
This course prepares you to work with children between birth and five years with compulsory work placement to gain practical childcare skills and experience. As part of your qualification you will gain experience in a range of early years settings, where you will be visited by our assessors who will carry out observations to show you have gained the skills required. The qualification content meets the Department for Education's (DfE) full criteria for a Level 2 Early Years Practitioner, which gives you the licence to practice under supervision in this sector. You will need to complete 250 work placement hours whilst undertaking this qualification.
Topics covered can include:
You will need:
All applicants must have an assessment and interview to confirm that the course is suitable for them.
Assessment is through both formative and summative methods. Summative assessment is directly linked to the NCFE/CACHE standards, which are drawn from the National Occupational Qualifications for Child Development and Wellbeing. These will include the written work completed in lessons or at home, assignment tasks, reports from work placement providers and internal assessors of professional practice, targeted questions in lessons, group discussions and presentations.
If you will be aged 16, 17 or 18 on 31 August in the year you begin your course, and have been resident in the UK/EU/EEA for the past 3 years, it will be free. Some courses will have other costs associated, such as for materials and trips. Many of our students are eligible for financial support when studying at college – please click here for more information.
Entry Level, Level 1, Level 2
If you will be aged 19 or older on 31 August in the year you begin your course, and have been resident in the UK/EU/EEA for the past 3 years, your course may be free, depending on your circumstances. Some courses will have other costs associated, such as for materials and trips. Many of our students are eligible for financial support when studying at college – please click here for more information.
Upon successful completion of this qualification, learners can enter the workforce as a qualified Level 2 Early Years Practitioner or continue to study for a Level 3 Diploma holding Early Years Educator status. This qualification allows a learner to count towards the Level 2 ratio as a qualified Level 2 Early Years Practitioner within the Early Years Workforce. Learners may work under supervision in a variety of roles such as Nursery Practitioner, Classroom Assistant, and Pre-school Practitioner.