Childcare & Education T-level

This T-level is the new gold standard qualification and is ideal for those who want to work in a childcare setting. The course comes with a licence to practice allowing students, on completion of the course, to enter directly into the workplace. Alternatively students may use the completion of the qualification to access university to study Early Years, Primary Education, Special Educational Needs and many more related courses,.   This two-year, full time course consists of three days in the classroom and two days on mandatory work placement. This means you will gain the knowledge and skills required to become a successful childcare practitioner, putting class theory into practice in an interesting and supportive environment.  Throughout the course you will gain essential knowledge about how children grow and develop, the provision of care, education systems and how best to work with parents and professionals alike.

The course consists of time studying the core knowledge based aspects  in college and, as practical work placements are an integral part of the course, you will spend time in child care and educational settings.

The course is delivered over 2 years including both core and occupational specific content.

You will learn about children’s growth and development, how to care for and educate children, about working with their parents and other professionals.

The taught content will cover topics such as

• Child development
• Supporting Education
• Safeguarding, Health and Safety and Wellbeing
• Behaviour
• Observation and Assessment
• Equality and Diversity
• Special Educational Needs and Disability
• English as an Additional Language
• Parents, Families and Carers
• Working with Others
• Reflective Practice
• EYFS and National Curriculum

You will be offered the opportunity to gain additional qualifications related to Paedatric First Aid and Food Handing (additional cost) which will look fantastic on applications for jobs / university. You will also have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers related to careers in the sector.

A minimum of five GCSE's at Grade 4 or above from the core subjects including English and Maths.

Please note the entry requirements for a Primary Education degree are Maths, English and Science at Grade 4.

During the course you will learn in a variety of ways. Some sessions will involve content delivered by the unit teacher. During lessons you will experience a variety of group and individual work making links between the ideas and concepts you have learnt about. In many lessons discussions and presentations are used to encourage you to make links between the taught content and your own personal experiences at school and on your placement. In some units you will have the opportunity to use your creativity by planning activities for children and designing environments to encourage the development of numeracy and literacy skills.

The assessment of the core knowledge will be through two written examinations which include a variety of types of question and an Employer set  project which will be undertaken in controlled conditions. This project will require students to plan, discuss and reflect on how to meet the needs discussed in a scenario e.g. planning an activity for developing a particular area of learning. researching to create materials to be used in the assessment.

The occupational specialism content will be assessed through three 'assignments'.

1. The first assignment is linked to planning activities for particular groups of children completed in supervised conditions

2. The second involves students being assessed during their placement on their skills achievement of the Early Years Education criteria and will involve observations and perhaps some professional discussions.

3. The third assignment requires students to complete observations of children within their placement and then to use and reflect on this knowledge to complete a number of questions completed in invigilated conditions.

You will be involved in a trip to a local wildlife park to plan activities linked to developing literacy and numeracy skills. This will also allow us to discuss the benefits and issues surounding taking children out on trips including issues such as risk assessment and safeguarding.

You will also have the opportunity to sign up for trips to various universities. Recently we took some students to Worcester University to talk about the opportunities there to study Primary Education.

We also offer a number of other enrichment type activities as part of lessons including forest school sessions, practical craft sessions and recently we have had a range of guest speakers linked to careers and wellbeing.

• You should expect some small costs for course booklets and stationery
• You should expect to pay for the cost of a DBS check as this is necessary for going out on placement
• There will be additonal costs for trip and to pay for extra qualifications such as Paedatric First Aid and Food Safety qualifications

NCFE