

I did my EYPS; but what does it mean?

(31 Posts)
KatyMac Thu 23-May-13 21:12:44

Is it QTS?

Am I an EY Teacher?

Do I have to do more training? I don't understand what's going on with it all

HSMMaCM Thu 23-May-13 21:18:46

From September I think we're EYTs. I think technically we can teach in a reception class (but no one would hire us, because it's not QTS).

I think ........

KatyMac Thu 23-May-13 21:25:30

The Gov seems to keep changing it's mind sad

OddBoots Thu 23-May-13 21:32:58

I think, in general terms, the government have really messed this one up, equal to EY teacher but not an EY teacher is a nonsense.

For you personally, what was your aim when you started the EYP course?

KatyMac Thu 23-May-13 21:34:32

Well in 2008 (I think) the Gov said by 2013/2015 all setting needed to have a degree qualified member of staff

I finished my degree by Jan 12 so I did the EYPS because I thought I might learn something

OddBoots Thu 23-May-13 21:43:53

I'm still hopeful that they'll change it to QTS (EYPS) or something, possibly with a brief conversion course. Not that it'll make much difference to those in non-school settings, the LEAs just don't have funds for a professional wage.

KatyMac Thu 23-May-13 21:56:13

That would be lovely (apart from the conversion course bit)

I wish I had learnt something tbh

grabaspoon Thu 23-May-13 22:14:01

I think the EYP is now defunct and is NOT equivelant to the EYT - I am on the foundation degree and in order to become an EYT you need to do maths/english test then a 1 year degree in EYT.

KatyMac Thu 23-May-13 22:17:22

But if that is true how is it fair

When I started it was to make me a 'proper teacher'

OddBoots Thu 23-May-13 22:20:47

Graduate leaders in Early Years: Early Years Professional Status

"Those who hold EYPS will continue to be valued as graduate leaders and those who have gained EYPS will be recognised as the equivalent of Early Years teachers."

KatyMac Thu 23-May-13 22:23:02

Is that equivalent but not quite as good as?

OddBoots Thu 23-May-13 22:27:39

Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to this government, they could actually mean equivalent or it could be a meaningless platitude.

MrsPotato Thu 23-May-13 22:45:41


I feel so negative about doing my EYPS now. I worked so hard to get it and now something new and seemingly equally as useless is replacing it.

Will there ever be place in Early Years for qualified, skilled, experienced graduates who are paid accordingly?

The only solution seems to be to gain QTS but I don't want to work with 3-8 year olds and I don't want to work in a school. And I want to be paid more than minimum wage!

HSMMaCM Fri 24-May-13 09:12:26

So none of us know them! If I had known about the change I would have waited a year and done EYT instead of EYP. I don't want to spend another year doing a pgce and taking unpaid time off work, to work in a school, to gain QTS. I want my EYP to be converted to EYT.

MeiMeiMeiMei Fri 24-May-13 21:28:17

EYPs will be called Early Years Teachers from September but, as said upthread, will not have QTS. The EYTs who will have QTS are those starting training this September to teach 3-8 year olds.

Bear in mind that schools that become academies can hire unqualified staff (i.e. without QTS) to teach Reception if they want to.

KatyMac Sat 25-May-13 12:38:09

The problem is it's so difficult to change people perceptions

MeiMeiMeiMei Sun 26-May-13 08:27:22

Indeed. When the More Great Childcare proposals were released, MNetters were falling over themselves to say they weren't bothered about having properly trained staff to look after their babies/toddlers; they just wanted girls who could feed, change nappies and give them cuddles.

Cloverer Sun 26-May-13 19:07:57

EYPs are considered equivalent to Early Years Teachers but they are not the same - EYPs are not automatically becoming EYTs as the entry requirements are slightly different.

Early Years Teachers (birth to 5) are also not equivalent to Early Years Primary Teachers (3-7) and do not have QTS.

NomDeClavier Sun 26-May-13 19:23:24

Well I'd rather have enough unqualified people to do everything than too few qualified people, but that has nothing to do with the EYT debate.

It's shocking how the Govt just plans to call people teachers, ad insist on essentially the same level of postgrad training, but won't give QTS. Valuing the EY workforce my arse.

KatyMac Sun 26-May-13 20:06:54

Well as an EYP I work with 1:3 or maybe 1:4 occasionally & I can't agree enough staff is the most important/vital need

But untrained/unqualified to just cuddle, feed & change - I'm also not keen.

OddBoots Wed 29-May-13 12:56:34

By this tweet specifying teachers (and re-tweeted by the DofE) I'm not entirely sure the government knows exactly what is what with EY qualifications.

Now @trussliz & I are introducing new Apprenticeships for early years teachers too

OddBoots Wed 29-May-13 12:58:06

Sorry, for clarification I mean they say it is for teachers but the link is only to train from GCSE qualified to level 3 early years educators.

insancerre Thu 30-May-13 07:53:22

I think the idea is to rebrand the most highly qualified in the early years sector as early years teachers
and the rest as early years educators

IdealHomeHouseBeautifulLivinge Thu 30-May-13 10:41:24

you will need a degree to be an EYT but only those trained to teach 3-8 year olds will get QTS. So if you have a degree but are trained to teach 0-3 you will be called a teacher but not have QTS.

The government has spent a lot of money training EYPs, including giving out bursaries, and I think this is a smack down to all those who got degrees and EYPS. It's not want Prof Cathy Nutbrown recommended at all.

nannynick Sun 02-Jun-13 15:15:38

Can I ask if those of you who have done EYPS feel it has made you a better child carer? If so, how has it done that?

Government is saying that they want childcare workers to be higher qualified but is someone with an EYPS really all that much better than someone with say a Level 3 Diploma and many years experience? Whilst many of those with EYPS will have lots of experience as well, could it be possible to fast-track onto courses such that there is little time actually spent working with children, thus resulting in people with higher qualifications but lacking the general knowledge gained from experience?

HSMMaCM Sun 02-Jun-13 18:31:47

I think mine has made me a more reflective practitioner, but not necessarily any better at caring for the children than many childminders I know, with years of experience. There were people who attended some of the same lectures as me, who were on the long pathway and had degrees in something irrelevant and had only just started their first job in nurseries, so I'm not sure that they would automatically be better than someone with years of experience.

However ... I also know people with years of experience and loads of relevant qualifications who are useless grin.

KatyMac Sun 02-Jun-13 18:44:40

Nope, no way, Nick

I was reflective before; all I learnt is how much I knew & how much more I wanted to learn; I learnt no new facts or methodologies

& it scares me that a degree in Law or Engineering can be 'topped up' with virtually no practical experience.......I know my degree was in Change Management and Systems Thinking but tbh it was my years of experience that enabled the EYPS not my degree

But then the reason I did Change Management and Systems Thinking ws because of being a reflective practitioner....iyswim

HalfSpamHalfBrisket Sun 02-Jun-13 18:57:28

I did EYPS in the 2nd year it was available... (and I do actually have a degree in engineering grin). It was sold to me at the time as 'equivalent' to QTS, with changes coming in to improve the payscale - a way to get highly qualified graduates into the childcare sector.
When it became glaringly obvious that it was:
(1) just a way to get rid of having to pay teachers in some nurseries (where an expensive teacher could be replaced with an EYP); and
(2) there was no intention or indeed funds to have 'payscales' like teachers, I cut my losses and signed up for a PGCE Early Years.

After 5 years, I'm on £30K+. I would still be on probably ~15K if I'd stayed in a nursery.

Get a PGCE, stick to the state sector, and work in either reception or an LA-run nursery/school with a foundation stage unit. Then you get to work wth the age group you like but also get paid properly.

HalfSpamHalfBrisket Sun 02-Jun-13 19:27:26

Hmmm. Reading the DOfE site from the links upthread, it appears that it is 'meaningless platitudes' (nice phrase OddBoots), exactly as it was when I did my EYPS - lots of "oh..this will be clarified later..."

So you get to train in as a much depth as a teacher, call yourself a teacher, but not get paid as a teacher (with salary prgression etc) or be employed on the same contract terms as a teacher.

debduck Tue 04-Jun-13 16:32:55

From what I can gather Nannynick, EYPS/EYT is practice based and evidence is gathered to portfolio. Many year's experience doenst give you the depth and breadth of what is needed, ie: working for 30 years in a private nursery in a mainly white suburban setting will not give experience of the diverse society we actually live in.

insancerre Wed 05-Jun-13 07:26:22

Debduck, that's why you need to study for a degree before you do it (in my case anyway)
I didn't learn anything new on my EYP course, for me it was about validating my already good practice.
To get it I had to show i was already meeting all the standards, across the age ranges and more than once. I had to get witness statements from other people to validate it too.
So, it is a little bit more than just collating things to a portfolio. It involved interviews with my assessor where I had to demonstarte my knowledge and experience.
It has made a difference to me, I have got a better job, more responsibility, and more importantly, more money.

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