Guidance

Check an early years qualification

How managers can check an early years qualification is approved by DfE and see if the holder can count in staff:child ratios in an early years setting in England.

Managers in early years settings can use this service to:

  • check if an early years qualification achieved in the UK is approved as full and relevant by the Department for Education (DfE)
  • confirm if someone who holds this qualification can count in staff:child ratios at level 2, 3 or 6 in an early years setting in England

To confirm if the qualification is full and relevant, this service will ask you:

  • where the qualification was awarded
  • the date the qualification was started and awarded
  • the level of the qualification
  • the awarding organisation

Before you start

You will find it helpful to have the following documents:

  • qualification certificate
  • qualification transcript – this includes a list of the modules that were studied

Some qualifications have additional requirements which need to be met for the qualification to be considered full and relevant.

The service will tell you if any additional requirements apply, and what these are.

Start now

Practitioners and other staff should continue to use the early years qualifications list (EYQL) to check the approval status of UK qualifications. Contact the Ecctis Early Years Service if you need further assistance after checking the EYQL.

Updates to this page

Published 20 March 2025

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