Reardon: Achieving Early Years Professional Status

Sample ChapterThis is a sample chapter from:Achieving Early Years Professional StatusDenise Reardon, Canterbury Christ Church University ISBN: 9781847871909Browse our latest catalogues:Permissions:http://www.uk.sagepub.com/sageCatalogues.navhttp://www.uk.sagepub.com/booksPermissions.nav#Book Sign up for email alerts:Publish with SAGE: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/emailAlerts.sp http://www.uk.sagepub.com/bookAuthEdit.navInformation for lecturers:http://www.uk.sagepub.com/lecturers.nav Available from www.sagepub.co.ukReardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 1CHAPTER 1GETTING STARTED – ANINTRODUCTION TO EARLY YEARSPROFESSIONAL STATUSThis chapter sets the scene for the Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), what it isand why it is so important to give credibility to the early years sector. It will examinethe changes outlined in Every Child Matters: Change for Children within the contextof providing the EYPS for the early years sector. This chapter will examine thechanges implemented by the government to professionalize the early yearsworkforce in England. It will look at the government’s strategy and the way that ithas influenced a response to develop the role of the Early Years Professional (EYP).This chapter will also identify certain key research findings that have influencedthe sector-wide changes and the government vision to develop a world-classworkforce that will lead to better outcomes for children, parents, carers andsociety. By examining an overview of the national policies introduced thismillennium, it will help to contextualize where the transformational EarlyYears Professional (EYP) role might be heading in the future.Background to the Early Years Workforce ReformEarly education and care has received considerable attention this millennium and theLabour Government in England has pledged the availability for parents of morechildcare places, better quality early education and care, and greater choice andaccessibility. In 2006, the first ever legislation specific to early childhood educationReardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 22ACHIEVING EARLY YEARS PROFESSIONAL STATUSand care received royal assent. The Childcare Act 2006 places a statutory duty onLocal Authorities to take lead responsibility for childcare in partnership with others toraise quality, improve delivery and achieve better results. A further priority is todevelop more integrated provision that seeks to improve well-being and reducedinequalities in relation to the five outcomes of Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003b).Every Child Matters sets out five outcomes that matter most to children and youngpeople:•Being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthylifestyle.•Staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect.•Enjoying and achieving: getting the most out of life and developing the skillsfor adulthood.•Making a positive contribution: being involved with the community and notengaging in anti-social or offending behaviour.•Economic well-being: not being prevented by economic disadvantage fromachieving full potential in life.The government’s aspiration to change the early years workforce is outlined in EveryChild Matters: Change for Children (DfES, 2003b) and provides you with the contextfor the government reforms. Running parallel to this is a number of early yearsresearchinitiativestoincludetheDfES-fundedlongitudinalstudyofEffectiveProvision of Pre-school Education (EPPE; Sylva et al., 2004) which has influenced thegovernment’s commitment to provide a high-quality, pre-school childcare provisionfor children, parents, carers and society in general as recognized in the government’sTen-year Childcare Strategy: Choice for Parents – The Best Start for Children (DfES,2004a). The strategy not only champions the development of high-quality childcareprovision but also signals the notion that working with pre-school children shouldhave as much status as a profession as teaching children in schools. The strategyproposes a review of the qualifications and career structures of the early yearsworkforce as well as a significant investment in training and support.The government undertook a consultation with early years stakeholders about theproposals outlined in the children’s workforce strategy through the Children’sWorkforce Strategy: a strategy to build a world-class workforce for children and youngpeople consultation document (2005).The consultation revealed that there waswidespread support for the new role of Early Years Professional (EYP) to beintroduced to those practitioners leading early years practice in the early years sector.FollowingtheChildren’sWorkforceStrategy:Thegovernment’sresponsetotheconsultation (DfES, 2006a), the government set out its aspiration to develop a first-classworkforceandacommitmenttodeveloptheEYProle.Itshouldbeacknowledged that in order to achieve the government’s vision to transform the earlyyears sector in light of the vision forthe new EYP role, it will rely on early yearsReardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 3GETTING STARTED – AN INTRODUCTION TO EYPS3practitioners being much more accountable for the delivery of high-quality childcareand education and the achievement of better outcomes for children and their familiesas the EPPE report (Sylva et al., 2004) research evidence suggests.The key challenges that are relevant to the new EYP role were presented in theChildren’s Workforce Strategy: The government’s response to the consultation (DfES,2006a). They include:•recruiting more people into working in the early years workforce•developing and training existing practitioners in the early years workforce•strengthening ways of integrated working and developing new workforce rolesacross the early years workforce•improving and strengthening leadership and management roles in the early yearsworkforce.While the government’s proposal to address these key challenges is outlined in Choicefor Parents – The best start for children: making it happen, an action plan for the ten-year strategy: Sure Start Children’s Centres, extended schools and childcare (2004a),one of the biggest ramifications for early years practitioners with existing leadershipand management roles and for those of you who aspire to become future leaders andmanagers are that you will be required to gain higher academic qualifications. Formany early years managers and leaders, this will mean accessing an Early YearsFoundation degree (FD) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree attheir local university.‘Choice for Parents – The best start for children: making it happen, an action plan forthe ten-year strategy: Sure Start Children’s Centres, extended schools and childcare’(2004a) calls for:•leaders with higher qualifications•trained teachers working alongside and supporting other staff•practitioners having a good understanding of child development and learning.The action plan acknowledges that at the time of publication, the number of graduate-level leaders in early years settings, outside schools, was very low, particularly in theprivate and voluntary and independent (PVI) sectors. Traditionally, it was therequirement for early years leaders and managers to be qualified up to level 3, manyof whom would have gained a National Diploma or an NVQ from awarding bodiessuch as CACHE (Council for Awards in Children’s Education) or BTEC Edexcell. TheChildren’s Workforce Strategy recommends that the following roles can be linked toqualification levels:•Level 2 – assistant early years practitioner•Level 3 – early years practitioner•Level 4 – senior early years practitionerReardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 44ACHIEVING EARLY YEARS PROFESSIONAL STATUS•Level 5 – assistant early years professional•Level 6 – early years professional at an equivalent level to qualified teachers•Level 7 – leader/manager.As part of the government’s aspiration to raise the skills and the academic qualificationlevels amongst the early years workforce, it was announced that the Children’sWorkforce Development Council (CWDC) would take the lead on any developmentwork and on the investment to support the training and development of early yearsprofessionals. Working closely with the government and its partners, the CWDCdetermined the qualification levels for early years leaders and the direction ofworkforce reforms. CWDC introduced the first phase of training pathways for earlyyears professionals at graduate level (level 6) in 2006. For you to achieve EYPS, youwill need to demonstrate that you meet CWDC (2006), the 39 National Standards,working with babies, toddlers and young children to the end of the Early YearsFoundation Stage (EYFS), as outlined in Appendix 1, the standards for EYPS support-ing the Every Child Matters agenda (2004), the ten-year childcare strategy ‘Choice forParents – The best start for children’ (DfES, 2004a), the Childcare Act 2006 and theintroduction of the EYFS (2008). Combined, these strategies reflect the government andCWDC (2006) vision, that over time practitioners holding EYPS will become early yearsworkforce ‘change agents’ and will use their high-level professional skills and abilitiesto transform the early years sector, thus providing better outcomes for all children by:•raising the quality of early years provision•leading practice across the EYFS•supporting and mentoring other practitioners•modelling the skills and behaviours that safeguard and support children.While recognizing the diversity of the early years workforce, the CWDC (2006) alsobelieves that practitioners with EYPS (Early Years Professional Status) should be leadingpractice in all children’s centres offering childcare by 2010, and in every full-daycaresetting by 2015.Funding the Early Years Workforce ReformsThe Transformation Fund 2006 set out to support Local Authorities in the training anddevelopment of early years practitioners, and the appointment of graduate-statuspractitioners, mainly in the private, voluntary and independent sectors, where levelsof qualifications are deemed to be lower than those in the maintained sector.The CWDC investment formed part of the Transformation Fund 2006 of £250m over twoyears, which was announced alongside the response to the Workforce Strategy consultation(2006). The Transformation Fund 2006 was introduced initially as a two-year initiative totest out approaches to workforce development in the early years sector, and included:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 5GETTING STARTED – AN INTRODUCTION TO EYPS5•training to achieve Early Years Professional Status•a recruitment incentive for full-daycare settings with newly employed staff withrelevant graduate qualifications•a quality premium for full-daycare settings that already employ or recruit at leastone employee with relevant graduate-level qualifications•training to levels 3 to 5.The CWDC was allocated £52m from the Transformation Fund to cover the costs for:developing and delivering appropriate training routes to EYP status, both for thosecurrently working in the sector and those wishing to join it in the future, and, the costsof fees, bursaries, supply cover and mentoring for those working full day and for staffin full-daycare settings and Sure Start Children’s Centres who wish to reach EYP status.Points for ReflectionLook at EYPS standard S38Reflect on the impact that the government reforms in Figure 1.2 have made onyour professional role and those of your teamWhat decisions have you made about your own or your staff professional devel-opment needs as a result of the government reforms?Why are you aspiring to become an EYP?Have you accessed the quality premium, and how are you planning to use it?Point to remember‘Leadership is linked to learning, early childhood practitioners will learn from oneanother because the leader subtly nurtures collaborative learning by acting as amodel, learner and facilitator.’ (Solly in Rodd, 2006: 7)Reforming the Early Years WorkforceThe government’s policy and aspiration to create a highly skilled workforce for the earlyyears sector is based on research evidence – for example, amongst other studies, theDfES-funded longitudinal study of Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE;Sylva et al., 2004). The study highlights the importance of providing ‘good quality stableearly education and care experiences for early childhood social, behavioural, emotional,Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 66ACHIEVING EARLY YEARS PROFESSIONAL STATUSTable 1.1Key Milestones TimelineDateMilestone eventFebruary 2006Local authorities received Transformation Fund allocation lettersMarch 2006Transformation Fund Guidance issuedApril 2006Implementation Plan for the Ten Year Strategy for ChildcareApril 2006Transformation Fund available for level 3–5 training and training to supportchildren with additional needsApril 2006General Sure Start Grant: Memorandum of Grant 2006–07April – June 2006Consultation on EYPS Standards informing the Prospectus. HEIs (and otherproviders) plan for delivery of EYPSJune 2006EYP Prospectus with agreed standards, training routes etcSeptember 2006Transformation Fund available for Quality Premiums, Recruitment Incentivesand Home Grown Graduate IncentivesFrom September 2006Pilot training for those close to EYPS on the 3 month validation pathSeptember 2006LA and Providers providing first of 6 monthly returns on Transformation FundperformanceDecember 200607–08 Transformation Fund allocations confirmedDecember 2006Changes and clarifications were made to the Transformation Fund conditionscovered in this Guidance, the confirmation of allocations letter to localauthorities on 15 December and the updated Frequently Asked QuestionsJanuary 2007First awards of EYPS conferredFrom January 2007Training for EYPS available more widely through HEIs and other trainingproviders.March/April 2007LA and Providers provide second of 6 monthly returns on TransformationFund performance.Summer/Autumn 2007CSR 2007 announcement which will determine Transformation Fund beyondAugust 2008. [Superseding Graduate Leader Fund announced]2007First biennial review of the Transformation Fund2008A higher proportion of the early years workforce in all settings qualified to atleast level 3 by 2008.August 20082006–8 initial Transformation Fund allocation ends. Future funding to bedetermined within the CSR 2007 [Graduate Leader Fund introduced April 2008with ‘in principle’ funding support from the Government through to 2015.]2010Every Children’s Centre offering early years provision has an EYP2015Every full daycare setting has an EYPSource: DCSFpsychological, physical and cognitive development and their well-being now and intheir futures’. Key EPPE findings suggest that the higher the staff qualifications, the moredevelopmental progress children make in the pre-school period.Leadership ActivityThe Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE; Sylva et al., 2004) project is thefirst major European longitudinal study of a national sample of young children’s devel-opment (intellectual and social/behavioural) between the ages of 3 and 7 years. TheReardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 7GETTING STARTED – AN INTRODUCTION TO EYPS7following website will provide you with a copy of the EPPE (Sylva et al., 2004) reporton Sure Start: www.surestart.gov.uk/research/keyresearch/eppe/ (accessed on 12April 2008).Read the EPPE (Sylva et al., 2004) report, and consider the ways in which yourknowledge and understanding underpin your own practice and leadership ofothers against the areas listed below:EPPE (2004) recommendations for workingLook at the EYPSwith 3–5 year-olds:standards:The quality of sustained shared thinkingbetween the adult and the child⇒S16The balance between adult-led andchild-initiated activities⇒S11A strong knowledge and understandingof the EYFS⇒S1Knowledge of child development andhow children learn⇒S2Development of colleagues’ skills andqualification levels⇒S38Encouragement of high levels of parental⇒S1, S29, S30, S31,engagement with their children’s learningS32Encouragement of behaviour policies wherecolleagues support behaviour managementthrough reasoning and talk⇒S17, S35The Key Elements of Effective Practice (KEEP; DfES, 2005) is informed by the EPPEstudy (sylva et al., 2004) and is significant for EYP’s leading practice as it supports thebelief that in order for children to achieve better outcomes, they need to be affordedchildcare provision that fosters secure relationships, and offers an appropriatelearning environment with high-quality teaching and learning experiences.To become an EYP, you can use the KEEP (DfES, 2005) framework as an evaluationtool as it offers an outline of the areas of knowledge, skills and understanding requiredto promote effective early years practice. Areas of effective practice offered by KEEP(DfES, 2005) include the importance of working in partnerships with parents, carers andthe wider community, as well as working with a range of multi-disciplinary professionalsReardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 88ACHIEVING EARLY YEARS PROFESSIONAL STATUSKEEP – the key elements of effective practiceEffective practice in the early years requires committed, enthusiastic and reflective practitioners with a breadth anddepth of knowledge, skills and understanding. Effective practitioners use their own learning to improve their work withyoung children and their families in ways which are sensitive, postive and non-judgemental. Therefore, through initialand ongoing training and development, practitioners need to develop, demonstrate and continuously improve their:• Understanding of the individualand diverse ways that childrendevelop and learn• Relationships withboth children andadults• Knowledge andunderstanding inorder to activelysupport and extendchildren’s learningin and across allareas and aspects• Work with otherof learningprofessionals withinand beyond thesetting• Practice in meetingall chidren’s needs,• Work with parents,learning styles andcarers and the widerinterestscommunityFigure 1.1KEEP: The Key Elements of Effective Practiceto deliver an integrated approach to services for young children and their families whichis also at the heart of the Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003b) Sure Start agenda.Leadership ActivityReview KEEP (DfES, 2005)The following website will provide you with a copy of KEEP (DfES, 2005):www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/publications/foundation_stage/keep/What knowledge and understanding do you have for each of the key elementsof effective practice in Figure 1.1?How do you use this knowledge and understanding to inform your practice andlead others?Look at the EYPSKey Elements of Effective Practice (2005):Standards:Promoting an understanding of the individual⇒S2and diverse ways that children learn?Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01:Reardon(Acheiving)-3835-01.qxp 12/19/2008 7:02 PM Page 9GETTING STARTED – AN INTRODUCTION TO EYPS9The supporting and extending of children’slearning across all the areas of the EYFS?⇒S1, S3, S6, S11, S14Meeting children’s needs, learningstyles and interests?⇒S2, S3, S7, S8, S9Working with parents and carers andthe wider community?⇒S29, S30, S31, S32Working with other professionals withinand beyond your setting?⇒S6, S33, S36Developing strong relationships withchildren and adults?⇒S25, S26, S27Early Years Regulation and InspectionAs an EYP, you will be expected to have a sound working knowledge of the nationaland local statutory and non-statutory frameworks that you work within, and at thesame time adopt a suitable leadership style that will empower your early yearscolleagues to bring about change and implement the policies and practice within yourearly years setting.Leadership Point to Remember‘Empowerment is what leaders give to their people; self-leadership is what peopledo to make empowerment work.’ (Blanchard, 2007: 107)The Childcare Act 2006 included provisions to reform the regulation and inspectionregime for childcare in England, meeting a commitment set out in the government’sten-year strategy for childcare, Choice for Parents – The best start for children (DfES,2004a). The provisions include the establishment of an early years register forchildcare for children up to the age of five and a register for childcare for childrenaged five and over (the Ofsted Childcare Register). Information specific to childcarethat is suitable for disabled children states that all provision must comply with theDisability Discrimination Act 2005. Information for providers and parents about thegovernment’s family-focused services for young disabled children and their familiesacross England is found in the government’s Early Support programme (DCSF, 2007b).The programme was developed as part of the restructuring of children’s services inresponse to the government green paper, Every Child Matters, and alongside the newDocument Outline

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