Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) Qualification Requirements

To begin an Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) pathway you need GCSEs in maths and English and at least a foundation degree (or a recognised equivalent).

1. GCSEs (or a recognised equivalent)

You will need Grade C or above in English and maths or a recognised equivalent.

Recognised equivalents are:	Achieved	Requirement Met
Recognised equivalents are:	Achieved	English	Maths
GCE O, OA, AO Level Pass	Up to July 1975	P	P
GCE O, AO, OA Level C or above	July 1975 onwards	P	P
CSE Grade 1		P	P
GCE A Level (at N or above)		P	P
GCSE Equivalence Test		P	P

You will need to show us your certificates. The regulations do not allow us to accept initial results slips or a letter from your school saying you passed your exams.

1a. If you have mislaid your certificate, you can get a statement of results from the exam board. If your exam board no longer exists, don't worry as another of the boards will have taken your results into their records. You need to tell them when and where you took the exam and they will tell you if they have your records. Please see below for awarding bodies. The exam board will make a charge for this service.

Awarding body	Former examination boards
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)	Associated Examining Board Associated Lancashire Schools Exams Board Joint Matriculation Board North West Regional Examinations Board Northern Examinations and Assessment Board Northern Examinations Association Northern Regional Examinations Board South Eastern Regional Examinations Board South West Regional Examinations Board Southern Examining Group The West Yorkshire and Lindsey Regional Examinations Board Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Exams Board
Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (NICCEA)	Northern Ireland Examinations Board
Edexcel	East Anglian Examinations Board London Regional Examinations Board Metropolitan and Middlesex Regional Examinations Board University of London Examinations Board
OCR	East Midland Regional Examinations Board Midland Examining Group Oxford and Cambridge Examinations and Assessment Council Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examinations Board Southern Regional Examinations Board Southern Universities' Joint Board for Schools Examinations The West Midlands Examinations Board University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations
Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC)

1b. If you have been admitted to a university/college course that required you to have GCSE equivalence in English and maths, you can get a statement from that university/college to confirm this. An email from the university/college is acceptable or a letter on headed paper.

The university/college should write something like:

All students who entered **course title** in **year** were required to hold GSCE or equivalent in maths and English at Grade C or above. **Your name** entered this course on **date**.

1c. If you did your exams overseas you need to confirm equivalence between international and UK academic qualifications. You need to send your details to NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom). Their website is: www.naric.org.uk and phone 01242 260010. They will be able to advise whether a qualification is equivalent to GCSE Grade C or above and we can then take this as confirmation. You must submit your NARIC letter to us, along with copies of the original certificates that you sent to NARIC.

1d. If you were admitted to Teacher Training in England or Wales from 1984 onwards you do not need to show us GCSE certificates as this was a mandatory requirement at the time - you only need your teacher certification to prove this.

1e. Level 2 Key Skills in literacy and numeracy or adult literacy and numeracy are not considered GSCE equivalent for this course as the scope of the subject is not considered sufficient.

1f. If none of the above apply to you, you do not need to take a GCSE, but can do an equivalence test. We can supply this for you. Please let our Programme Coordinators know if you would like more information on the equivalency tests offered by E Qualitas. There is a fee payable to E Qualitas who issue the tests, but, if you are on the short, long or full pathway, Best Practice Network will pay for you to take the test once. You need someone in your workplace or at a school/college to supervise you in exam conditions.

The results will come within a few weeks of taking the test. We recommend you do some revision first. Good refresher tools can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/maths/ or http://www.emaths.co.uk/

2. Degrees (or a recognised equivalent)

You'll need to have been awarded a degree or a recognised equivalent.

Qualification	Achieved	Requirement Met
Qualification	Achieved	Degree	Foundation	GCSE English	GCSE maths
Bachelors / Masters Degree		P
Cert Ed	Before 1980	P
QTS	From 1984	P		P	P
Degree with QTS	From 1984	P		P	P
NVQ level 5		P
PGCE		P		P	P
Foundation Degree			P

2a. The NVQ Level 4 is acceptable as a foundation degree equivalent at most institutions, however please check with the university where you are hoping to do your top up. Sometimes additional work may need to be submitted to bridge any gaps between NVQ and foundation degree level, but this varies from institution to institution. If you are unsure of the level of your qualification, please contact the awarding body/college/university who will be able to help you.

Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) Qualification FAQs

GCSEs

1. What qualifications do I need?

GSCE Grade C or above maths and English or a recognised equivalent.

2. Are other qualifications that are considered equivalent to GSCE Grade C or above accepted?

Yes. The recognised equivalent qualifications are:

CSE Grade 1
GCE Pass (up to July l975)
GCE Grade C and above (July l975 onwards)
GCE A level at Grade N or above

Please refer to the attached link for Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) guidance on Scottish qualifications: www.tda.gov.uk

3. Are other forms of equivalence to GSCE Grade C and above acceptable?

Yes. For example, a GCSE equivalence test. We can arrange that for you. Or you may have completed one in the past for entry to initial teacher training. Proof of passing this would be accepted.

If you were admitted to initial teacher training in England from 1984 onwards you would not need GCSE certificates as this was a mandatory requirement at the time - you only need your teacher certification to prove that you have GCSE Grade C or above equivalence.

4. I have a CSE Grade 2, is this acceptable?

No, CSEs need to be at Grade 1.

5. I have completed initial teacher training and needed GCSE Grade C or above for that course. I can't now find my GCSE certificates what can I do?

If you did initial teacher training from 1984 onwards you can submit your teaching qualification to us as evidence that you have GCSE Grade C or above equivalent qualification. If you did initial teaching training before 1984 you will have to provide GCSE Grade A-C or equivalent certificates to show you meet this requirement.

6. I achieved my qualifications before GSCE, will these be acceptable?

Yes, if they are the required level. CSE needs to be at Grade 1. GCEs need to be Grade C and above if after 1975. GCEs before that time must state they are passes on the certificate.

7. Are Level 2 certificates in adult numeracy or literacy or application of number accepted?

No. This is because literacy and numeracy are only part of the broader subjects of English and maths. If you have adult numeracy or literacy qualifications you will need to take an equivalence test. However, because you have already demonstrated you can pass the Level 2 tests, you will probably find the equivalence tests straightforward.

8. My qualifications are from a country other than England and Wales. Will they be acceptable?

This needs to be checked. You will need to check this with NARIC who will review your qualifications and send you confirmation of their level, compared with GCSEs. If you did your exams overseas you need to confirm equivalence between international and UK academic qualifications. You need to send your details to NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom). Their website is: www.naric.org.uk and phone 01242 260010. They will be able to advise whether a qualification is equivalent to GCSE Grade C or above and we can then take this as confirmation. You must submit your NARIC letter to us, along with copies of the certificates that you sent to NARIC.

9. Do I have to have the actual certificates?

Yes. You will need to show your tutor your certificates (or statement of results from the exam board as described above) and provide us with a photocopy of each certificate. A results slip is not sufficient. If you have mislaid them, you can contact the awarding body for a statement of results. There will be a charge for this.

10. I can't find my GCSE certificates but I've got a letter from the school where I achieved them. Is this acceptable?

No. We cannot accept written notification from a candidate's school to meet this requirement. You'll either have to send off for a certifying statement of results from the examining body or ask the examining body to write a letter to a third party (i.e. Best Practice Network) stating your qualifications. This is often cheaper but you may find having the actual certificates more useful for future jobs .

Degrees

11. Is a full degree needed for all EYPS pathways?

For the full training pathway, validation and short extended professional development pathways you need a full degree at ordinary level. For the long extended professional development pathway, the minimum entry requirement is a foundation degree as you will be able to top up to ordinary degree level through that pathway.

12. Do I need an honours degree?

No, the required level is ordinary degree. If you have an honours or masters degree you also meet degree entry requirements.

13. Is a degree from another country acceptable?

This needs to be checked. You will need to check this with NARIC who will review your qualifications and send you confirmation of the level. If you did your exams overseas you need to confirm equivalence between international and UK academic qualifications. You need to send your details to NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom). Their website is: www.naric.org.uk and phone 01242 260010. They will be able to advise whether a qualification is equivalent to a UK degree and we can then take this as confirmation. You must submit your NARIC letter to us, along with copies of the certificates that you sent to NARIC.

14. I have a Level 6 qualification that is not a degree, is that acceptable?

You need to have been awarded a degree. You may be able to talk to the university where you achieved the qualification to see if they will award you credits towards a degree with your existing qualification.

15. I have a professional qualification that is considered to be at degree level. Will it be accepted?

Unless you have been awarded a degree, this will not meet entry requirements for EYPS. Your qualification must be a degree equivalent qualification rather than a qualification at Level 6 (or degree level) to be accepted.

16. Does my Level 7 qualification gained through CATS (credit accumulation and transfers) count as a degree, even though I haven't actually been awarded one?

No. Some degrees are awarded on the basis of different CATS points that have been collected - however final degree awards in these cases have been made. The 'collection of CATS' points in most cases cannot be drawn from a host of entirely unrelated subjects. Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) do not feel that they can be assured of EYPS being a 'graduate status' if no degree has been awarded. There are some exceptions to this (eg. NVQ Level 5) which are not necessarily degrees but recognised equivalents. Level 7 qualifications short of degree award cannot be accepted as recognised equivalents because they can be made up of various numbers of masters level points which are not recognisable as degrees in themselves.