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The Key To Providing High-Quality Early Education Is Well-Trained And Qualified Professionals

PACEY’s second Building Blocks survey reveals a sector that’s highly experienced and increasingly well-qualified, but further investment is needed, says Liz Bayram

Liz Bayram
by Liz Bayram
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Building Blocks is the largest annual sector-wide survey open to all early years and childcare professionals working in England, from childminders to nannies to staff working in schools, nurseries, preschools and playgroups. Addressing a wide range of issues affecting the childcare and early years workforce, it provides a regular health check on the state of the sector.

We know the early years profession is fluid, and that people move in and out of different, related roles throughout their career, but this latest research proves that individuals are staying in the sector for the long haul. Just under a third of respondents (32%) reported having worked in childcare/early years for 20 years or more.

But perhaps one of the most striking findings from the survey is the significant impact that qualifications and continuing professional development (CPD) have on everyday practice and confidence for professionals in all types of settings. It’s evident that early years professionals are really seeing the benefit of qualifications.

Boosting quality and confidence

The Building Blocks research indicates that gaining early years qualifications and undertaking CPD has a significant impact on not only everyday practice but also confidence across all types of settings.

The statistics show that professionals in ‘outstanding’ settings are nearly 10% more likely to have undertaken 20 hours or more of CPD per year. Plus they are also around 10% more likely to have a degree-level qualification, putting a direct correlation between quality of setting and qualifications and commitment to CPD.

Early years specialists agree that the key to providing high-quality childcare and early education is well-trained and qualified professionals. In England, the quality and qualifications of the childcare and early years workforce are steadily improving and 91% of early years registered providers are now ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ according to Ofsted.

Our research shows clearly that childcare and early years professionals find their work highly rewarding and are motivated to improve through gaining qualifications and CPD. But CPD has an even more pronounced influence: 83% of those we questioned cited an improvement in everyday practice and 74% said it improved their confidence.

Career development

The survey results do reveal divisions – professionals in non-domestic settings are much more likely to perceive the benefits of both qualifications and CPD than childminders, particularly when it comes to the impact on others’ recognition of their professionalism, career and confidence.

Around half of respondents reported that qualifications and CPD improve others’ recognition of their professionalism (53% for qualifications and 48% for CPD) and just under half also reported an improvement in career (48% for qualifications and 41% for CPD). Sadly, however, the impact of qualifications and CPD is far less marked on income; under a third (30%) reported that qualifications improve income, and for CPD the figure is only 14%.

Despite this, just under half (47%) said their highest qualification was a full Level 3 or Level 4, and only 7% of respondents reported not holding any sector-related qualifications. Professionals from non-domestic settings were significantly more likely to hold a degree-level qualification than those from childminding settings (51% vs 15%).

Committed to CPD

Training is also essential to high-quality practice, and nearly half of all respondents had committed to more than 20 hours of CPD over the last year. But more needs to be done to incentivise people by making it more affordable and more accessible. With practitioners working long hours, being able to afford the luxury of time to undertake CPD is a key issue for the workforce.

But it’s extremely encouraging to see that the sector recognises the importance of CPD; in fact a quarter favoured converting CPD into higher qualifications over time. Specialist training is also proving more popular, especially in the areas of children with SEN; the Prevent duty; and speech and language.

Rewarding roles

Despite the turbulent times, and the sector’s diversity, the Building Blocks survey shows that early years professionals still have a great deal in common, including similar levels of experience, a strong commitment to continuous improvement, and very high levels of job satisfaction.

A career in childcare is fulfilling: nearly all (96%) professionals report that they find working in childcare and early years rewarding, and the vast majority (80%) report they plan to still be working in childcare and early years in 12 months’ time.

But there’s more that can be done. Partnership working between schools and early years settings is on the rise, but in the wake of 30 hours, it’s imperative that we improve the quality of these partnerships and increase the involvement of childminding settings. Just over a third of early years professionals said schools were not willing to work with them – something that clearly needs to change.

This year Building Blocks has shown clearly that childcare providers are investing in their careers through their time, commitment and furthering their knowledge. So now it’s time for the government and local authorities to really show their support, by investing in the exceptional workforce that we have.

In figures

Key findings from the Building Blocks survey

32% of early years professionals have worked in the sector for 20 years or more
96% of professionals report that they find working in childcare and early years rewarding
83% of childcare providers cited an improvement in everyday practice as a result of CPD; 74% said it improved their confidence
53% of respondents reported that qualifications improve others’ recognition of their professionalism

Liz Bayram, Chief Executive, Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). PACEY offers a range of training options for early years professionals working in nurseries and home-based settings. For further information, visit pacey.org.uk.

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