Your nursery's Level 3 staff may not be counting in your ratios.
Since February 2025, the apprenticeship exit requirement for Functional Skills was removed. That change made the nursery ratio problem worse, not better.
Staff who completed a Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship now have their Level 3 qualification but no Level 2 English. Under EYFS staffing requirements, they cannot be counted at Level 3 in your staff:child ratio. That means reduced capacity, compliance risk, or both. The fix is straightforward. This course is it.
3 evenings. Online. Fully invigilated exam. Highfield certified. From £197 per person.
Real nursery practitioners, working towards the qualification that fixes their ratio status.
Our 3-evening intensive is built around the reality of nursery work: evenings only, online, with flexible exam slots that never touch the daytime rota.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com
Photo by Ksenia Chernaya on Pexels.com
Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com
This is a nursery compliance issue, not a training nice-to-have.
Here is what the EYFS statutory framework actually says about Level 3 staff in your ratios:
That rule has not changed. It applies regardless of whether Functional Skills was completed as part of an apprenticeship. Three things this means in practice for your nursery:
- 1A practitioner completes their Level 3 EYE apprenticeship, but under the February 2025 DfE rule change, Functional Skills was no longer mandatory. They finish without Level 2 English.
- 2You now have a Level 3-qualified practitioner on your rota who cannot be counted at Level 3 in your EYFS ratio.
- 3Your ratios are either non-compliant, or you are running the room with a practitioner who is legally invisible at their actual qualification level.
This affects more nurseries than you might think.
Any Level 3 staff member whose qualification was obtained after 1 September 2014 is affected, not just recent apprentices. If you have not audited your team's English qualifications against the EYFS requirements, there is a real chance you have a gap you are not aware of.
From September 2025, it applies to EBR completers too.
Staff completing the Experience-Based Route from September 2025 must also hold a suitable Level 2 English qualification before they can be counted in ratios at Level 3.
Most nursery managers think their team is fully covered. The certificates say one thing. The EYFS rules say another.
8-staff independent nursery, mid-size setting
Each row shows what each practitioner is qualified at, and how they actually count in your ratio.
Functional Skills English Level 2: 3-Evening Intensive with Exam.
Designed specifically for working nursery staff who need to qualify quickly, without disrupting the working day. Three evening sessions. A Saturday mock. A flexible online exam the following week. A nationally recognised, Ofqual-regulated qualification, awarded by Highfield, one of the UK's leading awarding organisations.
No travel. No days off work. No hidden costs. Your staff get qualified. Your ratios get fixed.
From enrolment to certificate, step by step.
Live evening teaching, 7.30pm to 9pm
Your nursery staff join three online evening sessions on Zoom, taught live by an experienced tutor. All three components of the qualification are covered: Reading, Writing, and Speaking & Listening. Speaking & Listening is recorded during one of these sessions and assessed by Functify Learning as the approved centre. There is no additional exam for that component. Learners also receive immediate access to the “English in a Week” self-study video course to reinforce between sessions.
Mock exam under timed conditions
The Saturday following the three evening sessions, learners sit a full mock exam under timed conditions. All submissions are video-marked, and each learner receives written feedback identifying exactly where marks were lost.
Invigilated online exam
The Highfield online exam takes place the following week. Learners choose a slot that suits them: Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, or Saturday 9am to 12pm. The exam is invigilated remotely. No travel to a test centre. No time off during the nursery day.
Certificate, ratio-ready
On successful completion, learners receive their Highfield Level 2 Functional Skills English certificate. This is a full, Ofqual-regulated qualification that satisfies the EYFS Level 2 English requirement for staff:child ratio purposes.
One price. Everything in. No add-ons.
We are an approved Highfield exam centre.
That matters because we manage the entire qualification under one provider. Tuition, invigilated exam, and certification. There is no separate exam centre to book, no additional fees to pay, and no coordination across multiple organisations.
What that means for you as a nursery employer
- ✓One point of contact from enrolment to certificate
- ✓Exam fees included in the course price, what you see is what you pay
- ✓Speaking & Listening assessment handled by us as the centre, no external examiner to schedule
- ✓Flexible exam slots to minimise disruption to your rota
Our accreditations
Highfield Approved Centre
Ofqual Regulated
Ofsted Registered
Fully online, built around a working nursery day
Sessions run from 7.30pm to 9pm on weekday evenings. The exam runs the following week across a range of morning and weekend slots. None of this touches your daytime staffing. Your staff do not need to take a day off. Your ratios are not disrupted during the course. And because everything is online, staff at different sites within your nursery group can participate in the same cohort.
92% first-time pass rate
Functify Learning learners pass at significantly higher rates than the national average. We focus on the actual exam requirements, not generic English tuition, so time is not wasted on content that does not affect the outcome.
Clear pricing. No hidden exam fees.
One all-inclusive price covers tuition, the mock, feedback, the Highfield exam, and the certificate. Nothing is charged separately.
Tuition, mock, video-marked feedback, Highfield exam, and certificate. One booking, one invoice.
| Group Size | Price Per Person | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | £347 | £347 |
| 2–3 people | £297 | £594–£891 |
| 4–10 people | £247 | £988–£2,470 |
We also accept Klarna — pay in instalments or pay later. Select Klarna at checkout.
If your nursery group operates multiple sites, staff across locations can join the same cohort. One booking, one invoice.
Questions nursery managers actually ask.
Our staff finished their Level 3 apprenticeship after February 2025 without completing Functional Skills. Does this course fix their ratio status?
How do we know which of our staff are affected?
The evening sessions are online. Is the exam also fully remote?
What if a staff member does not pass first time?
Can staff from different sites within our nursery group join the same cohort?
Payment, cancellations & date changes.
Payment
Full payment is required to confirm your booking. Exam places are not booked until payment has been received in full.
Cancellations
| Notice Period | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 14 or more days before the first session | Booking cancelled at no charge |
| 7–13 days before the first session | 50% of the course fee becomes due and will be invoiced |
| Less than 7 days before the first session | Full course fee becomes due and will be invoiced |
Date Changes
| Notice Period | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 14 or more days before the first session | Date change at no charge, subject to availability |
| 7–13 days before the first session | One date change permitted, subject to a £50 rescheduling fee |
| Less than 7 days before the first session | Treated as a cancellation — full course fee becomes due and a new booking will be required |
Ready to fix your nursery's ratio gap?
If you have Level 3 staff without Level 2 English, the gap in your ratios is costing you capacity, or putting you at compliance risk. This course resolves it in a single week, without disrupting a single daytime shift.