Level 2 childcare qualifications: what they are and how they count

The DfE's early years qualification requirements and standards (dated 13 July 2026) say a qualification is full and relevant when the DfE has assessed it as meeting all of the Early Years Practitioner (Level 2) or Early Years Educator (Level 3) criteria. Holders can be included in the staff to child ratios at the level the criteria set.

If you do not meet the criteria, the DfE says you can only work as an unqualified member of staff.

Not every childcare course changes how you count in a nursery. This is how the main levels sit under the DfE rules.

Lift College does not teach a Level 2 early years practitioner qualification. If you are new to early years work, the Level 1 Award in Principles of Working in Early Years Settings is a short introduction, assessed by written work with no exams and no observations. If you want to count in ratios, you can go straight to the Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) (RQF): it is open from 16 with no other entry requirements, and you do not need a Level 2 first.

The DfE sets these extra conditions:

• Level 2 English to count at Level 3, if you started your Level 3 on or after 1 September 2014. GCSE English language or literature at grade 4 (C) or Functional Skills English Level 2 both count.
• Paediatric first aid within three months of starting work, if you gained your Level 2 or Level 3 after 30 June 2016.
• Level 2 maths only for setting managers appointed on or after 4 January 2024, or within two years of starting the role. You do not need maths to count at Level 3.

The DfE runs a free Check an early years qualification service on gov.uk, and our early years qualification checker guide walks through it step by step.