Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what incentives are in place for teachers to achieve early-years teaching status rather than qualified teaching status.

Early years teachers are specialists in early childhood development, trained to lead education and care for children from birth to five years. The department believes the status of Early Years Teachers is an important matter. We value the work that Early Years Teachers do and are looking at ways to continue to raise their status and recognition amongst employers and parents.

Early Years Teachers are graduates responsible for organising and leading high quality practice in early years settings and have an understanding of the educational continuum through Key Stages 1 and 2. Individuals with QTS are able to teach all age ranges, however, the award of qualified teacher status does not guarantee any particular promotion opportunities. It is for schools to decide which staff to promote. Due to the diverse nature of the early years sector, staffing structures vary greatly and there is no single career path for early years teachers. We are considering, as part of the development of an early years workforce strategy, how government can support the sector to create career paths that help staff maximise their potential and forge a successful career within early years.

The workforce strategy will consider and look to build on action the government already takes to attract quality staff into the early years, including the £7,000 of funding we provide to cover course fees, and bursaries of up to £5,000 for eligible trainees. We also currently support employers to help with staff training by contributing £7,000 for costs incurred by the employer.