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By Shannon Pite

The DfE has launched a consultation on the proposed model for introducing an experience-based route for early educators to gain approved status to work within staff:child ratios.

In a wider consultation on Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) changes which ran last year, 73% of respondents supported the principle of an experienced-based route. However, the government notes that while some providers "would welcome the use of an experience-based route as a flexibility", others "had concerns about negative impacts on the quality of early years provision", and so "the proposals in this consultation document ... set out the Department’s view on how the experience-based route could work in practice, and the parameters that could be put in place to ensure that high-quality education and care is maintained".

Under the proposals, early years providers would be able to make assessment decisions about their staff’s knowledge, skills and experience, and will decide whether they meet the criteria to work in the ratios at level 3.

The consultation also includes proposals on the eligibility criteria for both educators wishing to use the route and settings offering the route, such as educators being required to hold a prior qualification, educators being required to have worked in the early years or a related sector for a minimum amount of time, and providers being rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' in their most recent Ofsted inspection.

The DfE is also looking for feedback on process requirement proposals which sets out several caveats to using the experience-based routes. Included in this is are requirements for educators using the experience-based route to complete a minimum number of hours of relevant work and to hold a suitable level 2 English qualification before they can be considered for use in the ratios at level 3.

This consultation is running until Monday 20 May and is available to access .