Barnsley Early Start and Family Services

Training and CPD

Early years is a dynamic and important sector that needs highly qualified staff to improve outcomes for children. High quality early years provision can have a significant impact on children's development, performance at school and their future life chances. For children to benefit, the early years workforce must be professional, well trained, highly qualified, and dedicated to their role.

Our training programme offers all childcare and early years staff flexible CPD courses. Our training directory is developed annually with additional events added throughout the year. The programme includes all mandatory training, training to support the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and a number of e-learning courses.

The government is committed to raising the proportion of the early years workforce with relevant and appropriate qualifications to work with babies, toddlers and young children. In 2017 84% of staff and leaders in Barnsley held at least a level 3 childcare relevant qualification; nationally in 2016 this was 77%.

In 2017 there was an increase locally of practitioners achieving Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). There are now 30 practitioners in Barnsley that have achieved this. It was a government aim that every full day care setting be led by a graduate.

Find and book a course

You can find and book training courses on POD - our Personal Online Development system. Before booking you should take a look at the guides below; you can choose to watch a video guide or read a manual one.

The employee guides give learners step-by-step instructions on how to book on a course, cancel a place, plus more. The guides for managers show how to approve or reject booking requests.

POD video guide for employees

POD video guide for managers

POD manual guide for employees

POD manual guide for managers 

If you have a query about using POD, see if it's answered in our frequently asked questions. If not you can email POD support. For more information about training, contact us using our online form.

Early years teachers

In response to Professor Cathy Nutbrowns report: Foundations for quality published in June 2012, the government introduced early years teachers from September 2013.

Early years teachers are specialists in early childhood development and trained to work with babies and young children from birth to five. They are graduate leaders, responsible for organising and leading high quality practice in early years settings. The aim of this initiative was to move away from the idea that teaching pre-school children is somehow less important than teaching school age children.

Early years professionals have had a positive impact on the quality of early education and care for pre-school children. The introduction of early years teachers built on the Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) programme to raise the status of the early years workforce. The change will give one title of ‘teacher’ across early years and schools. Early years teachers are able to work in all private and voluntary sector settings.

Existing early years professionals are seen as the equivalent of early years teachers. Early years professionals will therefore not need to obtain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to increase their status, although routes are already available to QTS if they wish to take them. All providers offering the Early Years Teacher Programme offer pathways since September 2013.

Entry requirements:

  • GCSE grade C or above in English, mathematics and science
  • competence in written and spoken English
  • the right to work and study in the UK
  • degree and experience required for the specific pathway

Training providers of relevant childcare qualifications

For more information

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