The Blossom Nursery Glossary - Childcare qualifications

From EYFS to XYZ, we’ve pulled together every term you might need to know to work, run, open or book your child into any childcare setting.

Starting as a practitioner all the way to unsupervised Room Leader and above, there’s a handful of qualifications one might need to progress. Find out what some of the most common are right here, along with explanations of what they mean.

Childcare qualifications

There are lots of different ways to enter the childcare profession. We have collated some of the most common routes nursery practitioners have taken to get to where they are now.

Level 2 Early Years Practitioner

Level 2 practitioners will not work unsupervised in the nursery setting. They are pivotal members of the nursery team, supporting children’s progress with learning and development through a range of carefully planned tasks and play-based activities.

Level 3 Early Years Educator

A Level 3 practitioner in childcare is responsible for the planning and organising of their activities and tasks. Level 3s work unsupervised and will likely supervise others.

Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS)

A graduate-level qualification, where teachers can work with children from birth to five years of age.

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

This is the necessary qualification to teach in maintained primary schools and academies (free school qualifications can differ). A teacher with QTS can also teach in an early years setting.

Paediatric First Aid Certificate

Nurseries are required to have a minimum number of PFA-trained staff supervising children at one time. Many nurseries train all staff in administering paediatric first aid.

Safeguarding training

As part of an induction to the nursery and repeated every two years as a minimum, all of the nursery staff will receive safeguarding training.

Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

Training designed to improve a nursery practitioner’s skills, knowledge or confidence in an area associated with their role and future roles.

Childcare apprenticeships

Undertaken with a training provider, childcare apprentices learn on the job. Studying a mixture of pedagogy and educational theory whilst supporting in the nursery.