Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) is a Level 6 qualification that gives professional status for practitioners in England at the Early Years Foundation Stage (ages 0 – 5), which is intended to be broadly equivalent to
Qualified Teacher Status (ages 5 – 18). Introduced by the British government in 2007, via the Children's Workforce Development Council, EYPS courses require a degree, and include an assessment in an early years setting – either a placement or within the trainee's own early years workplace. In Scotland the Childhood Practice Award (either a professional development award, a practice based ordinary degree or a post-graduate diploma) similarly requires those who lead and manage Early Years (In Scotland Childhood Practice incorporates all those working in non-compulsory children's services 0–16).
The original idea saw that by 2010, all early years children's centres in England (of which there are nearly 3000) will be required to have at least one Early Years Professional (EYP), and by 2015, all full daycare settings will be required to have at least one,
['']The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'', 28 April 2009
The poor professionals
/ref> which will require 20,000 EYPs.['']The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'', 7 August 2008
Under-fives have almost no male teachers
/ref>
In 2013, Early Years Professional Status was replaced by Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). The numbers of people undertaking training is falling each year. There is little financial or business incentive (beyond the training fees paid, and funds paid to settings) for anyone to undertake the qualification due to the limited government funding of Early Years.
In early 2009, there were more than 2,500 graduate-level EYPs and a further 2,400 in training in 35 higher education institutions.[ In Scotland, since 2011, it is a registration requirement with SSSC (Scottish Social Service Council) that all leaders and managers who are in charge of EY centres, nurseries or family centres must have a Level 9 qualification ( SCQF) which is equivalent to an ordinary degree.
Pay within the Early Years sector is however is often only half that of a Newly Qualified Teacher, often paid little more than minimum wage.
]
See also
* Qualified Teacher Status
* Childhood Practice
References
External links
* Children's Workforce Development Council
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
Early Years Professional Status
EYPS.info
Early childhood education in the United Kingdom
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