Under Department for Education guidance, a new route into the childcare profession has been created that recognises on-the-job experience for workers who are not qualified to early years educator (EYE) level 3 standard.
The experience-based route (EBR) into the profession is one of several changes to childcare qualifications designed to boost the workforce in advance of the ongoing expansion of the funded childcare entitlement, set for full rollout later this year.
By September 2025, working parents will be able to claim 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week for children aged nine months up to their child starting school.
However, this expansion comes as early years providers face challenges recruiting and retaining staff amid ongoing concerns about low pay and lack of funding in the sector. Vacancies were more than double pre-Covid levels last year, according to the Recruitment and Employment Federation's Labour Market Tracker. This in turn has affected councils' confidence in delivering the reforms with 90% unsure there will be enough places in their area to meet demand when surveyed by Coram last summer.
Ministers hope the EBR could help deliver sufficient funded childcare places by increasing the number of staff who can count towards staff:child ratios, but early years experts remain sceptical.
How will the EBR work?
The DfE guidance outlines the recommended approach for early years providers to carry out the EBR for employees in their setting who do not currently hold the qualifications required to be included in the staff:child ratios at level 3. It includes support for providers, decision-makers, supervisors and applicants who intend to use this route and sets out the eligibility criteria that settings and staff need to meet (see box). The EBR is optional for providers to implement, and optional for each applicant who wishes to take it.
EXPERIENCE ROUTE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR EDUCATORS
- Must have worked with children aged from birth to five, for a minimum of one year, in England
- Qualified to level 2 on the DfE's Early Years Qualifications List (EYQL) or qualifications at level 3 and above that are relevant to the care or education of children, but are on the EYQL
- Qualification achieved outside of England must be equivalent to the required level 2 or level 3 qualifications
- Only settings rated “good” or “outstanding” for overall effectiveness in their most recent Ofsted inspection will be eligible to offer the EBR to staff
- Educators undertaking EBR must complete 751 – 900 hours of relevant work and supervised practice, before final assessment and assessor's decision on ratios
- Must have level 2 English qualification before they can be counted in the staff:child ratios at level 3
- No more than 50% of educators with EBR status will be able to count towards level 3 ratios at any one time at a particular premises.
Source: DfE guidance, January 2025
Why is it important for ratios?
The shortage of level 3-qualified staff has been highlighted as a factor in a lack of childcare places in some areas. A recent Education Policy Institute report found “demand for new places will be most acute” by September. The DfE guidance on the EBR states that while early years providers can start assessing people through the EBR from 3 March 2025, it will not be possible for anyone to be included in the staff:child ratios at level 3 through this route “until at least” September 2025. James Hempsall, managing director of Coram Hempsall's, says the tight timescales mean the EBR won't ensure there are enough level 3-qualified staff by September to meet demand but may help after that “as we expect demand for this will grow incrementally in the future”.
How many might be eligible?
Sector experts say it is hard to know how many people might qualify through the EBR.
Jonathan Broadbery, National Day Nurseries Association director of policy and communications, says: “When we consulted with the sector those who thought they could use the route estimated that between 7-11% of their existing staff could be suitable candidates.”
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, adds: “It is entirely unclear how many educators, either existing or joining from other sectors, will be able to benefit from this route – and while it may marginally increase the number of educators that can be counted in ratios, it does little, if anything, to address long-standing issues that are driving people away from a career in the early years.”
What roles could be eligible?
Hempsall says that while the numbers might be small, it could provide a “useful uplift in workforce capacity, particularly for those working as unqualified staff or teaching assistants”. Sector experts say EBR could attract practitioners qualified to level 2 but unable to access the funded level 3 apprenticeship due to not meeting the minimum maths qualification requirements, or those who cannot get funding to do the EYE diploma. Coram Hempsall's has also come across childcare leaders with early years degrees not included on the Early Years Qualifications List which this route could help.
How is it assessed?
Providers must complete initial and end-of-supervised-period assessments of an eligible practitioner's knowledge, skills and experience to determine suitability for EBR against the EYE level 3 criteria. Upon completion of the EBR, providers may decide if a staff member meets the criteria to work in the level 3 ratios. Leitch advises providers to study the DfE guidance closely as it “clearly sets out” the steps settings should take. “Providers should also prioritise keeping detailed records throughout and should be ready to present this to Ofsted or any other third parties who may be looking for specific evidence of the route,” he adds.
Are there concerns?
Placing responsibility for assessment entirely in the hands of hard-pressed managers will make it hard to ensure consistency, says Hempsall. “There is a huge variation in leadership capability across settings, meaning some will deliver robust training while others may rush the process to fill ratios,” he adds. “It could be that larger chains are better placed, due to their learning and development capacity and infrastructure, in contrast to smaller independent settings.” Leitch adds: “While we recognise the importance of increasing staffing numbers, this should never come at the expense of the quality of provision. As such, the rollout of this initiative – including any impact it has on the quality of care and education – must be closely monitored as a priority.”
