Course Overview

This one-year qualification covers a range of key subject areas that provides learners with the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to care for and educate children aged between 0 and 11 years and 11 months old. It will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and experience to work with children in the early years and primary school sector. This course also provides the opportunity to improve your GCSE maths, English and science (optional for those thinking of T Level).

You will attend College throughout the week and be expected to complete written assignments and self-study at home. Your work placement will be one day a week and a number of week blocks where you attend your early years and primary school placement for the whole week.

Units may include:

• Play and learning activities for children
• Environments for children’s play
• Children’s learning and development
• The welfare of babies and young children
• Children’s communication, literacy and language development
• Promoting the health and wellbeing of young children in early years settings.
• Child development from birth to 11 years 11 months
• Play and learning
• Exploring legislation
• The role of the childcare practitioner
• Nutrition
• Physical development and physical activity
• Professional skills record

Assessment Methods

This qualification is internally assessed through a portfolio of evidence. There is also a mandatory Professional Skills Record which must be completed during the work placement element of the course. Learners will undertake at least 200 work placement hours. You will complete these hours in two different work placements, 100 hours in an early years setting and the other 100 in a primary school setting.

Progression Options

On successful completion of the course, you could progress to the T Level and onwards on to our early years degrees at the University Centre Somerset. Alternatively, you could progress to an Early Years Apprenticeship.