Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Skills Funding Agency about allowing functional skills in English and mathematics to be permitted on the Early Years Educator Programme from April 2017.

The current GCSE English and Maths requirements for early years educator (EYE) staff at level 3 have been broadened to include level 2 functional skills alongside other suitable qualifications. This is in response to the government consultation on the literacy and numeracy requirements for EYE staff and as part of the early years workforce strategy. The Skills Funding Agency will amend the apprenticeship funding rules, the Hub and the ILR validation rules so that anyone who started an early years apprenticeship on or after 1 September 2014 can now meet English and Maths requirements through the achievement of level 2 functional skills or other suitable qualifications.