Nursery World - DfE confirms grade C English and maths GCSE required for Early Years Educator

Only students who have achieved a minimum grade C in GCSE English and maths will be eligible to undertake the new Level 3 Early Years Educator qualifications launching in September.

This follows on from the Government’s stated aim in last year’s More Great Childcare to raise the overall quality of literacy and numeracy skills of those entering the workforce.

It is now confirmed that from 1 August 2014, government funding of Early Years Educator training courses through the Skills Funding Agency will require GCSE English and mathematics, at grade C or above, on entry. Functional skills will not be accepted as equivalents to GCSEs.

Training providers will be required to confirm the learner’s prior achievement of this and record it in the learning agreement before enrolling learners on to early years educator training.

The Early Years Foundation Stage will be amended by the DfE to make clear that to count in the existing staff to child ratios at Level 3, staff holding a new early years educator qualification must also have achieved GCSEs in English/English Language and maths, at grade C or above.

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