An upcoming New Year is a time for reflection and new intentions in many aspects of life, and early years is no different. Taking stock of where we have made progress and where there is still work to do is necessary for continued improvement and growth. 2024 was an important year for settings as there were several changes in early years which affected both group settings and childminders alike.
Changes In Early Years Made In January 2024
From 4 January 2024, the previous single version of the EYFS framework was replaced with two different versions, one specifically for childminders, and one for school and group-settings. This was to reflect their different ways of working and to ensure the content remained relevant and specific to each type of provider. The new separate EYFS frameworks also introduced more flexibility to remove burdens for early years providers whilst maintaining the quality and safety standards which are so important.
Apart from the separate frameworks, the main changes in early years include:
- Staff: child ratios
Probably the biggest and most contentious change this last year has been the change of ratios for qualified practitioners looking after 2-year-olds. This changed from 1:4 to 1:5 meaning that a qualified practitioner can look after 5 children of this age. However, this change was not compulsory, and settings can still use the original ratio. Another change that came into effect this year, was the opportunity for students on long-term placements and apprentices to be counted within staff:child ratios at the level below their level of study if their manager is satisfied that they are competent and responsible. It is also recommended that these staff should have a full Paediatric First Aid or an emergency certificate. These changes in early years were to help settings with staffing levels at a time when the industry has been facing a recruitment crisis. - Changes in early years to funding
New funding entitlements for working parents have been introduced, including 15 hours of free childcare for two-year-olds and extended to all children in EYFS above nine months from September. This is likely to have had a big impact on your business. - Qualification standards document
At the start of 2024, a new document outlining the qualification standards for Level 2 Early Years Practitioners and Level 3 Early Years Educators (EYE) was published by the government. The requirement for Level 3 educators to hold a Level 2 Maths qualification was removed, but instead, this requirement has passed to certain setting managers – those who move into a new role after 4th January 2024. These managers must either have a Level 2 Maths qualification or acquire one within 2 years or starting their new role.Importantly, too, the DfE has added a clarification to the EYFS to state that while qualifications must be verified, employees do not have to provide physical copies of their qualifications. This was to ”tackle the known issue of some settings refusing to accept digital copies of certificates”.
Some of these changes in early years may have caused your setting to need new training or to invest in new courses to support employees, but they should also have made it easier to employ qualified Level 3 EYEs. - Support for English as an Additional Language (EAL)
The framework has been updated to emphasise the importance of supporting children whose home language is not English changing from “must take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning” to “may take…” However, best practice would support the ideas that practitioners do support the home language wherever possible. - Changes in early years to assessments
One of the most welcomed changes in early years to the EYFS was removing the requirement to collect physical evidence when assessing a child’s development. Practitioners are now encouraged to rely on their professional judgment and knowledge of the child. That does not mean that nothing should be recorded but that much more emphasis has been placed on the professional judgment of the practitioner. This means that practitioners can spend less time on proving that the child is making progress, and more time helping the child to make that progress. Finding the right balance between what is recorded and what is not however, so that you as practitioners, can feel confident in your own assessments. - Safeguarding
New safeguarding requirements have been introduced, including safer recruitment practices, follow-up procedures for prolonged absences, supervision at lunch and break times, and additional emergency contact details and safeguarding training and support for early years students and trainees. The wording regarding cameras also expanded to include “other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities” to include more devices.
Specific Developments For Childminders
For childminders, some of the changes to their new, specific EYFS have affected the following areas:
- Changes emphasising the need for childminders to demonstrate knowledge and understanding as opposed to needing formal training
- Childminder’s assistants can hold the role of key person
- Changes to the areas a childminder uses in their home, including the use of their kitchen and the provision of a confidential space to talk to parents
- Changes to assessments – for example, the Early Learning Goals, usually undertaken at the end of the Reception year, now appears only in the annex of the Childminder’s EYFS since childminders rarely complete this
- Changes to the requirements for childminders to provide certain documents on request rather than have them on display
Changes In Early Years Settings
The changes in early years listed above represent some of the statutory changes that have come into force for the early years community in the last year but this is in no way the end of the story. Every setting or childminder is different, and you will have your own successes to celebrate or challenges that you have worked on during 2024.
When reviewing your own year, reflect on changes to:
- Your business model, funding and income
- Your premises
- Any new staff or changes in employment
- Training you have undertaken
- Improvement plans you have implemented
- The new children you have welcomed and those you have transitioned on
- Events that you have celebrated
- Any losses, retirements or bereavements you have had
Reflecting on changes in early years the last year is an important aspect of any practice. Include your challenges as well as successes and you may be pleasantly surprised at how far you’ve come.
