The Early Years Professional and the Early Years Teacher: complementary but essentially different: a mixed methods study

The Early Years Professional is now becoming established in the early years workforce. There is now emerging evidence that suggests that this new professional role and status, imposed by the former Labour Government in 2006, is impacting on the quality of early years provision and outcomes for children. The implementation of Early Years Professional Status was complicated by being presented as broadly equivalent to Qualified Teacher Status. This paper aims to provide insight into this relationship by specifically reporting on the findings about the similarities and differences between these two professionals that emerged from research exploring the concept of professional identity through a critique of the concept, implementation and impact of Early Years Professional Status as a new professional model. The work of Bronfenbrenner on ecological systems theory provides the underpinning theoretical framework. The research design drew on mixed methods with the mixed analysis combining the quantitative data gathered through questionnaires and qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with both Early Years Professionals and stakeholders. The main finding indicates that the Early Years Professional and the Early Years Teacher are complementary but essentially different. Furthermore those who have both Qualified Teacher Status and Early Years Professional Status viewed completing the new status as a training opportunity rather than developing a new professional identity. However evidence suggested that the training undertaken was positive and develop their practice. In settings where there was both a teacher and Early Years Professional findings indicated that they can be extremely powerful together and that the Coalition Government may have been a little premature in removing the requirement for both professionals in children’s centres