This is a question we are asked a lot at Study at Home, and the answer is slightly complexed. The short answer is ‘yes’. In the UK s person must have a qualification that meets the full and relevant criteria for early years qualifications to count towards the early years EYFS staff: child ratios.

There is more information on the Government website.

Our first response to people asking about childcare qualifications is that they should call their local nurseries, or any kind of childcare providers (depending on the kind of work it is that they want to do) and ask them what qualifications they require for any particular job role. In all cases, the response that they get is that they want a clean CRB check (Criminal Records Bureau), and a full national childcare qualification, usually at level 3 or above, for example a CACHE Qualification.

Obviously if you are a school leaver then an apprenticeship could be an option.

You will also require to be educated to a certain level, see below:-

Level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications

Staff who have registered for a qualification since 1 September 2014 that meets the full and relevant criteria must also have suitable level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications to count towards the EYFS staff: child ratios at level 3.

These are:

English

• functional skills qualification in English at level 2
• GCSE/International GCSE qualification in English language and/or literature to at least grade C (grade 4)
• key skills qualification in communication at level 2
• A level or AS level qualification in English language and/or English literature to at least grade E
• O Level qualification in English to at least grade C
• CSE grade 1 English (language)
• Basic skills certificate L2 – certificate in adult literacy
• British Sign Language (BSL) for people who use BSL as their primary language

Also recognised Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh equivalents.

Maths

• functional skills qualification in maths at level 2
• GCSE/International GCSE qualification in maths to at least grade C (grade 4)
• key skills qualification in application of number at level 2
• A level or AS level qualification in maths or pure maths and/or further maths to at least grade E
• O level qualification in maths to at least grade C
• CSE grade 1 maths
• Basic skills certificate L2 – certificate in adult numeracy

Also recognised Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh equivalents.

There are many so called training providers on the internet, you only have to look at Trustpilot to see that students are giving false and misleading information on childcare courses which is very sad. You could waste several hundred pounds and a great deal of time taking a course which is worthless, take your time and do your research.

Of course, there are also those who have an ambition to work with older children, maybe at a senior school and we can always help with that as well. Our best qualification for this is the Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools. Again, this is aimed squarely at those people who want to work as a teaching or learning assistant with supervision. The big difference, however, is that this course does require a work placement (of around 50 hours), so that someone can assess your practical skills while working with pupils.

Of course, we do get people who simply aren’t ready for a level 3 course (roughly equivalent to an A-Level in terms of the level of difficulty), but who still want to do something to work towards their ambition. For these kinds of students we have a few level 2 courses covering a variety of age groups. View the range of courses here Child Care and Teaching Assistant courses.

We also have a range of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) courses which are theoretical knowledge courses designed for people who want to add to their arsenal of knowledge and skills in particular areas, such as Child Psychology .There are also more courses, like CPD Safeguarding, Complete Childcare, that are more general, but will help to improve student’s CV, and help them to build up a stronger understanding of the childcare and teaching sector.

So, to return to our original question: ‘do I need a particular qualification to work with children?’ The short answer is still ‘yes’, study at Home is dedicated to helping people find the right courses and qualifications for anyone who wants to study from home, even when the answer is a complicated one. If you have any questions, please do get in touch with our specialist course advisor.