Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Skills Funding Agency website reflects the latest guidance on entry requirements for early years educators.

Individuals cannot complete and claim certification for any apprenticeship, including the Early Years Educator (EYE) programme, until all components of the apprenticeship (including English and Maths, where appropriate) are achieved.

The current GCSE English and Maths requirements for EYE staff at level 3 have been broadened to include level 2 functional skills alongside other suitable qualifications. This is in response to the government consultation on the literacy and numeracy requirements for EYE staff and as part of the early years workforce strategy.

The Skills Funding Agency will amend the relevant web pages, apprenticeship funding rules and the Individualised Learner Record validation rules accordingly so that anyone who started an early years apprenticeship on or after 1 September 2014 can now meet English and Maths requirements through the achievement of level 2 functional skills or other suitable qualifications.