DfE proposes early years qualification rule changes in new EYFS consultation
By Shannon Pite
The Department for Education (DfE) has today announced planned changes to early years staff qualification requirements as part of a wider consultation on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework.
The consultation includes proposals to:
- Remove the requirement for level 3 educators to hold a level 2 (GCSE or equivalent) maths qualification, and instead apply this requirement to managers-only.
- Introducing an 鈥榚xperience-based route鈥 for educators to gain approved status to work within staff:child ratios, so that "otherwise suitable educators who don鈥檛 hold an approved level 3 qualification have a path to gaining 鈥榓pproved status鈥 without having to do a new qualification".
- Where applicable, reducing the percentage of level 2 qualified staff required per ratio for children of all ages from 鈥榓t least half鈥 to either 30% or 40%.
- Changing the qualification requirements for ratios so that they would not apply outside of peak working hours (for example, 9am-5pm).
Commenting on proposed changes to early years staff qualification requirements, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, said:
鈥淲e鈥檙e clear that the needs of the child, and ensuring that the care and education being delivered to them is of high quality, must be at the heart of any changes to early years policy.
鈥淏ut while we recognise that some of the proposals 鈥 such as changes to maths qualification requirements 鈥 announced today have been long called for by those working in the early years, it鈥檚 hard to shake the feeling that many of the proposals have nothing to do with quality, and everything to do with a desperate attempt to boost workforce numbers ahead of the extension of the 30-hours offer. Taken together, there is a real risk that they will result in a de-professionalisation of the workforce at a time when the need for quality care and education is as high as it's ever been.
鈥淲hat's more, given the decision to push ahead with relaxing ratios for two-year-olds despite almost universal opposition, we remain concerned that the government鈥檚 desire to create more 鈥榝ree childcare鈥 will be prioritised over and above the need to deliver quality early education opportunities, regardless of how the sector responds to the consultation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e clear that any changes to qualifications requirements must not 鈥 and cannot 鈥 lead to a lowering of standards within the early years sector, and will fully oppose any attempts to do so.鈥