Final assessments for those who started in January 2012
The setting visits have been completed for all January 2012 candidates and internal moderation of these visits took place before Christmas. Candidates will be hearing their outcomes and Teaching Agency formal notification of these will be issued in due course. For all candidates who have met the EYPS requirements since January 2012, and who have studied at the University of Chichester, there will be an event to celebrate their achievement in gaining EYPS. This is planned for late March and invites will be despatched soon.
Recruitment for January 2013
The last candidate has been interviewed and has accepted a place for the six monthGraduate Practitioner Pathway cohort commencing this month. The recruitment for the University of Chichester is now closed. Our consortium partners are finalising their recruitment and teaching will be underway imminently.
Candidates on pathways commencing September 2012
Candidates on pathways commencing from September 2012 will be working on eight standards as detailed in the document ‘Guidance to the standards for the award of Early Years Professional Status – July 2012’. The outcomes for candidates from this date will be ‘Met’ or ‘Not met’ and tutors are working collaboratively with candidates to support them on their journeys.
University of Chichester candidates
We currently have four pathways in progress at different stages:
- Graduate Entry Pathway (12 months) and Undergraduate Entry Pathway (12 months)
Our candidates are attending sessions with tutors to support their knowledge and understanding of the needs of EYPS. They are also preparing for their development reviews and working in placements to develop and extend their professional practice. The UEPs are re-joining the BA programme in the coming weeks for their final semester with us before graduation; they have selected their final modules and are working on their independent research projects in addition to EYPS.
- Undergraduate Practice Pathway (6 months)
These candidates have one further 15 credit module to complete in the second semester. They have made their selection and will be returning during the third week in January to attend lectures. In addition there will be a suite of sessions to cover the EYPS Professional Standards and how to link these with their theoretical study and practice. There will also be preparation sessions on assessment requirements and a Development Review.
- GPPS
Our September 2012 GPPs are moving towards their final assessments which commence during the second week in February. They have a session this week on the document portfolio and a follow up on how to prepare for assessment. We welcome on January 2013 candidates with an induction session this month!
Recruitment for September 2013
The University will be running all four pathways from September 2013 and recruitment is underway. There has been a steady stream of enquiries which is really heartening. It shows that EYPS is valued within the workforce and that practitioners are keen to further their own professional development and support children and their colleagues by attaining the status. I will be following up with applications over the coming months and will start interviews before Easter.
Nikki Fairchild is EYP programme co-ordinator at Chichester University