The government has finally held up its hands and admitted that it had made a mistake in 2014 when it announced employees in childcare settings would need to have grade C or above GCSEs in English and maths as part of their Early Years Educator (EYE) qualification when "functional skills" had also previously been acceptable.
In the Department for Education's Early Years Workforce Strategy, published this month, the government observed that "parts of the sector have raised concerns about the impact of the GCSE requirement on the recruitment of [EYE] level 2 and level 3 staff". The truth is that we have been witnessing a full-blown recruitment crisis over the past two years, with nearly half of all nurseries struggling to recruit level 3 staff because of the misguided policy.
What was perplexing about the policy was that it was introduced alongside the government's manifesto commitment to double the amount of free childcare to working parents. Perhaps the eye was taken off the ball when the initial focus turned to how much extra funding was needed to deliver the promise, but ministers were certainly made aware of the likely impact on recruitment.
Caroline Dinenage MP, appointed early years minister in last summer's reshuffle, deserves credit for steering the public consultation outcome to the right conclusion.
With effect from April, the government will broaden the current English and mathematics requirement for level 3 EYE, including for apprenticeships, to level 2 qualifications, including functional skills (see box). The change will impact anyone who already holds an EYE qualification, began studying an EYE since September 2014 or takes up an EYE course in the future.
While welcome, we are not out of the woods yet because of the changeover from the traditional apprenticeship frameworks to the new apprenticeship standards envisaged in the workforce strategy. The sector is still using the framework as the stand-off over GCSEs has stalled the introduction of the standard. The framework will therefore also need to be amended while the amended standard is approved.
Furthermore, the new apprenticeship standards are accompanied by a new testing regime called end-point assessment, but the EYE apprenticeship standard does not currently have an assessment plan in place. AELP's view is that no apprentice should be starting a programme without knowing how they are going to be judged at its conclusion. Having dispensed with the previous EYE trailblazer group of employers, the government needs to quickly get a new group of employers in to take the changes forward.
From now on, new entrants will also need to have either a full or emergency paediatric first aid certificate within three months of starting work. This requirement was originally meant to start in September 2016.
If the apprenticeship framework is amended very quickly to allow functional skills, childcare employers and training providers can work together to end the recruitment crisis. The changes could make a major difference and, with the start of the apprenticeship levy less than a month away, it is important we act without delay.
The reason for the urgency is the way that the levy is structured. In the first two years, there is likely to be unused levy funding left for smaller businesses to use for their apprenticeships and this is very important for the thousands of nurseries that may wish to take on apprentices or convert existing staff into apprentices.
However, indications are that by the third year, the pot will be fully consumed by the levy payers, so unless the government guarantees separate funding, nurseries could be starved of funds for their apprenticeships.
Nursery chains with more than 50 staff wanting to offer apprenticeships or any nursery wanting to train an apprentice over the age of 19 will still have to contribute £1 for every £9 that they get back from the government towards the cost of the training and assessment. We have asked ministers to monitor the impact of this carefully and keep it under review. Similarly, the impact of the funding changes for 16- to 18-year-old apprentices has to be monitored because the sector is one of those that traditionally recruits school leavers.
Caroline Dinenage's announcement is a major step forward in rectifying past mistakes. More work needs to be done, however, to put the sector's recruitment and skills needs back on an even keel.
EARLY YEARS WORKFORCE STRATEGY - KEY MEASURES
- Functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics to have same standing as GCSEs for gaining level 2 and level 3 Early Years Educator (EYE) qualifications, including for apprenticeships
- Early Years Foundation Stage to be amended so staff with an EYE qualification and level 2 English and mathematics qualifications can count in the level 3 staff-to-child ratios, from 3 April 2017, to help recruitment and retention of the workforce
- Develop criteria for the content of level 2 childcare qualifications to support progression to level 3 study and with a new level 2 apprenticeship standard introduced that is available from September 2019
- Consult on allowing teachers to lead nursery and reception classes in maintained schools, and review early years teacher training routes
- Assess scope to grow the graduate workforce in disadvantaged areas
- Establish a task and finish group of early years sector stakeholders to consider gender diversity in the sector, that reports by the end of 2017
Source: Early Years Workforce Strategy, DfE
Mark Dawe is chief executive of the Association of Education and Learning Providers
