This highly practical course will introduce you to a wide range of interesting and enriching topic areas relevant to early years practice, from practical skills for looking after children to psychological theory of development. 

Students will be expected to have five GCSEs at grade 9-4, or a Merit in a relevant vocational Level 2 Diploma (or equivalent). In addition, students will be expected to have GCSE grade 4 in English Language and Mathematics. This course requires a high level of motivation and professionalism due to the amount of time spent in childcare settings. 

Elements to be covered in Year 1 include:  

Element 1: Wider context  

Element 2: Supporting education  

Element 3: Safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing  

Element 4: Behaviour  

Element 5: Parents, families and carers  

Element 6: Working with others  

Element 7: Child development  

Element 8: Observation and assessment  

Element 9: Reflective practice  

Element 10: Equality and diversity  

Element 11: Special educational needs and disability  

Element 12: English as an additional language 

Year 2 will cover the specialist performance outcomes for the Early Years Educator occupational specialism: 

Performance outcome 1: Support and promote children’s play, development and early education.

Performance outcome 2: Develop relationships with children to facilitate their development. 

Performance outcome 3: Plan, provide and review care, play and educational opportunities to enable children to progress 

Performance outcome 4: Safeguard and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of children 

Performance outcome 5: Work in partnership with colleagues, parents, carers and other professionals to support children’s development 

You will acquire an understanding of the Education and Early Years sector from ages 0-19 years. This will include the theory of child development and how to support children and young people in education. It will also develop your knowledge and understanding of safeguarding, health and safety, managing behaviour and how to effectively work with parents, carers and wider families. You will carry out a minimum of 750 hours work placement, which will be in a variety of settings, where you will be able to perform observations and assessments of children and young people whilst also developing your skills in being a reflective practitioner. In addition to the core content, you will complete the occupational specialism, as an early year’s educator, specialising in the age range of 0-7 years. 

Assessment will be carried out through different methods:  

• Written examinations 

• Synoptic assessment 

• Assignments 

• Employer-set project 

• Assessed observations in work placement  

Exam Board: NCFE 

Work placement will support your coursework and to achieve your occupational specialism which is the Early Years Educator qualification. By the end of the second year, you will have achieved a minimum of 750 hours in a variety of settings such as nurseries and schools.  

As part of enrichment, you will have the opportunity to undertake a paediatric first aid qualification and gain experience in a forest school environment. We will visit a range of universities and have guest speakers that work in the child care sector. 

The teaching staff for this course have a vast amount of work experience with children in a range of settings and countries. This experience is used to enhance your learning environment and give you greater knowledge about the everyday work carried out in a child care setting. Practical activities are used in class to support your learning of theoretical concepts; this also benefits your work placement by enabling you to try out new activities, sometimes things that you haven’t done since being a child yourself. We work alongside local nurseries and schools to ensure that you have a happy and valuable experience working with children.

On successful completion of the course, you will gain the Early Years Educator status, which will provide you with access to employment in childcare or to an apprenticeship. T Levels also come with UCAS Tariff points, which will support you progressing onto higher education to study degrees such as primary education, working with families and social work. 

Essential additional costs for the course: 

DBS approx. £58. 
Forest School visit approx. £30. 
First Aid Certificate approximately £30. 
Uniform for work placement will cost between £8 to £40 (approximately).