Education and Childcare Early Years Educator T Level

Working with children and young people requires a lot of patience, enthusiasm and hard work. This course will be suitable for you if you have a genuine interest in working with children and young people and want a qualification that offers a licence to practice with children aged 0-5 years, but also provides flexibility to work in a range of job roles in the fields of education, health and social care with children and young people across the 0-19 age range.

As part of the course, you will work with early years educators in day nurseries, pre-schools, primary schools and special education provision by planning, implementing and evaluating play and learning experiences to support children’s learning and development. You will also learn, and apply, skills in observation and assessment using the early years framework in order to inform future planning requirements for children’s individual needs.

On completion of the course, you will have a licence to practice within the Early Years sector allowing you to go straight into employment. Alternatively, you may choose to continue onto university to study courses for a range of job roles in education, health, social care.

Core Elements (Year 1)

• Wider contexts of education
• Supporting education
• Safeguarding
• Behaviour
• Parents, families and carers
• Working with others
• Child development
• Observation and assessment
• Reflective practice
• Equality and diversity
• Special educational needs and disability
• English as an additional language

Early Years Educator Occupational Specialism (Year 2)

• Support and promote children’s play, development and early education
• Develop relationships with children to facilitate their development
• Plan, provide and review care, play and educational opportunities to enable children to progress
• Safeguard and promote the health, safety and wellbeing of children
• Work in partnership with colleagues, parents, cares and other professionals to support childen’s development

To succeed you will need to be passionate about working with children, have effective communication and teamworking skills, and be willing to undertake a minimum of 750 hours industry placement.

On completion of the course, you will have a licence to practice within the Early Years sector allowing you to go straight into employment. Alternatively, you may choose to continue onto university to study courses for a range of job roles in education, health, social care.

Assessment includes exams, practical tasks, an employer-set project, assignments and observation of practice in industry placement.

You will need 4 GCSEs at grade 4 include GCSE Maths or GCSE English. You will also require an enhanced DBS check prior to commencing industry placement which college will help you to organise.

You could progress to university, higher apprenticeship or employment