Viewpoint: New Level 3 questions

We write as the president and vice-presidents of Early Education - a charity dedicated to supporting the professional development of practitioners working across the sector to ensure effective early childhood education experiences of the highest quality.

Quality depends to a great extent on the qualifications, skill and experience of practitioners and we are unsure how the proposed criteria for the new Early Years Educator qualifications help us move forward.

'More Great Childcare' purports to respond to Professor Nutbrown's review of early years qualifications, but see Cathy's own analysis of how disappointing the Government's response has been. Yet the introduction to the Early Years Educator criteria document states:

'The Government strongly endorses Professor Cathy Nutbrown's view that the workforce supporting our babies, young children and their parents should be well-qualified, well-respected and well-led. The Government will ensure new and better qualifications at Level 3, to qualify people to become "Early Years Educators". These qualifications will be the modern equivalent of the highly respected (NNEB).

We have some questions:

Play?

• How can the criteria lead to good qualifications when play (indoors or outdoors) is not mentioned?

[The Nutbrown review was very clear about the importance of play when thinking about qualifications We know that play is fundamental to children's wellbeing, learning and development, and it is essential that early years practitioners understand, value and support young children's play in its various forms (Nutbrown review 1.9)]

• Why use the language of delivery? We don't 'deliver children's early education and development', we support and extend their own learning and development

• Why not use the structure of the EYFS (if these are to be EYFS-specific qualifications)

• Why not use the characteristics of learning and the prime and specific areas as the main organising device for thinking about teaching and learning (section 2).

Leadership?

The only mention of leadership is about activities and experiences. Cathy Nutbrown had more to say on this, not least '...all early years practitioners can aspire to be pedagogical leaders. Progression opportunities need to be accessible for all capable and committed women and men, and I recommend that the DfE conduct research to ensure BME groups are not being excluded from more senior roles.' (Nutbrown Review p7)

The consultation asks 'Would the requirements of the criteria disadvantage any particular group or groups?' but this is not the same as explaining how the level 3 qualification leads to progression or making a commitment to research on the lived experience of BME groups.

Participation?

Para 2.6 says practitioners should 'encourage children's participation ensuring a balance between structured and freely chosen activities, for example 50% structured and 50% free flow'.

• This is unhelpful. What is meant by structured or free flow? Where is the idea of a play continuum or the acknowledgement of the developmental stage of the children, and why put percentages on something so ill defined?

Decoding & comprehension?

Para 2.7 states practitioners should 'know how to teach the foundations of early reading (for example, decoding and comprehension) and basic mathematics'.

• Why the special mention of reading and maths - already listed as specific areas?

• The foundations of early reading are generally in the prime areas. Decoding is a very small part of the reading agenda and generally not appropriate until the end of the EYFS.

Part of our own attempt to decode this document leads us to more questions on the context:

• What are the implications of the Early Years Educator qualifications being part of the Ofqual Qualifications and Credit Framework? We suspect this may mean that we are looking at units and credits as well as an outcome-led qualification

• How much assessed practice will be required?

• Why is the BTEC Level 3 course in Children's Play, Learning and Development launched in September not yet on the Teaching Agency's list of approved qualifications?

Please respond by 22 April with your own questions and observations - we need to get the Level 3 qualification right and these criteria do not seem to be yet shaping a worthy successor to the NNEB.

• http://bit.ly/YyKz1l