Education Bill

My Lords, like the noble Earl, we are committed to a diverse and high-quality early years sector. The department will be publishing its foundation years policy statement later this summer and, as we discussed earlier today, it is currently consulting on a revised EYFS framework following Dame Clare’s review, which will set out our proposals to build on existing requirements relating to qualifications and training for childcare providers. The early years foundation stage, we think, outlines staff qualification requirements that are proportionate and encourage suitably qualified staff into the early years sector. Nursery managers, for example, require at least a full and relevant level 3 qualification, equivalent to A-level, and at least 2 years’ experience of managing an early years setting or other suitable experience of working with children. We have seen steady progress in recent years in the skills of the early education and childcare workforce, with over 70 per cent now qualified to level 3. In her report, however, Dame Clare Tickell noted the need to reduce the complexity and burdens of the existing framework, and to recognise the sector’s growing capacity to take on more responsibility for its own quality and standards. It is ultimately employers who have the strongest interest in ensuring the best possible skills and qualifications among their staff and in ensuring that the most effective arrangements are in place. I am sure that many noble Lords would agree that improving the quality of early education and childcare is not just about the level of staff qualifications because it is also supported by the wealth of dedicated, experienced staff in the sector with on-the-job experience, which in some roles can be as important as formal qualifications. The Government agree that there should be opportunities for professional development to improve practitioners’ confidence and enable them to acquire specialist skills and knowledge. The EYFS is very clear that all settings should provide their staff with opportunities for continuing professional development. We will be saying more in the foundation years statement which I referred to earlier. So far as the noble Earl’s point about supervision is concerned, Dame Clare highlighted in her review that we need to be clearer about what supervision means in practice. We have reflected this in the revised EYFS framework which was published for consultation on 6 July. The EYFS already requires staff who are managers or leaders to have a level 3 qualification and at least half of all other staff working with a group of children must also have a level 2 qualification that is five GCSEs or equivalent. We are retaining those requirements in that consultation. We are particularly keen that employers should support their staff to gain qualifications designed for those working with children; for example, the new level 2 certificate and the level 3 diploma in early learning and care. The noble Earl asked about monitoring, and I will ask Ofsted, which is responsible for monitoring childcare providers, to contact him. Perhaps we can, through Ofsted, follow up the points that were raised. I hope that those comments give the noble Earl some reassurance about our plans which, like many things we have been discussing in this Committee, are moving on outside the Bill on a number of fronts. I agree with him about the importance of the arguments he makes. In the light of that, I hope that he will feel able to withdraw his amendment.