July 2014 update

Early Years

Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma for Children’s Learning and Development (Early Years Educator) (QAN 601/2963/3) 

Our new qualification consists of 9 mandatory and 14 optional units. The learner will need to achieve 64 credits in total, made up of 46 credits from the mandatory units and a further 18 credits from the optional units. The optional units give learners the opportunity to contextualise their qualification to the role they are working in. For more information, see the specification.

From 1 August 2014, government funding of Early Years Educator training courses through the Skills Funding Agency will require GCSE English and Maths, at grade C or above, on entry. Training providers will be required to confirm the learner’s prior achievement of GCSE grade A*-C in both English and Maths and record this in the learning agreement before enrolling learners on to Early Years Educator training. Please talk to your centre support team if you need information on delivering GCSEs.

Functional Skills will not be accepted as equivalents to GCSEs, although O levels and CSE Grade 1 will be accepted.

Learners holding existing qualifications will still be able to practise and be counted in ratios. The new requirements will not be applied retrospectively.

Paediatric First Aid (PFA)

The current Level 2 Award in Paediatric First Aid will expire on 31 August 2014. This qualification will be replaced by a revised Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid. Level 3 recognises the complexity of dealing with the different age ranges and, therefore, different aspects of the casualties they may come across.
  
The new PFA qualification still consists of 2 units and provides learners with knowledge, understanding and skills to provide first aid care and to manage life-threatening conditions, illnesses and injuries to children. This qualification will be available from 1 September 2014.

Children and Young People’s Workforce

Level 2

From 1 September 2014, the 2 Paediatric First Aid units will be removed from the current Children and Young People’s Workforce qualification. This qualification will then be extended until 31 December 2016.

Level 3

From 1 September, the Early Years and Childcare pathway will be removed from the current Children and Young People’s Workforce qualification as it is being replaced by the new Early Years Educator qualification, the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma for Children’s Learning and Development. This qualification will be extended until 31 December 2016.

Children’s Care Learning and Development (CCLD)

All qualifications within the CCLD suite of qualifications will be extended until 31 December 2016.

Childcare Apprenticeship framework updates

EYE Trailblazer

The Early Years Educator Apprenticeship is part of the Trailblazers in Phase 2. Following the consultation, the new apprenticeship standards have been developed and submitted to the Department for Education (DfE). The group is chaired by Cheryl Hadland from Hadland Group. Pearson contributed to the consultation and we are engaging with the Trailblazer Group for the next stages. More details will follow when this has been confirmed.

To avoid any gap in provision, the new EYE qualification – the Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Diploma for Children’s Learning and Development (Early Years Educator) will be added to the SASE framework as a temporary measure. This has been agreed with both the DfE and the SFA. Please see the frameworks below: