Social workers play a crucial role and provide essential support to children and families facing a wide range of challenges, from poverty and mental health issues to domestic abuse and dealing with disabilities.
There are several fully-funded entry routes into a career in social work which allow you to train for free and earn a wage while you get the qualifications you need.
Here’s everything you need to know.
If you’re interested in improving the mental and emotional well-being of families, preventing crises, protecting children, and supporting parents, then a career in social work could be for you.
Child and family social workers work to understand the unique circumstances and challenges that families face and develop tailored care plans to support them.
Read more about the role of a social worker via the National Careers Service.
To be a social worker, you must be registered with Social Work England.
There are a range of different pathways to getting registered and becoming a child and family social worker, and several of these are fully funded.
Through an apprenticeship, you’ll earn a wage while gaining valuable on-the-job experience and working towards a recognised qualification in social work.
Apprenticeships in social work are available at different levels, allowing you to enter the profession at the right career stage for you. Eligibility requirements will depend on which apprenticeship you are applying for.
A degree apprenticeship in social work is now available, allowing you to earn a degree while gaining on-the-job experience. On completion, you will register with Social Work England as a qualified social worker.
Follow this link to find an apprenticeship in social work.
Step Up to Social Work is a fully funded 14-month, full-time programme.
If you want to become a child and family social worker and already have a degree but not in social work, you can train through this route.
Trainees on the Step Up to Social Work course gain real social work experience, knowledge and skills, in combination with academic study.
There are no tuition fees to pay, and trainees also receive a bursary.
To apply to the programme, you’ll need to have:
This is a fast-track course which means participants qualify after 14 months and will be able to register with Social Work England.
Read more about Step Up to Social Work here.
The Frontline programme is a fully-funded fast track to Social Work programme. At the end of the first year, participants will receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work and can register as a social worker in England.
Participants can study towards a master’s degree in social work while working with children and families, combining academic study with practical experience.
In their first year, trainees receive a bursary to contribute to living and travel costs, and typically go on to be employed and earn a salary in years two and three.
You can find out more about Frontline and apply here.
Average salaries start at £27,000 a year for a newly qualified social worker and can rise to above £40,000.
To support social workers early in their career, we’re also introducing a new framework which will give them the best start in the job.
Social workers can also access fully funded training programmes throughout their career. Explore these using a new tool for social workers looking to develop their careers.
]]>We’re making the biggest investment by a UK government into childcare in history, doubling the amount we expect to spend over the next few years from around £4 billion to around £8 billion each year.
Applications are open until 31 March for eligible working parents of 2-year-olds to receive 15 hours free childcare starting from April 2024.
From 1 April, eligible working parents whose children will be 2 or older by the 31 August, can apply to receive 15 hours childcare starting from September 2024.
And from 12 May, eligible working parents whose children will be aged between 9- and 23-months old on 31st August, can apply to receive 15 hours childcare starting from September 2024.
It’s important to remember that codes need to be renewed every three months, so parents applying close to 12 May will need to renew their code prior to the offer starting in September.
You apply online here on Gov.uk once you have checked our eligibility criteria.
You’ll need to make sure you have the following information to hand before starting the application:
You may find out if you’re eligible straight away, but it can take up to 7 days.
Once your application has been approved, you’ll get a code to give to your childcare provider.
Eligible parents are also able to access Tax-Free Childcare through the same application system. You can apply for Tax-Free Childcare at any time. However, you don't need to apply for Tax-Free Childcare to be eligible to apply for the 15 hours childcare scheme.
Once you receive your code, you’ll need to take it to your childcare provider, along with your National Insurance number and your child’s date of birth.
Your childcare provider will process the code to provide your place.
Places will be available for September in every area of the country, but a significant minority of settings hold waiting lists of over six months. If you have a preferred nursery for September, you should reach out now to secure a place for your child ahead of receiving your code.
Your local authority can provide support for finding a government-funded place in your area.
Parents must reconfirm that they are still eligible for Tax-Free Childcare every 3 months.
Parents who are already claiming Tax-Free Childcare and need to reconfirm their eligibility between 1 April and 12 May will be automatically issued a code in the post from HMRC soon after the 12 May.
This is to ensure every parent can give their code to their provider in good time. This code will be valid to apply for 15 hours of government-funded childcare from September.
No. Both codes will be valid.
A parent who is already using the childcare service for another child can add a new child to their account at any time.
Your reconfirmation cycle for your current Tax-Free Childcare will not affect this.
Parents that have a preferred place for September should reach out now to their local provider to secure a physical place for their child ahead of time.
To make sure there are enough places available, we’re investing over £400 million in 2024-25 to increase the hourly rates paid to local authorities.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has independently reported that the average funding rates for two-year-olds and under 2s paid by government from April 2024 are projected to be substantially higher than the market rate paid by parents last year, and we have committed to further increases to provider rates for the next two years.
We have also committed to increasing hourly funding rates over the next two years by an estimated £500 million, to make sure providers can increase places at each phase of the rollout.
]]>Going to university is a fun and exciting time for most students – but it comes with unique challenges and stresses. We believe that all students’ mental health and wellbeing should be properly supported during their time at university.
There is a range of mental health support available to students, from online mental health and wellbeing platform Student Space to counselling and one-to-one support. Here’s what you need to know.
Students struggling with their mental health can access Student Space, a mental health and wellbeing hub supporting students.
Funded by £3.6 million from the Office for Students (OfS), Student Space provides dedicated one-to-one text and web chat support services. It’s also an online platform providing vital mental health and wellbeing resources.
This service is part of the £15 million we have asked the OfS to allocate towards student mental health in 2023/2024. This funding will also be used to give additional support for those making the transition from school or college to university, in particular through counselling services.
It will also be used to address any challenges that students may face in accessing local support services through their university, by establishing better partnerships between universities and local NHS services.
To ensure all the information is readily available for students and young people, we have put together some useful links and sources of mental health support so that everyone can get the advice and help they need. This information is available here.
We are also asking universities to take a whole university approach to mental health by setting a target for all universities to sign up to the University Mental Health Charter Programme by September 2024.
To support this target the Office for Students (OfS) is providing £400,000 additional funding to Student Minds to support expansion of the Programme. You can read more about it on the OfS website.
Universities that are part of the University Mental Health Charter programme will be supported to make cultural change so that all aspects of university life promote and support mental health.
Both students and staff will benefit from better support for their mental health and wellbeing as a result.
The Charter Award is given to the universities that are part of the Programme members which demonstrate excellent practice in supporting student mental health.
Every student death is a tragedy and preventing suicide and self-harm in our student populations is a key priority.
So that students are better protected we have asked universities to fully implement best practice including the Suicide Safer Universities guidance, led by Universities UUK and Papyrus.
This includes guidance for universities on sharing information with family and friends in the event of a mental health crisis and practical advice on compassionate, confident, and timely support when a tragedy occurs.
Understanding student suicide data and risk factors is central to informing preventative action, which is why we have worked with the Office for National Statistics, which has published updated data and analysis.
We appointed Professor Edward Peck as Higher Education Student Support Champion in May 2022 for a two-year term and extended the appointment for another year until 31 May 2025. Professor Peck has been speaking to bereaved parents to understand where improvements can be made.
To deliver better practice in mental health support across the higher education sector Professor Peck is chairing a Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce, which will include bereaved parents, students, mental health experts, charities and sector representatives.
It has been asked to deliver a report with a plan for better early identification of students at risk, a University Student Commitment on dealing with students sensitively on disciplinary issues, and a set of clear targets for improvements in practice by providers.
Its first stage report has been published outlining progress so far and setting out new areas of focus, including improving join up between higher education and NHS mental health services. It is due to publish a second stage report by July 2024.
We have also appointed the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) to carry out a National Review of Higher Education Suicides.
This will ensure that valuable lessons from past tragedies can be learnt to help us better protect students in future. Its findings report will be published by Spring 2025 outlining good practice and areas for improvement around suicide prevention in higher education.
Providers’ participation in the National Review of HE Suicides will be supported by the additional one-off £10m funding we have asked the OfS to allocate on mental health and hardship, which comes top of the £15 million already distributed this year on HE student mental health.
We understand that helping a friend or family member with mental health issues can be difficult. It is important that students feel supported at this difficult time. There is support in place and people who are available to listen.
If for any reason you have cause to believe that someone you know is struggling with mental health and wellbeing issues at university, we recommend following NHS guidance.
Universities have support services in place for their students which can be accessed via their website, or by looking up your university on the Student Space support pages.
]]>No school, child or local authority is the same and school funding needs to reflect that. That’s why sometimes it can seem complicated.
Here’s what you need to know about school funding.
Most state-funded schools in England receive funding through two main funding pots which determines what the money can be spent on – revenue funding and capital funding.
Schools can decide how they spend their revenue funding. It is used to pay for the day-to-day running costs of a school, such as teacher pay, support staff pay, energy bills, minor maintenance, and teaching materials.
Capital funding is a separate pot of money used to pay for new school buildings and improvements to the school estate.
Each year, the government allocates money for all state-funded mainstream schools, including academies and council-run schools, using a formula that ensures funding is fair and reflects their pupils’ needs.
This is called the National Funding Formula (NFF) which you can read more about here.
This formula takes a variety of factors into account, such as the number of pupils a school has and how its location may affect the school’s running costs.
The funding system also protects schools against large decreases in per-pupil funding from one year to the next, giving schools stability to help their budget planning.
Schools have the flexibility to decide how to use this funding. Most of the money is spent on paying staff, but it can also be used for other costs such as classroom materials and energy.
Independent or private schools operate outside this system and raise their funding through fees.
In autumn 2022, we announced that in 2023-24, schools will get an extra £2 billion of revenue funding and the same again in 2024-25.
And in July 2023, we announced further funding for the next two academic years to support that year's teachers' pay award - with over £480 million going into schools this academic year, and over £825 million for the next.
This is on top of the £1.5 billion increase schools were already set to receive in 2023-24, bringing the overall funding increase this year to £3.9 billion, compared to 2022-23.
It means that total school revenue funding in England is £57.7 billion for 2023-24, rising to £59.6 billion for 2024-25.
As a result, in 2024-25 schools will receive the highest ever in real terms per pupil, as measured by the GDP deflator measure of inflation – the routine measure of public spending.
2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
Announced at the 2021 Spending Review | £53.8bn | £55.3bn | £56.8bn |
Additional funding announced at the 2022 Autumn Statement | +£2bn | +£2bn | |
Additional funding announced in July 2023 to support with the teachers’ pay award | +£480m | +£825m | |
Total funding | £53.8bn | £57.7bn | £59.6bn |
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2019-20 the UK was the highest spender in the G7 on schools and colleges delivering primary and secondary education as a share of GDP.
The department’s published statistics on school funding over recent years provide data on funding for pupils aged 5-16. This coverage has been chosen both to capture core funding for schools and to ensure the series is as comparable over time as possible, despite changes to the specific grants allocated to schools over time.
The additional £2 billion will mean that a typical primary school with 200 pupils can expect to receive around an extra £35,000 in funding.
A typical secondary school with 900 pupils would receive an additional £200,000.
Schools can choose how they spend the additional funding, for example, on staffing, classroom materials, or other running costs.
Overall, funding for mainstream schools is increasing by around £310 per pupil this year – which is on top of the average £300 per pupil increase last year (2022-23). Additional funding for teachers’ pay is on top of this.
In total, average per-pupil funding in schools for 2023-24 is £7,460.
]]>Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly. Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don't.
There are only a few circumstances where a child is allowed to miss school, such as illness or where the school has given permission because of an exceptional circumstance.
However, if your child misses school without a good reason, local councils and schools can intervene and you may be issued a fine.
We’re also introducing a new national framework which will mean all councils have the same rules in place for when they need to consider a fine. We explain more on this below.
It’s important to acknowledge that children with long-term medical or more serious mental health conditions, and those with special educational needs and disabilities may face additional barriers.
For children who face complex barriers to attendance, schools should have sensitive conversations with children and families and work with them to put support in place for their individual needs.
In the majority of cases, schools and local authorities will try and provide support to help you improve your child’s attendance first, but if this isn’t effective or the absence is for unauthorised term time holiday, parents may face paying a fine.
Currently, it’s the responsibility of the local authority to decide whether or not to issue fines to parents, meaning the process varies from council to council.
However, under the new national framework, all schools will be required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (5 days) for unauthorised reasons.
From August 2024, the fine for school absences across the country will be £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days.
This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.
Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a parenting order or prosecution will be considered.
If you’re prosecuted and attend court because your child hasn’t been attending school, you could get a fine of up to £2,500.
Money raised via fines is only used by the local authority to cover the costs of administering the system, and to fund attendance support. Any extra money is returned to the government.
Fines are a last resort, and parents will be offered support to help improve their child’s attendance first. The vast majority of fines for unauthorised absence (89%) are issued for term time holidays.
If your child is facing barriers to school attendance due to special education needs or disabilities (SEND), schools, local authorities and wider services are required to work together to provide the right support in the first place.
Your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:
If your child is absent and you haven’t received advance permission from the headteacher to take your child out of school, the school and local council may take action.
Before that, your child’s school and your local council are expected to support you to improve the child’s attendance before any measures are put in place.
These measures can include:
For most pupils, the best place to be during term-time in is school, surrounded by the support of their friends and teachers.
This is important not just for your child’s learning, but also for their overall wellbeing, wider development and their mental health.
We’re working with schools and local councils to improve attendance, including by introducing a new data visualisation tool to make it easier to analyse attendance, spot issues and intervene more quickly. Read more about what we’re doing to help schools improve attendance here.
]]>By the age of 12, 97% of children own a mobile phone, but the use of mobile phones in school can lead to distractions, disruption and can increase the risk of online bullying.
Many schools have already introduced rules which prohibit the use of phones at school, to help children focus on their education, and the friends and staff around them.
We’re introducing guidance which encourages all schools to follow this approach, so that more pupils can benefit from the advantages of a phone-free environment. Here’s everything you need to know.
The new guidance says that schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones, but they will have autonomy on how to do this.
Some may allow phones to be brought onto the premises but not to be used during school hours, including at breaktime.
This brings England in line with other countries who have put in place similar rules, including France, Italy and Portugal.
The guidance sets out that there will be some limited cases where pupils should be exempt from the rule.
While the majority of pupils won’t be allowed to use their mobile phones during the school day, we know that some children need their mobile phones for medical reasons, or because they have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Schools will be able to choose an approach to prohibiting mobile phones which suits them.
This could include banning phones from the school premises, handing in phones on arrival at school, or keeping phones locked away.
We’re investing £10 million in Behaviour Hubs across the country, supporting up to 700 schools to improve behaviour over three years.
Behaviour Hubs help schools that have exemplary positive behaviour cultures to work closely with other schools that want to turn around their behaviour, alongside providing access to central support and a taskforce of advisers.
]]>This article was first published on 31 August and has been updated to reflect the latest information.
Nothing is more important than the health and safety of children and staff. This is why we changed our approach to managing a building material found in some school buildings and other education settings, known as Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
In August, we published new guidance advising schools and colleges to vacate areas that are known to contain RAAC until suitable mitigations are in place.
With thanks to the hard work of education leaders, all schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils.
We are taking action to permanently remove the aerated concrete from all school and college buildings across England.
This will be funded through grants or the School Rebuilding Programme. We explain more below.
It’s important to remember that only around one percent of schools and colleges in England have confirmed RAAC.
RAAC is a lightweight, ‘bubbly’ form of concrete commonly used in construction between the 1950s and mid-1990s. It is predominantly found as precast panels in roofs, commonly found in flat roofs, and occasionally in floors and walls.
It means it may be found in any school and college building that was either built or modified in this time period.
There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England. 234 education settings have confirmed RAAC.
119 of these schools will need one or more buildings rebuilt or refurbished where work to remove RAAC are more extensive and complex.
The 110 schools and colleges where work to remove RAAC will be on a smaller scale will have access to grant funding to pay for the work.
We’re working with 5 schools and colleges that have alternative arrangements in place to address the removal of RAAC, for example the building will not be part of the school or college estate over the longer term.
The list of schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC has been published on Gov.uk alongside information on how we will fund them to remove RAAC permanently.
In 2022, we sent a questionnaire to responsible bodies, asking them to provide information to help us understand the use of RAAC across the school estate and make sure the correct support is in place.
Responsible bodies have submitted responses to the questionnaire for 100 percent of schools with blocks built in the target era. Any school or college that advised us they suspect they might have RAAC has had a survey to confirm if RAAC is present. Other than the 234 education settings, the surveys found no evidence of RAAC.
A small number of schools and colleges are carrying out additional checks for further assurance in some spaces, and we’re supporting responsible bodies to complete them as quickly as possible.
The government will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe.
Schools and colleges where removing RAAC will be on a smaller scale, will be able to access grant funding to help pay for the work.
Cases where works to remove RAAC are more extensive or complex will be funded through the School Rebuilding Programme.
Over this decade, our School Rebuilding Programme is transforming over 500 schools in the most need of renovation through rebuilding and refurbishing buildings.
119 schools with confirmed RAAC are now included in the programme – 13 of which were already included. A further 8 have also been added to address buildings in poor condition following further assessments.
The programme prioritises school buildings in the worst condition across England. Most of the schools on the programme were selected for reasons other than RAAC.
Where a responsible body has a serious issue with its buildings that cannot be managed independently, the department provides additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis.
Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from a team of caseworkers. Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges to implement mitigation plans.
They will work with them to put in place a bespoke plan that based on their circumstances.
This could include using other on-site buildings, local spaces, building works in the affected area and, in some cases, installing temporary buildings.
we’ve supported schools with confirmed RAAC with additional funding for mitigation work that is capital funded where needed, such as propping and temporary accommodation on site.
We are now taking action to permanently removing RAAC from schools and colleges with RAAC and will fund schools and colleges to permanently remove RAAC.
The government compiled one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of school building conditions in Europe– the first of its kind – to help us understand the condition of the school estate, and target funding to where it is most needed.
A new survey is underway to provide updated information on the estate.
We have invested over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools in good working order, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023-24.
We are also investing in over 500 projects for new and refurbished school buildings through our School Rebuilding Programme.
Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building, that can’t be managed within local resources, we consider additional support on a case-by-case basis.
We also regularly conduct systemic studies to identify risks to building safety.
You can read more about how we’re keeping school building’s safe on the Education Hub.
]]>If you want to get a degree, but you’re worried about finances or just not sure that a traditional university course is right for you, a degree apprenticeship could be a great option.
A degree apprenticeship allows you to study towards an undergraduate or master’s degree while you work, getting invaluable industry experience and earning a salary. Your off-the-job training takes place in your working hours, and you won’t have to pay for your tuition.
Find out everything you need to know about degree apprenticeships here.
Degree apprenticeships are jobs with training. On completion of the apprenticeship, you’ll achieve an undergraduate or master’s degree – just like someone who has got their degree through a traditional route.
Your training is paid for by apprenticeship funding, so unlike with traditional university courses, you won’t have to pay for your tuition yourself. What’s more, you’ll earn a competitive salary while learning.
Though you’ll study part-time at a university, around 80% of your time will be spent doing practical work. This allows you to get real-life work experience and still gain a recognised qualification.
Degree apprenticeships are a Level 6 or 7 apprenticeship.
The requirements for each degree apprenticeship are different.
Some Level 6 apprenticeships will ask for at least five GCSEs at 9-4 (or A*- C on the old grading scale), including English and maths. But you could also progress into a degree apprenticeship from a lower-level apprenticeship, or another qualification like a T Level.
It does mean that you’ll need to be at least 18-years-old to participate in most degree apprenticeship, though there is no upper age limit.
However, as well as considering your grades, employers will be looking for other skills like communication, teamwork and passion. They might also value prior industry experience as much as formal qualifications.
The amount you can earn depends on the specific apprenticeship. However, many employers offer apprentices a salary of at least £20,000 a year.
Apprentices often go on to well-paid jobs on completion of their training. Recent analysis showed that one year after finishing their programmes, the median salary for a former Level 6 apprentice was £34,620.
Degree apprenticeships are available in a range of industries, from engineering, to science, to law, to marketing and digital.
For example, you could gain a BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree through a civil engineering, nursing or biomedical apprenticeship. Other apprenticeships could lead to a BA (Bachelor of Arts) in digital marketing, or an LLB (Bachelor of Laws).
The NHS recruitment and training body, Health Education England (HEE), has also confirmed funding for a new Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship.
There are hundreds of degree apprenticeships on offer throughout the year.
Browsing apprenticeships and filtering them by level and location could be a good way to get inspiration for the kind of degree apprenticeship that excites you.
You apply to degree apprenticeships direct with the employer. You can now search for degree apprenticeships via the Find an Apprenticeship website or via UCAS.
Applying for a degree apprenticeship is similar to applying for a job. This means that unlike with university courses, you can apply for degree apprenticeships at any time.
Applications will differ depending on the apprenticeship, but it’s likely that you’ll have to submit a CV and do an interview.
To get personalised advice on your application, you can talk to a careers adviser for free via the National Career Service. There are lots of ways to get in touch including by phone, webchat or in person.
]]>Apprenticeships are a brilliant option for people of all ages to launch their careers, upskill, or retrain in a huge range of exciting industries - from space engineering to healthcare to advertising and beyond.
There are thousands of apprenticeship vacancies on offer, with more than 690 high-quality apprenticeships approved for use by employers.
Here’s what you need to know.
An apprenticeship is an excellent training route that gives apprentices high-quality, hands-on training and the chance to put the skills you develop into practice every day in the workplace. You’ll also be paid a wage while you train.
Apprenticeships are available at all levels, from Level 2 – equivalent to GCSEs – all the way up to Levels 6 and 7 – equivalent to undergraduate and master’s degrees.
There are a few ways to search for apprenticeship vacancies.
You can browse apprenticeships on the find an apprenticeship service. If you create an account, you can also save any apprenticeships you like and then apply for them later.
You can also find apprenticeships via UCAS. You can easily compare job openings with other education opportunities, and later this year you will be able to apply for apprenticeships through UCAS.
Some employers advertise apprenticeship vacancies directly on their own websites.
Applying for an apprenticeship is similar to applying for a regular job, and, unlike college or university, places are advertised throughout the year.
Applications will differ depending on the apprenticeship, but it’s likely that you’ll have to submit a CV and do an interview.
Find out more about how to write a CV on the National Careers Service.
The grades and qualifications you need depend on the apprenticeship level.
Each vacancy will explain what you need to apply.
Apprenticeships are open to anybody aged 16 and over. There is no upper age limit.
They’re a great option whatever your age, especially if you’re thinking of changing careers.
To get personalised advice on your application, you can talk to a careers adviser for free via the National Careers Service.
There are lots of ways to get in touch including by phone, on 0800 100 900 or webchat.
]]>Early years educators play a vital and rewarding role in helping children get the best start for life and preparing them to begin school.
There are several routes into a role in early years, including apprenticeships. Becoming an apprentice enables you to earn while you learn - you’ll be paid a salary while gaining the qualifications needed for a career in early years.
Here’s what you need to know about early years apprenticeships and how to apply.
There are three early years apprenticeships currently available, two of which are suitable for those with no previous experience. They take between 12 and 24 months to complete.
On all three routes, you’ll study towards qualifications that allow you to build a career in early years, while working at the same time. You can start at any level – for example, you don’t need to do Level 2 before Level 3.
Level 2 may be more suitable for those leaving school at 16. It allows you to work in an early years setting under supervision, supporting the planning and delivery of education and care for 0 to 5-year-olds, and is an excellent first role in the sector.
Level 3 may be more suitable for those who want to plan, organise and lead enriching learning activities, and perhaps supervise others. This qualification also enables you to be counted as a qualified member of staff within the staff to child ratio requirements – the number of children one member of staff is responsible for at a time – in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, which is something employers will be looking for.
Level 5 is aimed at highly skilled professionals who are ready to lead the care, learning and development of young children. They are responsible for the quality of learning and development and have responsibility for leading other practitioners in the setting.
We’re looking at introducing different types of apprenticeships in early years education, including new accelerated apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships, so that everyone, from junior staff to senior leaders, can easily move in and progress in their careers.
The years before children start school are a vital part of a child’s education – it’s when they develop the cognitive, social, and emotional skills that set them up for life.
Early years educators are crucial in helping children develop before starting school. They plan and run education, lead activities with children under five years old, and make sure they're safe and happy.
Private, voluntary and independent nurseries, maintained nursery schools, reception classes, playgroups and hospitals all need to employ early years professionals.
It's a rewarding job where apprentices will get to see children learn and grow.
Typical tasks include:
As an early years apprentice, you’ll earn at least the minimum wage for apprentices, and many employers offer additional benefits.
On top of this, they’ll be paying for your training, so you’ll gain important qualifications for free.
You may need some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, to do an apprenticeship.
However, your grades and existing qualifications are not the most important thing.
You will also need skills like energy, enthusiasm, and a passion for early years education.
You apply to all apprenticeships, including those in early years education, direct with the employer.
You can search for apprenticeships via the Find an Apprenticeship website or via UCAS.
Applying for an apprenticeship is similar to applying for a job, meaning you can apply for vacancies at any time.
Applications will differ depending on the apprenticeship, but it’s likely that you’ll have to submit a CV and do an interview.
To get personalised advice on your application, you can talk to a careers adviser for free via the National Careers Service. There are lots of ways to get in touch including by phone, webchat or in person.
You can find out more about roles in early years and childcare by visiting the ‘Do Something BIG’ webpage here.
We’re taking important steps to deliver the expanded 30 hours free childcare scheme for working parents from when their child turns nine-months-old until they start school, saving them £6,500 a year.
To prepare for the new offer, we’ve invested an extra £200million in funding to the sector in September 2023 and promised over £400million for 2024-25 to uplift hourly rates for the early year entitlements.
We’re also trialling a new recruitment offer to increase the number of staff nurseries and early years providers need to offer more childcare places to parents. New recruits will receive a £1,000 bonus when they start their first role in childcare. Find out more here.
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