narnia Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1152510/new-graduates-with-gcse-equivalent-wont-count-in-ratios?utm_content=&utm_campaign=13.07.15%20NW%20Update&utm_source=Nursery%20World&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nurseryworld.co.uk%2Fnursery-world%2Fnews%2F1152510%2Fnew-graduates-with-gcse-equivalent-wont-count-in-ratios Where does this leave folk?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cait Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'd like to know if there are any other jobs out there that get mucked about as often as childcare workers do regarding their qualifications. I often wonder if it would be the case if it was a male dominated profession. During my years of training the goalposts to achieve what I'd set out to do altered many times and each big course I started wasn't the qualification level it was initially planned to be by the time I completed. It's thoroughly disheartening and I totally sympathise with these people who have been affected by this. Don't get me wrong, I think we should be a highly trained workforce, but you don't achieve this by constantly pulling the rug out from under our feet! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) It does only apply to those from Sept 14 - and should have been implemented better . "Staff holding qualifications started before September 2014 will still be able to practise. The new criteria and entry requirements have not been applied retrospectively. This will ensure that practitioners already holding qualifications are not disadvantaged by the changes." Everything in Early Years is a gamble, it changes before any time is allowed for it to bed in and be of any use.. I had no 2 Ofsted inspections on the same framework/ criteria since it was introduced, qualifications are changed before many are able to even finish the courses, and they wonder why everyone is so confused. (As an aside -seems I would be ok, seems my O levels from 1973 are still suitable.. ) Edited July 13, 2015 by Inge 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Argh this is ridiculous! Where does it leave those wanting to do QTS? ET get a lot of their business from potential QTS students as well as EYT students. I did my maths with them twice, first time I was 5% off the pass mark and second time 2% off I agree Inge, it really should be implemented better. It's a little confusing, however I do think that it's a good thing introducing this for students who are under taking training currently. I gained my level 3 in 1998, so as far as I can understand it doesn't affect me as such. However in order for me to progress further and be regarded as anything above a Level 3, I do need that C in maths and luckily now many adult education centres are offering it free of charge. I know that may not be an option for everyone but it's obviously recognised now that it's an advantage to have that coveted C. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I am giving up on Early Year now. I have just completed EYITTP and sat Equivalency Test only July last year. I also sat Cambridge First Certificate test which Uni could not equate, so needed on their advice to sit equivalency. I am 40 this year and to be honest I am fed up. I have a cleaner who said I am not going to work for less than £10 an hour and I need to pay her what she asks, but we - Early Years practitioners - can work for minimum wage, plus extra for free at home, and we cannot stand for ourselves! Why tube drivers can go on strike, why bus drivers can go on strike, why firefighter can go on strike but we cannot? If we all and at once close our doors at least for a week, I am sure we will be heard!!! I am disgusted of the system! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I am giving up on Early Year now. I have just completed EYITTP and sat Equivalency Test only July last year. I also sat Cambridge First Certificate test which Uni could not equate, so needed on their advice to sit equivalency. I am 40 this year and to be honest I am fed up. I have a cleaner who said I am not going to work for less than £10 an hour and I need to pay her what she asks, but we - Early Years practitioners - can work for minimum wage, plus extra for free at home, and we cannot stand for ourselves! Why tube drivers can go on strike, why bus drivers can go on strike, why firefighter can go on strike but we cannot? If we all and at once close our doors at least for a week, I am sure we will be heard!!! I am disgusted of the system! It is completely and utterly ridiculous. It makes you wonder why you bother... Maybe we should all go on strike, like you say we would be heard wouldn't we once people realise they can't get their children into preschool or nursery got the day that said we would also get the blame for Inconviencing people and them having to take a day off work blah blah blah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I doubt we will be heard unless we all go on strike. They need to understand the importance of work we do. While those clever people sitting in Parliament, who is looking after their children? Who is giving them GOOD start in their lives? Kent increased funding in 5 years from £3.90 to £3.91. Was it a joke? Would they work for £7-£7.50/h? I have masters in Economics but I scared looking at my bank account. Is there anything left to pay staff holiday pays? I am fed up with upcycling, I am embarrassed to pay my hard working staff so little, I am ashamed to say that I am an early years practitioner as people think that we only drink tea all day and wiping kids' noses and bottoms. WE ARE NOT RESPECTED! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickles37 Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 I am confused by all this, I am starting eyitt training in September but need to pass equivalents in maths, so will the new rules cause me problems xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narnia Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 check with your training provider..................and ask them to double check it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I am confused by all this, I am starting eyitt training in September but need to pass equivalents in maths, so will the new rules cause me problems xx According this article I think they probably will, as Narnia says I would check the training provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickles37 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I have just found found this link from DfE website for Eyitt and level 6, I think I have read it that a eyt will count in ratios with equivalents. http://www.education.gov.uk/eypqd/level6.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 If you read the criteria it does say at the bottom .. Practitioners who registered for a qualification from 1 September 2014 To count in the ratios at level 3, graduates must also have achieved GCSEs in English and maths at grade C or above. So it will apply to all who start training from now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 If you read the criteria it does say at the bottom .. Practitioners who registered for a qualification from 1 September 2014 To count in the ratios at level 3, graduates must also have achieved GCSEs in English and maths at grade C or above. So it will apply to all who start training from now.. Does this also mean that those undertaking a BA in EY from now hence taking them to level 6/7 and don't hold the desired grades at GCSE will be considered as a level 2? What gets me is currently there is no requirement to have these grades to undertake a level 2 or 3 course as a TA but as a TA they are more likely to be supporting up to this level of maths so surely this should be across the board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I have just found found this link from DfE website for Eyitt and level 6, I think I have read it that a eyt will count in ratios with equivalents. http://www.education.gov.uk/eypqd/level6.shtml However it does not include the Equivelncy Testing pass mark as an equivalent which makes no sense as it's pretty much the same as all the others listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pimms o'clock? Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Looks like they might be backtracking on this http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1152669/sector-wins-review-of-gcse-equivalents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 This is ludicrous!!!! We work so hard to get where we are and rather than take a year out to do a gcse course I opted to do equivalency testing Corse and passed early 2014. Where does that leave me. I now have eyps and a degree. I didn't do all this to be told it's not valid. Also if I want to teach I have to do a skills test. I feel if you have passed in the last five years why do you have to sit the skills tests. Test test test that's what it's about. So cross we all worked hard for not much more than someone on a shop, yet are still working late into the night!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 But Equivalency Test means that you passed with minimum C or am I wrong? To be honest I found Skills Tests more difficult than GCSE, so how many more tests we need to take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 But Equivalency Test means that you passed with minimum C or am I wrong? To be honest I found Skills Tests more difficult than GCSE, so how many more tests we need to take? That's right, the pass mark is the equivalence of a C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Looks like they might be backtracking on thishttp://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1152669/sector-wins-review-of-gcse-equivalents This bit gets me Ian Barron, vice-chair of the national Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network, explained earlier this week that early years initial teacher training providers, for example, can choose to accept evidence from equivalency tests, but equivalency tests will not be considered equivalent to GCSEs for the purpose of inclusion in ratios. Thus someone could legitimately qualify as an EYT [at level 6] but not be eligible for inclusion in the ratios as qualified, he said. Because obviously it's important to know your pythag from your indices when you are leading a baby room!? Most ridiculous thing I have read for a while! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Because obviously it's important to know your pythag from your indices when you are leading a baby room!? Most ridiculous thing I have read for a while! I looked here today http://www.education.gov.uk/eypqd/level6.shtml(as was advised by our sustainability officer) and could not see anything about Equivalency tests. Am I blind? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 That's right, the pass mark is the equivalence of a C. Before I sat my equivalency test I was told that papers in Equivalency tests are based on the higher level AQA English Language papers. The format is very similar to the foundation but the questions are more demanding to allow candidates to meet the criteria to achieve a GCSE grade C or above. It does not necessary means that the test was passed at grade C, it means that it was passed at grade C or above, so even if you complete the test without a single mistake it will not state A. To sit a real GCSE costs around £140, to sit Equivalency - £40-50. I have a feeling someone again wants to make some money on us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I looked here today http://www.education.gov.uk/eypqd/level6.shtml(as was advised by our sustainability officer) and could not see anything about Equivalency tests. Am I blind? Nope, you're absolutely right there is no mention of ET as in the company Equivalency Testing. Before I sat my equivalency test I was told that papers in Equivalency tests are based on the higher level AQA English Language papers. The format is very similar to the foundation but the questions are more demanding to allow candidates to meet the criteria to achieve a GCSE grade C or above. It does not necessary means that the test was passed at grade C, it means that it was passed at grade C or above, so even if you complete the test without a single mistake it will not state A. To sit a real GCSE costs around £140, to sit Equivalency - £40-50. I have a feeling someone again wants to make some money on us. With ET you won't ever get an actual grade just a pass or fail really what I mean is that the pass is classed as a C if that makes sense. If you want to get a specific grade then the GCSE will ensure that. So if you did really well in the ET and it said you got a certain percentage it will still just be a pass whereas some people may have only just scraped it and still pass. Not quite, when I first sat GSCE maths Through my LA adult education I had to pay but now it's free, I guess this makes it more accessible now for the people who need them to further their career. When I did my ET I did the full course first time and I remember it being around £150. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 This does only apply to post 2014, so anything prior to that is fine. There is nothing in the pre 2014 criteria which states the equivalences aren't equivalent. So this is only going to affect people who started their early years educator etc in 2014. It does appear they are looking again and will need to clarify before new courses start thus September. At least that's what I understand it to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroadOaks Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 As long as you can count to 10 and spell CAT what's the problem! it's becoming so stupid imo! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Not quite, when I first sat GSCE maths Through my LA adult education I had to pay but now it's free, I guess this makes it more accessible now for the people who need them to further their career. When I did my ET I did the full course first time and I remember it being around £150. I sat my ET in July last year only because there were no GCSE available at that time. I paid £50 for ET but was told by other test providers that GCSE was on average £140 to pay. So this is only going to affect people who started their early years educator etc in 2014. I started my course last September :-( and have successfully completed this month :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Just to stick my oar in lol - there is nothing to say that we can't strike, it would need to be co-ordinated really well. We could ask for a rise in EEF, zero rating for VAT and the EYT to be recognised as QTS seeing as we have to do exactly the same as a 'teacher' who is deemed a 'professional'. Obviously we could use our 'play time' to design our marching banners! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oksana1975 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Taffygirl I like your idea! Maybe you need to start a new thread? But you are right that it needs to be coordinated, we need to act collaboratively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.