Early Years Initial
Teacher Training
programme 2014
September 2013
Contents
Early Years Teachers
3
Employment of Early Years Teachers
3
Early Years Initial Teacher Training
4
Entry requirements
4
Skills tests
4
Early Years Initial Teacher Training delivery from September 2014
5
Requirements for delivery of Early Years ITT courses leading to the award of EYTS
6
Currently accredited ITT providers
6
Organisations not currently accredited to deliver ITT
6
Routes to Early Years Teacher Status
7
Duration of training
8
Funding
9
NCTL funded routes
9
NCTL non-funded routes
9
Distribution of funding
10
Allocations
12
The scoring mechanism
12
2
Early Years Teachers
Early Years Teachers will be specialists in early childhood development and will have
Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) reflecting the specialist role that they have in working
with babies and children from birth to five years old.
Early Years Teachers make the education and care of babies and children their first
concern. They are accountable for achieving the highest possible standards in their
professional practice and conduct.
Early Years Teachers act with integrity and honesty. They have strong early development
knowledge, keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date and are self-critical. Early Years
Teachers recognise that the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curricula follow the Early
Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in a continuum. They forge positive professional
relationships and work with parents and/or carers in the best interests of babies and
children.
Early Years Teacher Status is awarded to graduates who have been judged to have met
all of the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) in practice from birth to five years old. The
Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) support the training, assessment and award of Early
Years Teacher Status. Early Years Teacher Status will be seen as the equivalent of
Qualified Teacher Status.
Employment of Early Years Teachers
The Government wants to give more autonomy to head teachers so that they can decide
who is best qualified and suited to teach in their schools. Early Years Teachers will be
specialists in birth to five years old and will be ideally placed to fulfil the needs of
employers in private and independent settings and schools to provide high quality
education and care for babies and young children. Settings and schools areable to take
advantage of changes introduced in September 2013 that mean that headteachers will
have even more flexibility and freedom on pay and will be able to place staff on the most
appropriate point on the relevant pay scales.
3
Early Years Initial Teacher Training
Early Years Initial Teacher Training (Early Years ITT) is the training and assessment of
Early Years Teachers against the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) which were
published in July 2013.These build on the Early Years Professional Status Standards and
operate in parallel with the Teachers’ Standards. Successful trainees will be awarded
Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).
Entry requirements
More great childcare highlighted the focus on increasing the quality of the workforce and
improving the status of those working with young children. To do this we have aligned the
entry criteria with those for teachers working with children in the primary school age
phase.
All accredited Early Years ITT providers must ensure all of the following:

That all entrants have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade C in the GCSE
examinations in English, mathematics and a science subject.

That, in the case of graduate programmes of Early Years ITT, all entrants hold a
first degree of a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent
qualification1.

That all entrants, as part of the provider's selection procedures, have taken part in
a rigorous selection process designed to assess their suitability to teach.

That all entrants beginning Early Years ITT on or after 1 August 2014 have passed
the professional skills tests prior to entry.
Skills tests
The professional skills tests for trainee teachers are intended to ensure all teachers have
a good grounding in the use of numeracy and literacy in the wider context of the
professional role of the teacher, regardless of their specialism or intended teaching age
range. The same expectations have to be met by all candidates, regardless of their
previous qualifications.
NCTL will pay for the first tests undertaken in numeracy and literacy. If candidates do not
achieve the pass mark and wish to retake the tests they will have to pay for the additional
attempts at £19.50 per test.
1
A first degree comprises 300 HE credit points of which 60 must be at a level 6 of the QCF. Applicants with a foundation degree will need to
supplement this qualification with at least 60 credits at level 6 (HE level 3) in order to attain an equivalent qualification.
4
Early Years Initial Teacher Training delivery from
September 2014
The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) currently accredits providers
to deliver Initial Teacher Training leading to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).
The intention is to align Early Years ITT with ITT leading to QTS.
It makes sense to locate Early Years ITT with good and outstanding providers of ITT and
draw on the quality assurance processes in place. This allows expertise to be shared and
is an efficient use of resources. Accreditation enables NCTL to allocate training places to
the highest quality providers and according to government priorities, on a year-by-year
basis.
Early Years ITT will lead to the award of Early Years Teacher Status conferred by NCTL.
NCTL will only award Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) to trainees who have
undertaken training delivered by an accredited ITT provider.
From September 2014 onwards, accreditation covers the delivery of ITT for both QTS
and EYTS provision. Accredited organisations will however need to express an interest in
delivering Early Years ITT and bid for an allocation of places for this award.
An organisation that is not an accredited provider can deliver training in a partnership
arrangement led by a currently accredited ITT provider.
All information updates will be published on our website
www.education.gov.uk/earlyyearsteacher
If you have any queries, you can email us at
EarlyYearsTeachers.NCTL@education.gsi.gov.uk.
More information about accreditation is available here.
5
Requirements for delivery of Early Years ITT courses
leading to the award of EYTS
Currently accredited ITT providers
The government's ambition is for a high quality graduate led early years workforce. ITT
providers will play an important part in meeting this ambition and therefore we need to
ensure that those providers with the best ratings are delivering training.
Accreditation in itself does not confer an allocation of places. All currently accredited
ITT providers with ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted ratings will be able to bid for places
to deliver Early Years ITT following submission of an expression of interest.
Organisations not currently accredited to deliver ITT
Potential new providers (PNP) of ITT are required to secure accreditation in order to
deliver courses that lead to a recommendation for qualified teacher status (QTS) and
Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). Potential new providers must be able to deliver at
least one programme leading to the award of QTS and will be able to seek places for
delivery from September 2015 at the earliest.
To participate in training delivery for September 2014, those organisations not currently
accredited to deliver ITT can work in partnership with any currently accredited ITT
provider to deliver courses leading to the award of Early Years Teacher Status. NCTL do
not prescribe how partnerships should work but there must be a lead provider. NCTL
would expect there to be a partnership agreement between the accredited ITT provider
and its partners setting out the roles and responsibilities of each partner.
Further details about the accreditation process can be accessed here.
6
Routes to Early Years Teacher Status
There will be four routes to Early Years Teacher Status.


A mainstream HEI graduate entry route.
An undergraduate entry route, through an early childhood related degree blended
with Early Years Teacher Status
 An employment based graduate route to encourage employer engagement.
 An assessment only route
NCTL anticipate allocating approximately 2,000 trainees per annum across all four
routes.(see allocation section)
An undergraduate route is in place for practitioners to progress. Undergraduate access
programmes will support those with a Foundation Degree to complete their degree and
move onto the graduate employment based training routes or the full time HEI graduate
route whichever is most appropriate.These places will not be allocated by NCTL and do
not confer the award of EYTS.
Graduate Entry
(Mainstream)
Undergraduate
Entry
Assessment
only
Undergraduate
completing a
degree in an
Early Childhood
related subject
including EYTS.
12 months
b)
Graduate
newly recruited
to an early years
setting to
undertake ITT
(EYTS) through
an employment
based route.
12 months
Graduate with
experience of
working with
children from
birth to five and
able to
demonstrate the
Teachers’
Standards (Early
Years) without
further training
e.g. overseas
EY teachers.
3 years
3 months
(Part time )
(Part time )
(full time)
Graduate
undertaking ITT
(Early Years
Teacher Status)
through a
mainstream
academic route.
Description
of typical
trainee
Normal
duration
Graduate entryemployment
based
a)
Graduate
in an early years
setting who
requires training
and further
experience to
demonstrate the
Teachers’
Standards (Early
Years)
7
Duration of training
The training programmes for September 2014 onwards will be tailored to the needs of the
trainees. Where trainees require further training to enable them to demonstrate the
Teachers’ Standards (Early Years), training providers will be able to extend the training.
Conversely there may be some trainees that do not require the normal duration of
training and will undertake a shorter training programme.
8
Funding
We want to encourage more high quality graduates to work with young children. We also
want employers to benefit from the quality improvement and the flexibility that employing
a highly trained graduate can bring.
The funding reflects the demands of the new Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) and the
likely time needed for the training. All trainees will for example need to show how they
understand the continuum of curricula and teaching in key stage 1 and 2. Those trainees
who consider they are able to demonstrate the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) in their
practice without recourse to the comprehensive training provided through these routes
will be able to access the Assessment Only route.
NCTL funded routes
NCTL funding will be available to support:


Graduate entry (mainstream HEI) route. Funding will cover training grants for
courses fees along with bursaries for trainees with high academic achievement (a
first class degree or a 2.1). Bursary levels for academic year 2014/15 will be
communicated in due course.
Graduate employment-based route. Funding will cover an employer incentive
encouraging a move to an employer demand-led model of delivery. The current
funding for School Direct Primary is £14,000 and the funding for the employer
incentive has been set at the same level. This funding could be used to pay all
training course fees and could also include supply cover or salary enhancement
for example.
NCTL non-funded routes
 Undergraduate entry route funding may be accessed by eligible trainees through
fee-loans via Student Finance England (SFE). Trainees will be liable for the
repayment of course fees.
 Assessment only route is a self-funded route.
An undergraduate route is in place for practitioners to progress. Undergraduate access
programmes will support those with a Foundation Degree to complete their degree and
move onto the graduate employment based training routes or the full time HEI graduate
route whichever is most appropriate. There is no NCTL funding for this programme.
9
Distribution of funding
Funding
method
Graduate entry
(Mainstream)
Description of
typical trainee
Graduate
undertaking ITT
(Early Years
Teacher Status
-EYTS) through
a mainstream
academic route.
Post Graduate
Training Grant
Bursary to
candidate if
degree
classification
achieved*
Incentive to
employer
£7,000
1st Class
Degree
Graduate
entryemployment
based
a) Graduate in
an early years
setting who
requires training
and further
experience to
demonstrate the
Teachers’
Standards
(Early Years)
Undergraduate
entry
Assessment
only
Undergraduate
completing a
degree in an
Early Childhood
related subject
including EYTS.
b) Graduate
newly recruited
to an early
years setting to
undertake ITT
(EYTS) through
an employment
based route.
-
Graduate with
experience of
working with
children from
birth to five
and able to
demonstrate
the Teachers’
Standards
(Early Years)
without further
training e.g.
overseas EY
teachers.
-
-
-
-
-
£14,000
-
-
2:1 Degree
-
*Please note - Bursary levels for academic year 2014/15; this will be communicated
in due course.
NCTL funding is drawn down by accredited ITT providers for graduate routes per trainee.
For the Graduate entry mainstream route the funding is distributed to the training
provider to cover training grants for courses fees along with bursaries which are passed
on to trainees with high academic achievement (a first class degree or a 2.1). Bursary
levels for academic year 2014/15 will be communicated in due course.
For the Graduate employment based route, this funding is distributed to the training
provider initially to cover the training fee. The remaining funding is then transferred to the
early years employer for example to pay supply cover, enhance salary and support the
trainee.
10
Funding for the undergraduate entry route may be accessed by eligible trainees
through fee-loans via Student Finance England (SFE). Trainees will be liable for the
repayment of course fees.
Currently accredited ITT providers may accept trainees that wish to self-fund, but NCTL
will only award EYTS to trainees who have undertaken training delivered by accredited
providers.
The decisions on how funded places will be allocated will be made via the allocations
methodology.
11
Allocations
NCTL will maintain an overview of places to ensure that there is sufficient numbers of
trained Early Years Teachers to meet demand and that training is of a high quality. NCTL
will only award EYTS to trainees who have undertaken training delivered by accredited
providers. This includes the undergraduate route.
There are limited funded places and NCTL cannot guarantee that every accredited
organisation that requests an allocation of funded places will receive them. Providers will
need to balance the risk and decide whether it is worthwhile for their organisation to
deliver ITT programmes regardless of the route. Future demand and/or allocations
cannot be guaranteed. Allocation of places will be undertaken on an annual basis.
For September 2014 allocations, accredited providers will be required to submit
qualitative evidence based on the allocations criteria to support their request for Early
Years ITT places.
The scoring mechanism
The Allocation Selection Criteria for the Early Years ITT trainee places will consider:




Provider quality
Demonstrated links to support increasing employer-led provision
Previous performance in recruitment and employment
Trainee quality – success retention and completion
Cohort size
To inform decisions, each area of the Allocation Selection Criteria will be weighted.
Evidence submitted to support accredited providers’ applications is scored. This will
range from 4 (Excellent) to zero (Unsatisfactory).
Funding decisions can only be determined after applications for places and supporting
evidence have been received. Accredited providers may choose to apply for unfunded
places only.
12
© Crown copyright 2013
You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or
medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence or email
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain
permission from the copyright holders concerned.
Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at
www.education.gov.uk/contactus.
This document is available for download at www.gov.uk/government/publications and
www.education.gov.uk/earlyyearsteacher.
13