From September, graduates in the early years will be working towards the new status of Early Years Teacher. According to the Department for Education, these will be 'specialists in the early years' and trained to work with babies and young children from birth to five.
The Government's move follows Cathy Nutbrown's review of early years education and childcare qualifications, which highlighted the need to develop a 'strong professional identity' recognised and valued by parents and other professionals.
While the content of the new course is expected to be almost identical to the existing Early Years Professional training, there has been much debate about the rationale of introducing a new, superseding graduate status. This is particularly in light of the fact that it will still not deliver Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
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