimum of 45 working days in the workplace on the T-level industry placement. It has been agreed that the technical qualification developed by the awarding organisation can include further time for learning and assessment which must be undertaken in the workplace if they felt it was necessary.’

UCAS points?

The Education Secretary has confirmed that T-levels will be given UCAS points in line with three A-levels. In a speech in December, Damian Hinds said, ‘I’m… keen to see us break down some of the false barriers we’ve erected between academic and technical routes. If T-level students want to go to university to do relevant technical degrees, they should be able to. That is why I’m pleased to announce that UCAS has agreed to give a T-level UCAS tariff points in line with three A-levels. This reflects the size and complexity and demands of the qualification. T-levels will be graded Pass, Merit or Distinction… and we are now discussing with UCAS exactly how points will be awarded per grade.’

Just 36 colleges and schools will provide the Education and Childcare T-level from 2020 – a list is available at https://bit.ly/2IT9Pir

What is a T-level?

A T-level is the name for a two-year college-based vocational programme of study at Level 3 that is designed to be equivalent to three A-levels. T-level courses will include the following compulsory elements:

• A technical qualification, which will include: core knowledge and skills (0-19); and specialist skills and knowledge.
• A work placement.
• A minimum standard in maths and English.

They are expected to replace the college-based route to the Early Years Educator qualification. The Level 3 apprenticeship, a package of competencies which contains the EYE qualification, is a work-based qualification and so not, in theory, affected by the new T-level.

As with all sectors, the Level 3 apprenticeship standard (which is not yet available in early years), forms the criteria on which the new T-level is based. Confusingly, the Level 3 apprenticeship standard is heavily based on the EYE criteria, as this is what allows practitioners to count in Level 3 ratios. So the new technical qualification within the T-level will contain key elements of an EYE qualification.

Further input into the T-level outline content was devised by a panel last year, and the awarding body will complete the final detail.

Further information

‘Guide to: T-levels’, https://bit.ly/2DutYqL

Licence to practice, https://bit.ly/2RPgvmb

T-level panel, https://bit.ly/2n79YSH