Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s publication, Guidance for Young People 2017 to 2018 reflects the policy of his Department to reinstate functional skills as an entry route for those wanting to work in early years settings.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency funding guidance for young people does not include information on which qualifications are valid for careers in particular sectors. Therefore we do not intend to update the guidance to include information on functional skills as an entry route for work in early years settings. Functional skills have always been eligible for funding in programmes for students who are also studying early years qualifications. However, students on a 16 to 19 study programme must meet the condition of funding for maths and English, which may require some students to study GCSE rather than functional skills.