EYP Update: Still a buzz as EYP Status prepares for revision

The drive towards a graduate-led early years workforce through the development of Early Years Professionals is changing direction this month with responsibility for the scheme transferring to the Teaching Agency.

The EYP programme, which was launched in 2007, had been very much the brainchild of the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) until its demise at the end of March.

How will it fare without the cash and clout of the CWDC to protect it in the harsh climate of local government cuts? If enthusiasm could be forged into currency then the answer is, 'Fine, thank you.'

Although there is still the perennial issue over pay, early years staff seem as keen as ever to join the scheme and enhance their practice. More than 7,000 practitioners are expected to attain the status over the lifetime of the new 2012-2015 programme.

There is a degree of rationalisation being undertaken in the run-up to the launch of the revised EYP programme in September. There is still funding and places available for those wanting to join one of the eight training consortiums delivering the programme across England.

Although the University of East Anglia recently opted to close its EYP training programme from January next year, because it is running at a loss, other members of the East of England training consortium have pledged to cover the gap and offer funded places for trainees in Norfolk.

The 39 standards EYPs must achieve to attain the status are being streamlined to eight. The training pathways have been re-drawn, eliminating the validation pathway through which many of the first cohort of EYPs achieved the status.

The new pathways are:

• Graduate Practitioner Pathway (six months)

•  Undergraduate Practitioner Pathway (12 months)

• Graduate Entry Pathway (12 months)

• Undergraduate Entry Pathway (12-24 months)

The changes are welcomed by early years consultant and EYP mentor Kathy Brodie, who says, 'It was always going to be the case that the initial validation pathway was going to fizzle out. The four pathways I think work well together. I can't think there are gaps anyone could fall between.

'The reduction in the standards makes sense. It is not actually a reduction from 39 to eight. When you look closely and count the sub-sets it is about 32. There is a much clearer lay-out of what you have to achieve to attain EYPS.

'There is still a buzz and enthusiasm about becoming an EYP. Our EYP conference in the north-west was over-subscribed. I know there is still the question of pay, but to be frank nobody ever comes into the early years for pay. There is recognition of the role and that will develop further.'

She adds, 'Looking at the revised EYFS - in key areas practitioners have more decision making. For example, what is a reasonable amount of time to keep records? It used to say three years, but practitioners are now going to have to make these decisions themselves. They are going to have to make a professional judgement and the only people who can make sensible decisions are not going to be a Level 2 or students, but people with knowledge and understanding of child development and knowledge and understanding of quality practice - and they are EYPs.'

NEW ROLES FOR EYPs

In its final review before the axe fell, the CWDC warned that the development of the programme could be jeopardised as it said most local authorities were cutting the subsidies to support EYP salary enhancement.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and in Bolton the local authority seems to have devised a winning formula for sharing funding with EYPs while promoting their role and expertise.

'The local authority values us,' says Linda Craig, who chairs the Bolton EYP Alliance. 'They invited us to send a representative to the local early years focus group - they value our input. They are employing some of us part-time as EYP associates to go into settings and support them and advise on practice.'

The local authority has also asked EYPs to run its early years conference, which Ms Craig finds encouraging.

'Training opportunities are limited now because of funding cuts,' she says. 'We sent a training audit to our members. We are getting together to bring in paediatric first aid training, which will work out cheaper for us as a group. Members of the Alliance who have specialist interest and knowledge are offering to deliver training. One of our members is passionate about outdoors; he is offering training on raising boys' achievements through outdoor play.'

One might expect experienced EYPS to be positive about their role but what about new recruits, given that the UEA is pulling out because numbers were down?

If the response of candidates on the course at CETAD Lancaster University is a guide then there is still plenty more commitment and enthusiasm for the scheme. 'I decided to become an EYP because I found reflecting and improving on practice so beneficial to the children's care and development in my setting,' says Kerry Martin who is on the short pathway. 'I am thoroughly enjoying using the standards to reflect on my role within the setting and it's like a "mini appraisal" when finding your evidence for these. The practitioners I work with are benefiting from my new knowledge.' Her fellow student, Lisa Rogers says, 'I see things differently now, as the EYP programme has opened my eyes to the ways in which we do things in practice.'

FURTHER INFORMATION

http://www.education.gov.uk/search/results?q=Early+Years

CASE STUDY: MICHELLE SAMUELS

Michelle Samuels (pictured), who has worked her way up from a trainee with the London Early Years Foundation to manager of its Marsham Street Nursery clearly relishes a challenge as she is now undertaking the undergraduate pathway for EYPS while completing her full Childhood Studies honours degree.

'I am not one for sitting around. Taking the EYPS is important because it helps you take a harder look at your practice and what we provide. It does require quite a lot of juggling to be doing it at the same time as the degree, but they work well together.

'Working on the EYPS takes you out of the surrealness of the degree course, where so much of it is about the theorists. Instead with EYP you are focusing on practice and on what you are doing today.

'I am doing a lot of studying at weekends, getting my portfolio together. It has helped me to become a more reflective learner and more reflective practitioner. It has helped me look at the practice in the setting and see the positives and the negatives and think about what we can do to change the negatives. As a result we have looked at how we communicate with our under-threes and sharpened our focus.

'There are some things that you have to do as a manager which keep you in the office, but as an EYP you want to be out on the floor working with the children and the staff. That is going to be one of the challenges of becoming an EYP, but I have found already I am working more as part of the team rather than managing the team.

CASE STUDY: LEANNE HENDERSON

'The role of the Early Years Professional is going to become more important,' says Leanne Henderson, manager of kidsunlimited 'Campus Kids', at the University of Surrey and Nursery World EYP of the year.

'We are going to need more of them as we see the roll-out of the revised EYFS, the extension of the free entitlement for two-year-olds and particularly with the assessment for two-year-olds. The assessment has to be professionally-led, otherwise we could have real problems.

'We need more EYPs to come on and it is a shame there is not so much funding. There is some funding available and the company is encouraging people to go for it while it is there.

'The good thing is that recognition of the role that EYPs can play is improving. In our company we have now got our own EYP network. We meet every three months and have a conference. At the last meeting we had some forest school training which was brilliant. One of the things we are trying to roll out is a big focus on outdoor play.

'We have had a lot of emails flying around on putting together a job description for EYPs. The company has been asking us what we think about it.

'Not every kidsunlimited setting has an EYP, but they have now all been allocated an EYP who they can call on for support, advice and guidance, which is fantastic. Settings that did not have an EYP on the staff could feel left behind.

'The idea is you will visit the settings you are allocated as and when you are needed. There will be a lot to do with the revised EYFS coming in.'