Government consults on Early Years Educator qualification criteria

Entrants will need to have at least a Grade C GCSE in English and Maths.

Training providers will also be expected to include ‘a high proportion of practical work experience’ in their courses, usually only with good or outstanding providers.

The criteria for the minimum level of knowledge for the new Early Years Educator qualification has been put online for consultation today on the Department for Education’s website.

Education and childcare minister Liz Truss has asked the Teaching Agency to consult on new, tougher full and relevant criteria to underpin the new Level 3 Early Years Educator qualifications, which will be introduced in September 2014.

Ministers want to develop the modern equivalent of the highly respected NNEB Nursery Nurse Diploma, which was discontinued in the 1990s.

The Teaching Agency will define the content of the Level 3 qualifications that practitioners must hold to be included in ratios by defining the criteria that awarding organisations must adhere to when developing qualifications.

Qualifications that meet the criteria will be included on the Early Years qualifications list, designed to help employers and practitioners identify suitable Level 3 qualifications.

The criteria set out the minimum requirements for what an Early Years Educator should know, understand and be able to do to be considered qualified at Level 3 when delivering the EYFS.

The qualification criteria have been divided into two sections. Section one summarises the qualification content and assessment criteria and section two defines the minimum requirements that underpin content criteria.

The draft criteria were developed taking into account recommendations made by Professor Cathy Nutbrown in her review of qualifications for the education and childcare workforce.

The criteria has also taken into consideration the content of the former NNEB Nursery Nurse Diploma, the National Occupational Standards for Child Care Learning & Development and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Claire Schofield National Day Nurseries Association director of membership, policy and communications said, 'NDNA is pleased the Government is consulting on the new criteria for the Early Years Educator qualifications. We will be reviewing the proposed criteria and seeking input from members.

'As well as the F and R criteria [full and relevant] we also need to consider the proposal to introduce entry requirements of GCSE Grade C or above in Maths and English for people starting Early Years Educator qualifications from September 2014. We think this should be long-term goal which is interlinked with improvements in the school system, so more people attain the entry level qualifications required.

'Many providers have questioned whether there are sufficient young people achieving GCSE Maths and English to meet entry requirements, which could potentially cause workforce sufficiency issues for the sector.'

 

• The closing date for the consultation is 5pm on 22 April.