Guest Posted January 9, 2011 Posted January 9, 2011 hi everyone! just reading on here some of the posts concering the CWDC being axed... does this mean the funding (both the bursary and the fees) which is available for those taking the EYPS full time pathway will also be axed? tried looking on the CWDC website but couldn't see anything which suggested this will change. Does anyone know anyhting about this?? also, on a slightly different note, i'm planning to work as a childminder assistant when studying the course... does this qualify as an an early years setting?? thanks for your help! FairyHelen
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted January 9, 2011 Posted January 9, 2011 Funily enough I was just looking at training providers and know that Anglia ruskin are offering EYPS starting in september 2011 and i guess that wouldn't be on offer if funding wasn't available.
Guest Posted January 9, 2011 Posted January 9, 2011 good logic! i'm currently looking too with the intention to start in 2011 where are you aplying? and what pathway? i've got an interview for kingston but looking for others to apply to as well i know there's some speculation around the funding available and i read a few posts down which says that the CWDC is being cut! i hope the funding isn't affected for a while....!
Guest Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I am in Worcestershire and heard from the graduate leader fund person last week and for our area no decisions have been made yet and the class I join in a few weeks, of long extended pathway pupils MAY be the last to go through with funding as it is currently. I think its a wait and see game!! I did see some months ago that the fulltime pathway was NOT being advertised for this September at our local university...... maybe just in case the governernment changes its mind???!!
Helen Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 I'm not aware of any decisions being made yet. Quite a worrying time, for existing EYPS, candidates and providers, and future ones too. A childminder setting is an appropriate setting to achieve EYPS.....many childminders do it.....but will you have enough opportunities to demonstrate leadership if you are the assistant? Could you widen the net and get involved with a childminding network for example? Or arrange a couple of placements in nursery settings?
Guest Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 The Graduate Leader Fund has been stopped in our area. Nothing more will be paid after March! Unbelievable!!!
AnonyMouse_20414 Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 same for us in Surrey! No more funding after March 11 and having to repay any funding not allocated by end of Feb! Such a worry for so many of us working towards the FD or EYPS!
AnonyMouse_3735 Posted January 10, 2011 Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) from what I remember the graduate leader fund was only for a set number of years anyway.. so would end at some point. Just a bit earlier than planned. It was one of the issues I had with it from the start... where staff would get the enhanced wage and then settings would be left unable to afford to pay it so the wage would end up as peanuts again or close as they were running at a loss, so we would have a better qualified workforce giving better care for a pittance of a wage. Edited January 10, 2011 by Inge
Guest Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 Let's face it, it's not really a surprise that this has gone, given what else they are cutting. Personally I was amazed that they kept the 15 hours entitlement! We still seem to be able to get money to cover our staff member going to college, this must be a separate GLF fund. We have paid her the GLF money as a bonus (so subject to tax etc. but that's another story)! We have also built in an additional scale point on our salary scale, for 'leader with EYP or QTS'. We can't afford to make it a lot more but at least when she graduates she will have a little bit extra as a reward. To be honest, though, if I was advising someone I would say to do an early years PGCE rather than EYP, the terms and conditions for teachers are so much better than for early years staff. It's a bit of a mess really in the sector - so many varied providers, such a range of qualifications, so many settings being run by volunteers.
AnonyMouse_8466 Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 To be honest, though, if I was advising someone I would say to do an early years PGCE rather than EYP, the terms and conditions for teachers are so much better than for early years staff. I get confused with all the acronyms around teacher training, SuzieC8. Is the PGCE a full-time course with placements in a school, or the one where you're based in a school but also attend uni part-time? For those of us who don't want to work in a school, what are the options for gaining QTS - can you do a PGCE without leaving your pre-school or nursery setting? Thank you, confused of Maidenhead!
Guest Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 Maz, the PGCE cannot be completed while you are still in a PVI setting. We asked a few years ago as we had an application for a job from someone with a PGCE who was struggling to get an NQT placement. I had high hopes of getting a qualified teacher on staff as a consequence but I was told the NQT year had to be done in a maintained school or nursery. The PGCE can be done full or part time but the placement parts have to also be in schools and there are 18-20 weeks I think of those.
Guest Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 PGCE is full time with placements (although only really Oct to May or June so not a full year). It depends what your initial degree is as to whether you could do an early years/primary teacher training course though. And as Holly says these are only really for school based staff (although we're PVI and have had a couple of qualified teachers apply!!) There are also 'on the job' training options for teachers these days, but I'm not sure whether doing that in a school based nursery would be an option. Things like GTP (graduate teacher programme) and SCITT (school centered teacher training) mean you earn a salary while you qualify. QTS is qualified teacher status, which you get after you've qualified and also passed your probationary year. If you're considering re-training, bear in mind that some teaching courses still attract government bursaries - the TDA is the best place to start. The only downside I guess is ratios - 1 to 13 instead of 1 to 8 (or the 1 to 5 we give our staff which is what we feel it SHOULD be lol!)
AnonyMouse_8466 Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 This was my point really - for a practitioner working in a pre-school environment achieving QTS is nearly impossible, unless they were prepared to leave their current job, and return to the sector after their NQT year was completed. Terms and conditions might be better for teachers, but I'm not sure it would be a big enough lure away from where your heart is just for that. We've been completing staff training declarations in preparation for our Single Funding Formula and noted that EYPS is shown as level 6, with QTS at level 7. It is a bit disheartening given that we were 'sold' EYPS as conferring equality of status with qualified teachers. That said, I'm still really committed to EYPS and would hate to see it go now especially in the face of the really good work being done by EYPs to improve outcomes for the children in their settings. So I really hope the CWDC's successor will fight to keep the funding going. The system is by no means ideal, and there are changes that could be made however surely we've gone too far to ditch it all now. EYPS has done so much for me, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to achieve the Status in more certain times. Apart from anything else, it has gained me an extra 14p per hour for each funded child so that's something to look forward to in April! Actually I just worked that out - it equates to an extra £1,450 or so for the term.
Guest Posted January 12, 2011 Posted January 12, 2011 I agree Maz; i did consider teaching early years but it doesn't quite fit in to my passions, dreams and ambitions. i'm more interested in the development and learning throuhg play and the leadership aspects of the EYPS. although it's uncertain times for the early years sector and practioners, but i'm still going for it because i know it's what i want to do, and i at least want to try. (found out today i have my interview for March! so on step closer!) thanks to everyone for their replies... it's good we have somewhere like this to support each other through potentially uncertain times! FairyHelen xx
AnonyMouse_7356 Posted January 12, 2011 Posted January 12, 2011 This was my point really - for a practitioner working in a pre-school environment achieving QTS is nearly impossible, unless they were prepared to leave their current job, and return to the sector after their NQT year was completed. Terms and conditions might be better for teachers, but I'm not sure it would be a big enough lure away from where your heart is just for that. We've been completing staff training declarations in preparation for our Single Funding Formula and noted that EYPS is shown as level 6, with QTS at level 7. It is a bit disheartening given that we were 'sold' EYPS as conferring equality of status with qualified teachers. That said, I'm still really committed to EYPS and would hate to see it go now especially in the face of the really good work being done by EYPs to improve outcomes for the children in their settings. So I really hope the CWDC's successor will fight to keep the funding going. The system is by no means ideal, and there are changes that could be made however surely we've gone too far to ditch it all now. EYPS has done so much for me, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to achieve the Status in more certain times. Apart from anything else, it has gained me an extra 14p per hour for each funded child so that's something to look forward to in April! Actually I just worked that out - it equates to an extra £1,450 or so for the term. Does this apply to all settings with EYPs???
AnonyMouse_2418 Posted January 12, 2011 Posted January 12, 2011 It depends on which 'extra weighting' points your Local Authority has chosen for toploading the Single Funding Formula - as some chose the higher level qualifications - others have gone for deprivation indicators and other items offered within the criteria.
AnonyMouse_8466 Posted January 13, 2011 Posted January 13, 2011 I think each LA varies in how they have calculated their EYSFF. Ours has an uplift for deprivation (I think the legislation was changed to say that every LA should include one), one for the leader having EYPS and another depending on how many staff have a Level 3 qualification. So, 14p an hour extra per hour per child. How many children would I need to be able to fund a decent salary enhancement?
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