T Level Education and Childcare

Education & Care / Full Time / T Levels

Experience with a real employer in a real workplace allows you to apply the skills and knowledge you learn in the classroom to the job, giving you a taste of the world of work you expect once you complete your studies. Around 80% of your time will be spent at college with the remaining 20% being spent at your placement. This differs to an apprenticeship, which is typically 80% on-the-job and 20% in the classroom.

A T Level in Childcare and Education will provide you with an inspiring curriculum that will offer you the academic knowledge and occupational competency required for a rewarding and exciting career in Early Years Education. The T Level provides you with a holistic understanding of how children aged 0-19 years grow, learn and develop, leading to an occupational specialism in Early Years Education or Assisting Teaching. Working alongside children, whether it be in Early Years or Primary Education is a rewarding role and you will develop your skills in order to provide a safe and stimulating environment which enables children to reach their full potential.

Within the role of Early Years Education and Assisting Teaching, you will hold many qualities and have the necessary skills to observe, plan and assess children’s individual care, learning and development needs and how to safeguard children. This course will offer you the opportunity to develop and extend those skills over a period of two years, beginning with your core knowledge and then moving into your occupational specialism of either Early Years Education or Assisting Teaching. Assessment will consist of tasks set within the College and out in a practical work placement setting. If you are passionate about working alongside children and are committed to a two-year programme in order to develop your skillset, then the T Level is for you.

A T Level in Education and Childcare provides you with a broad vocational approach to work alongside children, offering you a subject specific occupational specialism as you progress into year 2 of your course. The T Level has an emphasis on developing your skills in practice, giving you the knowledge, understanding and skillset required for employment within Early Years and Education, or further study within Higher Education. Depending on your occupational specialism, there is potential to also gain your Early Years Educator Status and licence to practice within the Early Years Sector which will allow you to work in ratio in a childcare setting.

One of the great strengths of the T Level is the integration of theory and practice as this qualification emphasises the importance of competency within practice. Therefore, you have the opportunity to apply what you have learnt at college to your experiences within your work placements. You will have the opportunity to be placed in a variety of settings totalling a minimum of 750 hours, which is a mandatory part of the course.

You will have the opportunity to work with children of a variety of ages and stages of development, that are relevant to your occupational specialism. This ensures you gain the breadth of practice and experience to successfully apply your knowledge and expand your skillset. Placements could include Primary Schools, Nurseries, Pre-Schools, Childminders and Special schools for children with additional needs.

The course offers a range of topics that embed your core knowledge before applying and expanding this to your occupational specialism of either Early Years Education or Assisting Teaching. Both specialisms offer emphasis on the importance of work-based competency, and this will be a central feature of your assessments throughout your study. The T-Level offers opportunities for you to learn through a variety of student-centred approaches, including lectures, practical sessions, workplace observations and tasks and external assessments. You will be expected to keep up to date with the current changes in the Early Years and Education sector in line with government policy and curriculum.

Please note: A clear DBS certificate will be required in order to complete this course and this will be organised when you start with us through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Year 1
Core Knowledge

Year 2
Occupational Specialism:

Early Years Education
Assisting Teaching

There may also be opportunities to gain qualifications in:

Paediatric First Aid
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Health and Safety
Safeguarding
Food Safety

Assessment is continuous throughout the course and consists of written tasks, presentations, demonstrations and controlled assessments. You will also be required to sit external exams as part of the course requirements. This will aid your time management, organisational and research skills that contribute to effective practice when working within the Early Years and Education sector. You will also be required to complete and maintain a portfolio of evidence documenting your occupational competency throughout your journey on the T-Level that will be assessed upon completion of the course. During your time at placement, you will be assessed through a series of observations, witness statements and placement reports. You will be expected to reflect and report on your own practice and collate evidence to support that practice.

There are a wide range of progression opportunities available upon completion of the T Level. As the T Level is vocational and assesses your occupational competency, you are able to enter the employment sector immediately after certification. Depending upon your occupational specialism, you can enter the early years sector as an Early Years Educator or gain employment as a Teaching Assistant within a mainstream school, specialist school or private school.

The T Level has a balance of academic and vocational requirements, providing learners with UCAS points that they can take forward into higher Education. Progression routes can include, but are not limited to, BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, BEd in Early Years or Primary Education, BA (Hons) Education, BSc Speech and Language Therapy.

To study a T Level in Childcare and Education, you need to demonstrate your commitment to your two-year programme of study and have a thirst for working alongside children. Additionally, we require you to have four GCSEs at grade 4 or above. This must include English Language, Maths, Science (if you wish to carry on into Primary Teaching, Science is a GCSE requirement) and 1 other GCSE at a minimum of grade 4.

You will also be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service clearance check.

To obtain more information about this course, please call: 01208 224000 or email enquiry@callywith.ac.uk