With a new government now in power, many of us will be wondering what the future holds for early years in England. The question remains whether a priority will be enhancing the quality of the sector and raising its status, with plans for a graduate-led workforce.
Correlations exist between graduate-led settings and outcomes for children. Research by Bonetti and Blanden (2020) found a particular link between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and improved outcomes when attending a setting led by a graduate.
At a time when social mobility is a focus, the roll-out of funded sessions could be the key to narrowing the attainment gap, alongside a drive to recruit and retain graduates.
What’s interesting here is that the findings have remained consistent over time.
In 2003, the Effective Provisionof Pre-School Education (EPPE) project was published, and a significant finding was that ‘children made more progress in pre-school centres where staff had higher qualifications, particularly if the manager was highly qualified’. It was noted that qualifications influenced interactions, academic activities, as well as the engagement between children and adults in sustained shared thinking.
A recognition of the value of graduate-led provision was highlighted with the Transformation Fund, which launched in 2006. The purpose of the £250 million fund was to raise the level of qualifications in the profession, and of particular interest was the support for practitioners to achieve an Early Years Foundation Degree or Early Years Professional Status.
Making good use of this funding was the team at Herefordshire Council, led at the time by Alison Murphy, who had the aim of having at least one graduate leader in every setting in the county. Talking about the Graduate Leader Funding, which followed on from the Transformation Fund, Alison says, ‘I was able to fund top-ups and even higher levels until the change of government led to those funds being withdrawn. I do believe the quality of settings improved overall throughout this period.’
Although the drive towards a goal of a graduate in every setting was not achieved across the country, there was still an increase of 76 per cent. Evaluation highlighted improvements in the quality of provision, better interactions and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – and improved outcomes across communication and language and mathematical skills.
The value of graduate-led provision is still acknowledged, as emphasised in the Early Years Workforce Strategy published in 2017. In addition, the Early Education and Childcare Coalition has called for the Graduate Led Grant Scheme to be reinstated, with the aim for a graduate-led workforce by 2028.
WHY ARE GRADUATES AN ASSET?
The benefits here are twofold and relate to not just the academic content students engage with as part of their degree programme but also the process of studying itself.
Engaging in study at degree level can be challenging and requires perseverance, determination and resilience. Students engage in critical thinking, reflection on values and bias and the need for inclusive practice. Study demands wider reading which enables students to become familiar with key texts, which can challenge thinking as well as improving knowledge.
There will be awareness of policy and legislation beyond the EYFS, such as the Equality Act, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and key documents involved in safeguarding children and working with children with SEND.
Early Childhood Studies degree programmes centre primarily on graduates being able and confident to act as advocates for children. The content covered across Levels 4, 5 and 6 equip students with the skills to reflect on a range of perspectives including philosophical, sociological, health and educational.
Additionally, students will explore and evaluate factors influencing early childhood that include policies, legislation, economics, cultures, ethics, the concept of childhood and health and wellbeing. This knowledge enables graduates to critique theories and question their own pedagogical stance when writing and implementing the curriculum, employing assessment methods, and reflecting on an enabling environment.
Leadership and management content is built into studies, preparing graduates to lead, support and work collaboratively with others on a multiagency level, recognising inequalities in society and how these can impact children and families. These factors are especially important at a time when an increasing number of children are living in poverty.
THE BARRIERS TO A GRADUATE-LED WORKFORCE
Unfortunately, the published aims by the Labour Government do not mention qualifications, although there is a focus on recognition for the important work undertaken in early years settings and the commissioning of Sir David Bell, former chief inspector of Ofsted, to look at how we can drive up standards in England.
Perhaps a start could be looking at the language used by the Government when talking about early years. When reading the manifesto on its website, ‘childcare’ is the prominent word, perhaps undermining the status and quality of the sector. Although ‘childcare’ might be the vocabulary used to appeal to parents, it does not take account of the ‘education’ element involved in early years.
Although the benefits of a graduate-led workforce are clear to see, there are many challenges that stand in the way of this being achievable. The sector is currently in the midst of a recruitment crisis, with many settings struggling tofill vacancies. Research by the University of Leeds and the Early Education and Childcare Coalition last year highlighted that 57 per cent of nursery staff and 38 per cent of childminders are considering quitting the sector. When they leave, we lose their knowledge, skills and experience, and there is, of course, the impact on the children with whom they formed attachments.
Reasons for leaving include the recruitment crisis itself and the pressure this leaves on existing staff, the roll-out of funded hours, ratio changes, work intensification after Covid and increased responsibilities due to the underfunding of other services (Early Education and Childcare Coalition, 2023).
What can we do to retain graduates and encourage those already in the sector to study for a degree? Unfortunately, Nutbrown (2021) casts doubt on this easily being resolved. She suggests that until the stresses, poor pay and need for career progression are recognised, the recruitment crisis will continue. This is echoed by Lumsden and Musgrave (2023), who suggest that the lack of graduate status in the profession exacerbates the low pay and status, putting off graduates working in the sector as remuneration does not correlate to their investment in their studies.
CASE STUDY: Sophie Weston
‘Completing my early childhood degree was the best decision I made.
‘It taught me the meaning of critical thinking and reflection, particularly on our practice, and this increased my confidence hugely in being able to reflect on not just my own practice but also as a team, together, and teaching others the impact this can have on the children’s learning and outcomes.
‘Particularly to support children with additional needs. I was able to mentor and nurture my team into practitioners who felt confident supporting additional needs.
‘I’m extremely passionate in ensuring a child’s voice is heard in a world that doesn’t always consider this, and I’ve worked with my team closely to replicate this passion. I was able to apply for a dream role as a SEN advisor with my degree, and can now continue to fight the fight for all children to access the early years and make impact on a larger scale.
‘What we can hope is that a full review into the sector is carried out, along with conversations with professionals themselves. Only then can informed decisions be made in relation to ongoing issues such as funding, but also the need to raise the status of early years through a drive for a graduate-led workforce.’
FURTHER INFORMATION
Please go to the online version of this article for full references: www.nurseryworld.co.uk
