Charlotte Goddard looks at how working abroad led an aspiring actor down
the graduate employment-based pathway.
Acting was the original career planned by Beth Spaul. 'Having seen my mum work really hard in and out of the classroom, I said "I never want to teach",' she remembers. Little did she know she was destined to become the head of a school of 100.
Her journey began after completing a degree in French and English literature and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, when she embarked on what was to be the start of a 12-year stay in India. Like many Brits travelling abroad to work, she got a job teaching English to adults and children. A chance meeting with a group of parents on the beach one day led the mum-of-three to decide to set up a nursery.
'When you have children yourself you are a bit of a child magnet,' she says. 'I got talking to the parents about my job as a teacher and they told me they were trying to set up a nursery. Goa is very cosmopolitan, and the parents were from a number of different backgrounds so no one could agree on what they wanted the school to be like. So I said "I'll set it up. You turn up next term".'
Yellow House School then grew from a 15-child setting to a nursery, primary and secondary school for 100 two- to 14-year-olds in ten years, with Ms Spaul as the head teacher. 'It was an amazing experience, but I still felt I lacked the professional development and academic fulfilment I would get in the UK,' she says. So she returned home and started working as a teaching assistant in Year 6. Her sister, Anna Watson, who runs a childminding business in Chandler's Ford near Southampton, told her about the possibility of training as an Early Years Teacher (EYT).
Last September, Ms Spaul began her course with a consortium of schools, mainly in the London borough of Newham, called School Centred Initial Teacher Training in East London Schools (SCITTELS). The schools work together to provide teacher training leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status, and offer the EYT programme through partner organisation Best Practice Network.
There are four pathways to Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) - see box. Ms Spaul chose the employment route because she needed to be able to draw a salary while studying. 'Although Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) is fully funded with no tuition fees, I am not in a financial position to be a full-time student again, so I needed to find a job in early years,' she says. 'I looked into job prospects in my area and found a position being offered at - coincidentally - the nursery my cousin's children attend. I went along for interview and was appointed as deputy manager.
'At the same time I applied for EYITT with SCITTELS and went through a thorough recruitment process.' This involved literacy and numeracy tests and an interview that included tasks such as creating a lesson plan about a favourite book.
Somewhat coincidentally, with peacocks being a national symbol of her former home, she now works at 24-place Peacock Montessori Nursery, which is based on a family-run farm in Stuston, Suffolk, a far cry from the dusty planes of the subcontinent. Hannah Laurie, her manager, submits observations of her work as part of the assessment. Ms Laurie says, 'The course has greatly increased Beth's confidence, which has benefits for the nursery, and her newfound knowledge cascades through the team. I wasn't recruiting specifically for someone interested in gaining EYTS but I always look for someone interested in doing further qualifications - Beth doing EYTS is good for us.'
For Ms Spaul, the course is 'challenging but rewarding'. Training days take place each month in Stratford. She says, 'We don't start until 10am to allow us time for travel. Other training is through e-learning, which suits me well as I can fit that into my schedule. We collect evidence together in an e-portfolio, which is marked by my tutor, and feedback comes back to me each time.'
Best Practice Network is the delivery partner for five EYITT providers across the country, including SCITTELS. Ms Spaul's tutor, Best Practice's early years director Maureen Lee, says, 'When I visited Beth at her setting, I observed her teaching and caring for the children and talked with her and her manager about what was going well, highlighting any areas that Hannah, Beth or I thought should be the next area for Beth to focus on.
'This three-way process is essential, so that everyone is really clear and so Beth could move forward confidently and in the right direction.' As well as visiting, Ms Lee sees Beth about once a month at training days and is in frequent contact via email and to deliver feedback on her online portfolio.
As the course requires experience of working with Key Stage 1 children, Ms Spaul has also undergone a placement at a primary school. 'I feel I am doing something truly life changing that will be hugely positive for me, my colleagues, the parents, my key children and all the small people at Peacock Montessori Nursery,' says Ms Spaul. 'EYITT is a course that is important for our early years profession. (But) while I am training to be a teacher, following the genes, I am also very much an actor too - I get to play with the children every day, entering into their imaginary worlds and travelling to all sorts of magical places with them.'
Graduates taking the employment-based EYTS route can access funding of £14,000 (see box), half of which goes to the student's employer to pay for costs associated with training. 'The money aims to pay for cover, for example, so the trainee can attend training days or placements in other settings,' says Ms Lee.
Further information
See details at www.bestpracticenet.co.uk/eyitt
ROUTES TO EARLY YEARS TEACHER STATUS
1. Graduate entry, a full-time, 12-month course for graduates, of which 120 days are placement. All entrants have their fees fully covered, with a £7,000 grant to cover course fees as well as bursaries of up to £9,000 for graduates with a first class degree and £4,000 for graduates with 2:1 degrees.
2. Graduate employment-based: a one-year part-time route for graduates working in an early years setting. Applicants must be employed in an early years setting and their employer needs to support their application and agree to release and support them to undertake the course. All entrants have their fees fully covered, with a £7,000 grant to cover course fees, and an additional £7,000 as a contribution to costs incurred by their employer. Applicants need to hold at least GCSE Grade C (or a recognised equivalent) in maths, English and science, and a degree in any subject, and must pass the professional skills tests for trainee teachers.
3. Undergraduate: a full-time, three- to four-year route leading to EYTS. This route is for undergraduates completing a degree in an early childhood related subject, who will earn EYTS as well as their degree. There is no additional fee for the EYITT element, and tuition fee loans are available from Student Finance England. Degree courses will have varying entry requirements. Undergraduates wanting to incorporate EYITT into their degree must have a GCSE Grade C and above (or recognised equivalent) in maths, English and a science subject, and must have passed the professional skills tests for trainee teachers. Students must carry out 120 hours of paid or voluntary early years experience
4. Assessment only: three months, self-funded for graduates with experience of working with children from birth to five years old who can meet the Teacher Standards (Early Years) without further training, for example an early years teacher from overseas. Applicants must have achieved a GCSE grade C (or equivalent) in English, maths and a science subject, hold a first degree (Level 6) from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification, and have passed the required professional skills tests. Fees vary depending on the training provider, with some providers offering additional tutor visits or support prior to the course at extra cost for example.
5. School Direct (Early Years): route 1 is delivered by a nursery provider or school along with a training provider. Results in EYTS. Training is fully funded by NCTL through a grant of £7,000 available to all trainees. Bursaries are available: £9,000 for graduates with a first-class degree and £4,000 for graduates with a 2:1. Prospective students for the School Direct route 2015/16 should apply directly to one of the nine lead organisations. See www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-direct-early-years-initial- teacher-training-lead-organisations
- The DfE provides information on the different entry routes, case studies and a list of accredited providers, www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/subjects-age-groups/ early-years
- Teachers' Standards (Early Years), www.gov.uk
- Professional skills tests, http://sta.education.gov.uk.
TEACH FIRST (EARLY YEARS)
A two-year training programme for 'high calibre' graduates working full-time in schools, nurseries and early years settings. Applicants must have a degree at 2:1 or above, and two relevant A-Levels at a B or above if their degree is not in early years, psychology or a relevant curriculum subject. If the applicant passes the initial application they must attend a day-long assessment process, followed by an online test and a six-week summer school. They then start working at a school or nursery while studying for their PGCE after one year, and QTS after two.