Education & Early Years

Course Overview

The Technical Level 3 Diploma in Education & Early Years prepares you to become an Early Years Educator, enabling you to work with children from birth to 5 years and gain knowledge of children aged 5 to 7 years.

This qualification is suitable for a range of learners, either working or wishing to work in early years education and care. It is also suitable for those wishing to progress to Higher Education.

What will I study?

80% will be academic and technical study at college whilst the other 20% will be practical experience gained with an employer as part of an industry placement.

You will need to have access to a real work environment, as you need to show competence in both knowledge and skills.

Upon achievement of this qualification you will gain their licence to practise and it is intended that learners will be able to enter the workforce as Early Years Educators or progress to higher education.
Learners can progress into various job roles in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors such as:

• practitioner in day nurseries
• practitioner in nursery schools
• practitioner in reception classes in primary schools
• pre-school worker.

Core Knowledge and understanding in Childcare: will investigate the range of job roles and organisations in the sector. The core content focuses on students knowledge and understanding of contexts, concepts, theories and principles for child development and care.

Occupational specialist knowledge and skills: development from birth-7years. Students will learn how to identify and check development patterns and how to plan and provide educational play to encourage progress and learning.

Research and problem solving, working with others, communication, evaluation. Students will demonstrate they can communicate information clearly to engaged children, work with others to plan and provide stimulating activities and use formative and summative assessment to track childrens developmental progress.

Modules

Core Modules

• Health & Wellbeing
• Legislation, frameworks and professional practice
• Play, development and learning for school readiness
• Professional Development

Additional units include

• Equality & Diversity
• Special Education Needs and Disability
• English as an Additional Language
• Parents, Families and Carers
• Working with others
• Reflective Practice
• Child Development 
• Supporting Education 
• Safeguarding, Health and Safety and Wellbeing
• Behaviour
• Observation and Assessment.

Core Skills will be assessed through externally assessed tests and an employer set-project.

Technical skills will be assessed through work-placement observations and Synoptic assessment of performance 

Entry requirements

• Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above including English Language and Maths
• Grade 4-5 in GCSE Science

or 

• Level 2 Diploma in a relevant course eg. Childcare at level Merit or above

I am studying a T-Level in Education and Childcare, this T-Level course is already fun, engaging and extremely interesting, all of the teachers have been very welcoming and friendly to all of us.

Why should I choose USP College?

• Be part of our College Company ’Seymour House’. Complementing your time in college, you will also learn the ropes through work experience and shadowing placements in
  organisations such as nurseries, primary schools and other childcare establishments in and around Essex.
• Carry out work experience in an Early Years setting, preparing for your future careers. Develop Practical skills through Industry placement totalling 750 hours across two years in different age ranges.
• Trips/visits to complement the learning on your course including childcare events and
  interaction with professionals from Seymour House.
• Course teachers have a wealth of experience from working and studying in the Early years sector, Nursery managers, Primary school teachers, Health & Social Care Nursing, Public Health and general Childcare careers.
• Guest talks from a range of health and social care practitioners – past speakers have included: Leading Nursey Practitioners,  Nurses, Health and wellbeing advisors, Complementary Therapists, SENCO’s,  Midwives and Social Workers.

What could I do next?

Students can progress into a variety of supervised job roles in the statutory, voluntary or
private sectors. Roles include a practitioner in a day nursery, home-based childcare, or a pre-school worker.

You could also progress to a Higher Education course at USP College or work in areas such as: Teaching, Nursery Assistant and Nursery Supervisor.

You could also attend university to study subjects like: Primary Education, Education Studies or a Foundation degree in Early Years.

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