Department for Education Early Years Qualification Announcement
The Department of Education (DfE) have announced a package of early years qualification initiatives that will both support entry and progression within the workforce and ensure that the staff working with young children have the right skills and knowledge to deliver high-quality provision.
To support early years settings to recruit and retain staff and meet this increased demand, from 3 March 2025 eligible educators will be able to access an experience-based route to working in the Staff:Child ratios at level 3. This new route recognises the significant contribution that skilled and experienced staff can make to the education and care of young children. This is an opportunity for educators without currently approved qualifications, to develop their careers, and for providers to maximise the potential of their talented staff in a way that works best for the children in their care. The full consultation response can be found here.
Alongside this the DfE have announced the publication of the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship standard. This new, graduate-level qualification will give everyone from school leavers and junior staff to senior leaders the opportunity to easily move into a specialist career in the early years sector.
The DfE are also pleased to announce the Check an Early Years Qualification digital service which will be available later this Spring to early years managers. This service will guide managers through the process of checking the approval status of qualifications held by existing staff members and prospective employees, increasing their confidence that they have appropriately qualified staff ahead of the September expansion.
'Do Something BIG' campaign - updated recruitment information and resources
The 'Do Something BIG' campaign launched its latest burst of advertising on 28th December 2024. The campaign aims to improve the awareness, positive perception and consideration of a career in the early education and childcare sector and has so far driven approx. 38,000 visits to the campaign website each week. The DfE would be grateful for your continued support in helping to promote the 'Do Something BIG' recruitment campaign.
You can download the newly updated communications toolkit which contains new information and helpful resources such as brand new editable assets to help you communicate the campaign messages and amplify your own recruitment activity.
Throughout February the DfE are running a series of Do Something Big careers events across the country. The campaign directs potential applicants to use DWP’s Find a Job vacancy platform to search for early years roles in their area, providing a valuable opportunity for employers to showcase their vacancies.
Listing early years vacancies on Find a Job - which is free to use - is a cost-effective way of ensuring they are seen by a large pool of candidates and will help connect more job seekers with the opportunities they’re looking for.
Click on the button below for instructions on how to create an account and post any current or upcoming jobs for your setting.
National Apprenticeship Week 2025 website and toolkit launched
National Apprenticeship Week will take place 10-16 February 2025, with people from across the country being asked to get involved by sharing the good work apprentices do.
Individuals, employers, and partners from across England are gearing up for National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2025 following the launch of a new website and communications toolkit.
The NAW website and toolkit contain support and guidance on how to get involved. This includes social media graphics, key apprenticeship messages, facts and figures, graduation toolkits, and advice so that individuals and businesses can explore the full range of benefits that apprenticeships offer.
Department for Education Information and Guidance on Toilet Training
The DfE have published new information and guidance on toilet training.
The guidance provides advice on:
- when to start toilet training
- how to toilet train
- supporting children who experience toilet training challenges
- supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- working in partnership with parents, carers and colleagues within your early years setting
|
For more guidance on supporting children in the early years, visit the Help for Early Years Providers website.
The 'Twoness of Twos' report
June O’Sullivan OBE, CEO of LEYF, and Louise Hannan, currently researching the emotional environment for two-year-olds, have refreshed the original Twoness of Twos report to raise awareness about our role in ensuring 2-year-olds thrive in every setting.
You can download the report for FREE and listen to June and Louise discuss their research on the ‘Talking Early Years’ podcast.
Child Accident Prevention Trust Free Resources
The Accident Prevention Trust have created a brand-new information page and free resources explaining the risks around cleaning products, washing pods and capsules as well as simple things we can all do to keep children safe.
This includes a short Animation which illustrates the dangers of laundry capsules and why small children find them so appealing. Bitrex Taste Tests offers a taste kit which can be used with parents/carers to give them a chance to taste the bitterest substance on earth, then eat milk chocolate, all in aid of poisoning prevention. A Fact sheet with bite-sized facts and safety tips. Translated fact sheets are also available and have been translated into five community languages (Arabic, Bengali, Polish, Punjabi and Urdu). There is also a Session plan around cleaning products which can support you to run engaging group discussions with parents.
|
