Colleges and Universities around the country are encouraging Level 5 Early Years students to “top up” their foundation degree to a full Level 6 Ba Hons degree on the assumption that this will benefit practitioners in their workplace, only to discover that many of these qualifications are not listed on the Early Years Qualification List released by the Department for Education. 

The level 6 Ba Hons Degree in Early Years consists of a number of in depth modules and completion of a dissertation. The criteria for enrolment includes completion of the Level 5 Foundation degree and being employed in an Early Years or Education setting. However many of the Level 6 degrees are not recognised by the DfE due to the lack of an “assessed performance” element, leaving those who complete them to be unrecognised as a Level 6 practitioner. 

The colleges and Universities that are running and promoting these courses are failing to notify students that the course is NOT a recognised, full and relevant Early Years qualification, and therefore unable to be used in any Early Years or Education setting. 

Students are gaining thousands of pounds worth of debt due to high student fees for a qualification that is not recognised in its intended field. 

Department for Education needs to review the courses that are being offered and demand that each Level 6 Early Years Degree to be offered including the “assessed performance element” or that students are fully informed of the limitation of such degrees enabling them to choose the course that will be beneficial to them.