GCSE requirements causes drop in Early Years recruitment

Drop in Early Years Recruitment due to GCSE English and Maths requirement.

A low amount of pupils achieving GCSE in English and Maths is causing a recruitment crisis for the Early years. Many Early Years providers have seen a decrease of students entering the early year’s sector. 

The Department for Education are now consulting on allowing functionals skills as an equivalent qualification. Functional skills will only be for an interim period until some school leavers gaining GCSEs in English and Maths increases.

Not being able to recruit qualified practitioners will only lead to children falling behind in their development. With the increase in the free childcare hours, more parents will be requesting more childcare, however, with the recruit crisis, this may cause difficulties in offering more childcare hours.

Many could argue that employees working with children need  GCSE C or above in English and Maths as they are teaching children.