Education and Early Years

Core content

All students will develop an understanding of:

understanding the education and early years sector from ages 0 to 19
child development
how to support children and young people’s education
safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing
understanding and managing behaviour
observing and assessing children and young people
equality and diversity
special educational needs and disability
English as an additional language
working with parents, carers and wider families
working with agencies and services that support children, families and carers
reflective practice and other forms of professional development

Options to specialise

In addition to the core content, each student must choose one of the following specialisms:

early years educator
assisting teaching

Awarding Organisation resources

NCFE has developed a wide range of resources to help providers to deliver the Education and Early Years T Level.

Registration, entries and results

Information on how to register learners for their T Level as well as how to make bookings for the correct assessment series can be found here

Tutor resources (found in the teaching materials tab on this page) includes:

Schemes of work – containing information on the qualification's learning outcomes, activities and resources for learners. Tutors may use it to outline how they will deliver the programme. These are available for the core and occupational specialisms.
Essential core resources – available for themes 1 – 5 session packs, including session plans, lesson activities, e-Learning module, home study activities and revision and study sessions, which cover some of the key topic areas across these themes.
Occupational specialisms resources – session packs, including session plan, lesson activities, e-Learning module, and home study activities.
Mapping documents – mapping the core elements to the occupational specialism performance outcomes.
Contextualization of general math competencies

Assessment guidance (found in the assessment materials tab on this page) includes:

Past papers mark schemes and chief examiner reports for core and occupational specialisms (also includes specimen papers and mark schemes)
Example Employer Set Projects, with briefs, tutor guidance and mark schemes

Video Resources

Please find a playlist from NCFE here of recorded webinars covering training, support and CPD for the Education and Early Years T Level.

Other resources include:

Additional considerations for this course

DBS basic or enhanced checks and disqualified disclosure
Where required, students should complete this check before they start their industry placement.

Safeguarding training
Schools and colleges should ensure that students do any relevant safeguarding training before they start their industry placement.

Food and hygiene (for the Early Years Educator occupational specialism only)
Dependent on the nature of the industry placement, it may help students to do some relevant food and hygiene training before they start.

ETF resources

Supporting Industry Placement through employer informed materials in the Education and Early Years T Level

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) consists of employer informed materials to support Industry Placement for the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), this TRIP provides resources for the education and early years core content. The materials developed are available to support the learner’s transition in a work environment, embed core content before completion of the placement hours and enhance knowledge around technical skills.

Resources include 10 PowerPoint sessions with detailed lesson plans and worksheets, and a scheme of work.

Core specialisms

The core specialisms covered include:

Element 1: Wider context (K1.16 K1.1, K1.3, S1.28, S1.29, K1.5, K1.6, K1.10, K1.12, K1.13, K1.14, K1.15 S1.21, S1.22, S1.23, S1.25, S1.27, S1.28, S1.33, S1.35)
Element 2: Supporting education (2.2,2.3)
Element 3: Safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing (3.2)
Element 4: Behaviour (S4.12, K4.11)
Element 6: Working with others (6.2)
Element 7: Child development (7.4)
Element 9: Reflective practice (9.3)

Core skills

The core skills covered include:

CS1: Communicate information clearly to engage children and young people, for example, to stimulate discussion and to secure understanding.
CS2: Work with others to plan and provide activities to meet children’s and young people’s needs.
CS3: Use formative and summative assessment to track children’s and students’ progress to plan and shape educational opportunities.
CS4: How to assess and manage risks to your own and others’ safety when planning activities.

General competencies
The general competencies covered include:

GEC1: Convey technical information to different audiences.
GEC2: Present information and ideas.
GEC3: Create texts for different purposes and audiences.
GEC4: Summarise information/ideas.
GCE5: Synthesise information.
GEC6: Take part in/lead discussions.
GCD1: Use digital technology and media effectively.
GCD2: Design, create and edit documents and digital media.
GCD3: Communicate and collaborate.
GMC8: Communicating using mathematics.
GMC10: Optimising work processes.

Occupational specialisms
The occupational specialisms covered include:

early years educator
assisting teaching.

Downloadable resources

Lesson plan	10
Scheme of learning	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Developing a framework for learning and guidance materials to develop core skills required for the T Level employer Set Project

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) consists of materials for the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by St Mary’s College, Hull, this TRIP provides material to support learners in developing the required ESP core skills (CS1 and CS2) and related guidance materials for staff and students on how best to prepare for the ESP.

Resources include:

a framework for learning
10 lesson plans and associated materials
guidance materials for students.

This package of resources will enable teachers to deliver a fully sequenced and resourced framework for learning that allows students to develop the level of skills required for CS1 and CS2.

The framework should be used for learning and lessons plans to guide the lesson. The resources will provide suggested timings, answers where needed, and explain the purpose of the lesson and the skills the students will develop. They will also outline which activity should be used to meet the specified aims and objectives. The lesson plans also include links to videos and suggested wider reading, which the teacher may find beneficial.

Handouts and activity resources can be used in conjunction with the slides to develop the skills required to complete the aims and objectives. They also include space for working notes and self-reflection.

The PowerPoint slides are designed to be used by the teacher to frame the delivery of each lesson and draw attention to pertinent information and instructions, while the guidance materials will inform students about how the skills they have developed feed into their ESP, and how they can make best use of these skills.

Core specialisms

The core specialisms covered include:

Core skill 1: communicate information clearly to engage children and young people.
Core skill 2: work with others to plan and provide activities to meet children’s and young people’s needs.

Downloadable resources

Formative assessment task	45
Lesson plan	10
PowerPoint	10
Scheme of learning	Detailed Plans
Student task	45

This TRIP can be found here.

Supporting holistic delivery - developing learning activities to integrate core and occupational specialism content in the Education & Early Years T Level

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) showcases a range of employer informed, and peer reviewed, learning activities which combine content from core and occupational specialisms of the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by Hertford Regional College and Solihull College and University Centre, this TRIP provides learning sessions and activities that will enable learners to practice using their knowledge in situations they will face in the workplace.

Resources include:

two schemes of work covering multiple lessons, focussing on legislation and children and young person development
session plans covering four lessons, with accompanying PowerPoint presentations
additional handouts that can be used the classroom, such as a safeguarding policy for children, and a feedback sheet for legislation presentations.

Core specialisms

The core specialisms covered include:

Element 3: Safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing.
Element 7: Child Development.
Element 10: Equality and diversity.
Element 11: Special educational needs.

Occupational specialisms

The occupational specialisms covered include:

model and promote positive behaviours expected of children (behaviour policy) (S2.19)
recognise indicators that may suggest there are causes for concern and follow policies and procedures (safeguarding and SEND) (S3.9)
understand the concept of a balanced diet (K4.8)
carry out risk assessments (S4.14)
plan a range of daily care routines (S4.19)
ensure prevention and control of infection (S4.23)
respond appropriately to emergencies (S4.24)
support health and well-being (K4.3, K4.4, K4.5, K4.6, K4.7, K4.8, K4.9, K4.10 and K4.11)
ensure needs are met and keep accurate and coherent records (data protection) (S4.16)
maintain friendships (S4.18)
promote healthy lifestyles by providing healthy snacks and promoting self-care – dignity, independence, confidence and resilience (S4.21)
respond to common illnesses (S4.22).

Downloadable resources

Formative assessment task	1
Lesson plan	8
Powerpoint	5
Scheme of learning	2
Student task	5
Policy document	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Contextualised learning materials to support and embed understanding of challenging English concepts

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) showcases employer-informed materials for the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by South Essex and peer reviewed by Derby College, this TRIP supports students to develop the required English skills and integrate the skills when working in industry placement.

Resources include:

a plan for learning to cover the relevant general English competencies in the T Level in Education and Early Years core skill 1
lesson plans covering a total of 18 sessions, with accompanying PowerPoint presentations.

General English competencies

General English competencies covered include:

GEC1: Convey technical information to different audiences.
GEC3: Create texts for different purposes and audiences.
GEC6: Take part in and lead discussions

Core skill

Core skill covered is:

CS1: Communicate information clearly to engage children and young people, for example to stimulate discussion and to secure understanding.

Core elements

The core elements covered include:

Element 4 Behaviour (4.8).
Element 2 Supporting education (2.5 and 2.2).
Element 7 Child Development (7.4).
Element 10 Equality and diversity (10.3).
Element 11 Special educational needs and disabilities (11.11).
Element 12 English as an additional language (12.4).

Downloadable resources

Lesson plan	18
PowerPoint presentations	6 (covering 18 sessions)
Scheme of learning	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Developing an outstanding approach to careers in Children’s Services

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) is a collection of resources that will allow practitioners to follow a programme of training that is coherent and easy to navigate, supporting the delivery of the Education and Childcare T Level.

Produced by Leeds City College, Leeds City Council, White Rose Academies Trust, and Alder Tree Primary, this TRIP will help learners to understand the different roles and responsibilities in the sector, as well as the range of agencies and support services for children, families, and parents.

The resources include a careers instructional sheet with links to the following:

schemes of learning for element 1 and 6
activity sheets
prompt questions for interviews
a day in the life example
example jobs descriptions for a range of careers.

Core specialisms

The core specialisms covered include:

Element 1: Wider context.
Element 6: Working with others.

Core skills

The core skills covered includes:

CS2 Work with others to plan and provide activities to meet children’s and young people's needs

Occupational specialisms

The occupational specialisms covered include:

Early years educator.
Assisting teaching.

Downloadable resources

Careers instructional sheet	1
Careers resource list	1
Phonics resource list	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Developing effective Formative Assessments for SEND

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) showcases materials to support learners for exams and the Employer Set Project for the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by New City College, Harlow College, South Essex College, East Sussex College, and Chichester College, this TRIP consists of real-life case studies relating to SEND. These were developed by Early Years lecturers who liaised with expert professionals and parents within the sector.

Resources include:

a SEND teacher guide
six case studies featuring
- Thomas, who has dyslexia, plus a video podcast on dyslexia
- Jane, who has ADHD
- Archie who has a hearing impairment
- Jessica, who has cerebral palsy
- Josh, who is on the autistic spectrum
- Sophia, who has sickle-cell disease.

Each case study has five relevant questions with marks awarded (2,4,6, and/or 12 marks) to help learners prepare for the Paper B exam.

Core specialisms

The core specialisms covered include:

Element 1: Wider context.
Element 11.

Links to the T Level specification

Links to the T Level specification includes:

11.2 How professionals and organisations support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
11.4 Why practitioners must use appropriate terminology when discussing the needs of children and young people with SEND.
11.8 Cognitive difficulties may impact upon language, communication, and educational development.
11.9 How a chronic condition may affect children or young people’s emotions, education, behaviour and quality of life.

Downloadable resources

SEND teacher guide	1
Case studies	6

This TRIP can be found here.

Developing AO2 and AO3 Formative assessment materials for the Education and Childcare T Level

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) showcases employer informed formative assessments to support learner success in the core content assessments for the Education and Early Years T Level.

Produced by Suffolk New College, Luminate Education Group and Lilian Baylis Technology School, this TRIP produces a set of high-quality, accessible, and valid formative assessment materials to help students to develop their skills to successfully answer AO2 and AO3 questions in the Technical Qualification core content summative assessments.

Resources include:

two student activity booklets
education and childcare formative assessment questions
PowerPoint presentations covering Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Equality and Diversity, and English as an Additional Language.
article on living with diabetes.

Core specialisms

The core specialisms covered include:

Element 3: Safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing.
Element 10: Equality and diversity.
Element 11: Special educational needs and disabilities.
Element 12: English as an additional language.

Downloadable resources

Activity booklets	2
PowerPoint presentations	3
Article	1
Formative assessment questions	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Developing strategies to support CEIAG for vocational learners

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) showcases materials for the T Level in Construction, the T level in Digital, the T level in Education and Early years and the T level in Health and Science.

Produced by East Sussex College Group, East Sussex County Council, SCTP and Plumpton College, this TRIP conducted a systematic review and mapping across East Sussex of existing careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) arrangements and needs in relation to technical education. The review was driven by key stakeholder feedback, specifically employers, young people and their parents, carers, and teachers.

Resources include five videos providing overview of the relevant T Level, with modules and specialisms covered, along with feedback and explanations from a course leader, learner and employer on industry placements.

Reference is made to some core specialisms as part of the videos.

Downloadable resources

Videos

This TRIP can be found here.

Materials to support the development of Core Skill three for the Employer Set Project in T Level Education and Early Years

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) has produced a range of learning materials, developed and peer reviewed by experienced T Level providers. These learning materials will support learners to develop Core Skill three of the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by Warrington and Vale Royal College and peer reviewed by Eastleigh College, this TRIP provides an accessible framework for learning, lesson plans and supporting learning materials that will enable learners to hone and develop Core Skill three in conjunction with developing understanding of Core Content of the T Level in Education and Early Years.

The resources include:

a framework for learning to show how learning can be scaffolded and sequenced to develop Core Skill three.
ten lesson plans which cover 20.5 hours of learning to support the scaffolding of the development of Core Skill three in conjunction with Core Content.
learning materials to support each lesson which enables the delivery of the 20,5 hours of learning.

Core Skill three requires learners to use formative and summative assessment to track children’s and learners’ progress and thereby plan and shape educational opportunities. These resources focus on the use of formative assessment to support the development of children in early years settings. The ten lessons included in this resource are organised into four phases, these are:

formative assessment
assessment using observation
writing observations
analysing observations

The framework for learning and supporting lesson plans provided in this resource cover the following Core Content:

monitoring and recording children’s / young people’s achievement
formative assessment
summative assessment
identifying developmental progress
informing planning for children’s / young people’s next steps
maintaining the validity and reliability of information
observing, recording and reviewing children’s progress.

The learning materials to support each lesson includes templates for narrative and snapshot observations, example observations, activities and cases studies.

The separate PowerPoint slides support the ten lessons and include embedded videos to use within the lessons.

The framework for learning and lesson plans also cover the following General English and Digital Competencies (GECs and GDCs):

GEC1: Conveying technical information to different audiences
GEC3: Creating texts for different purposes and audiences
GDC1: Using digital technology and media effectively.

Downloadable resources

Word document including introduction, framework for learning, ten lesson plans and associated supporting resources	1
PowerPoint to support lesson plan including embedded videos	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Materials to support Occupational Specialism holistic delivery of the T Level in Education and Early Years

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) has produced a range of learning materials, developed and peer reviewed by experienced T Level providers. These learning materials will support providers to holistically deliver Performance Outcome 3 of the Occupational Specialism Early years educator of the T Level in Education and early years.

Produced by Calderdale College and peer reviewed by Nottingham College, this TRIP provides an accessible framework for learning, lesson plans and supporting learning materials that will enable learners to hone and develop knowledge and skills for the Early years educator Occupational Specialism content of the T Level in Education and early years.

The resources include:

a framework for learning to show how learning can be scaffolded and holistically sequenced to develop the required knowledge and skills.
14 lesson plans which cover 24 hours of learning to support the scaffolding of the knowledge and skills within the Occupational Specialism content
learning materials to support each lesson which enables the delivery of the 24 hours of learning

The aim of this resource is to support the planning of an effective activity plan in early years settings, covering the prime areas of learning. The resource is based on a class size of 15-20 learners and has considered some adaptive teaching which is subject to change dependent upon the learners in the group. It focuses only on the prime areas of development that early years settings focus on, owing to the resource being only 24 hours long. The prime areas link to every lesson and are embedded in all learning opportunities, whereas the remaining four additional areas of learning may need specific activities.

The prime areas covered are:

communication and language
physical development
personal, social and emotional development.

The additional areas that are not covered in this resource are:

literacy
mathematics
understanding the world
expressive arts and design.

The learning materials to support each lesson includes activities, case studies, research tasks, handouts and templates.

There is a separate slide deck to support the lessons.

Downloadable resources

Word document including introduction, framework for learning, lesson plans and associated supporting resources	1
PowerPoint to support lesson plans	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Materials to support Occupational Specialism holistic delivery

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) has produced a range of learning materials, developed and peer reviewed by experienced T Level providers. These learning materials will support providers to holistically deliver Performance Outcome 3 of the Occupational Specialism Early Years Educator of the T Level in Education and Early Years.

Produced by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, this TRIP provides an accessible framework for learning, lesson plans and supporting learning materials that will enable learners to hone and develop knowledge and skills for the Early Years Educator Occupational Specialism content of the T Level in Education and Early Years.

The resources include:

a framework for learning to show how learning can be scaffolded and holistically sequenced to develop the required knowledge and skills.
sixteen lesson plans which cover 20 hours of learning to support the scaffolding of the knowledge and skills within the Occupational Specialism content with links to Industry Placement practice
learning materials to support each lesson which enables the delivery of the 20 hours of learning

The focus of the learning in this TRIP is the observation, assessment and planning (OAP) cycle which underpins formative assessment in early years practice. The application of the OAP cycle is instrumental to effective early years practice as it is used daily to support children’s learning and development. The OAP cycle involves three stages:

observation: watch and gather information on a child
assessment: identify a child’s needs, interests and current stage of learning and development
planning: Use information collected during observation to plan appropriate provision for the child and support developmental progress.

The OAP cycle features as a knowledge criterion in Performance Outcome 3 of the Early Years Educator Occupational Specialism: K3.2: The student must understand the purpose of observation, assessment and planning to support children’s progress

The OAP cycle is also relevant to all other learning and assessment in Performance Outcome 3.

Knowledge of the OAP cycle and the skills required to implement it are also a Core Skill in the T Level Education and Early Years specification: CS3: Use formative and summative assessment to track children’s and learners’ progress to plan and shape educational opportunities.

Within the Core Content of the T Level Education and Early Years specification, element 8: observation and assessment also requires learners to develop knowledge and understanding of the OAP cycle

This resource has been developed to enable providers to holistically deliver the knowledge and skills related to the OAP cycle taking into consideration the requirements of the Occupational Specialism, the Core Skill and the Core Content. The resource provides the opportunity for learners to develop the knowledge of each stage of the OAP cycle and the skills required to apply the OAP cycle approach to inform effective practice in early years settings.

The learning materials to support each lesson includes activities, case studies, research tasks, handouts and templates.

The separate PowerPoint slides support the sixteen lessons and include embedded videos to use within the lessons.

Downloadable resources

Word document including introduction, framework for learning, sixteen lesson plans and associated supporting resources	1
PowerPoint to support lesson plan including embedded videos	1

This TRIP can be found here.

Materials to support the development of Core Skill four for the Employer Set Project in T Level Education and Early Years

Produced by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and peer reviewed by Wiltshire College, this TRIP provides an accessible framework for learning, lesson plans and supporting learning materials that will enable learners to hone and develop Core Skill four in conjunction with developing understanding of Core Content and Occupational Specialism content of the T Level in Education and Early Years.

The resources include:

a framework for learning to show how learning can be scaffolded and sequenced to develop Core Skill four for the Employer Set Project (ESP).
ten lesson plans which cover 20 hours of learning to support the scaffolding of the development of Core Skill four in conjunction with Core Content and with links to practice in placement and Occupational Specialism (OS) content
learning materials to support each lesson which enables the delivery of the 20 hours of learning.

Core Skill four requires learners to assess and manage risks to their own and others’ safety when planning activities.

This resource has been developed to enable providers to plan for and develop in learners the risk assessment and management skills needed to support them as they progress in their T Level studies, engage in their industry placement and complete their ESP assessment and Early Years Educator Occupational Specialism.

The framework for learning and supporting lesson plans provided in this resource cover the following Core Content:

Core Element 4: Behaviour and in particular 4.11: The student must understand how and why practitioners use a range of strategies to support children and young people to develop self-regulation and resilience.

The framework for learning and supporting lesson plans provided in this resource cover the following Occupational Specialism content for Early Years Educator:

Performance Outcome 1: [K1.16] [K1.19] [K1.20] [S1.22] [S1.34] and Performance Outcome 4: [S4.13] [S4.14] [S4.15]

The framework for learning and supporting lesson plans provided in this resource also cover the following Occupational Specialism content for Assisting Teaching:

Performance Outcome 3 [K3.19] [S3.29] [S3.33] [S3.38]

The learning materials to support each lesson includes activities, case studies, research tasks, handouts and templates

The separate PowerPoint slides support the ten lessons and include embedded videos to use within the lessons.

The framework for learning and lesson plans also covers the following General English and Maths Competencies (GECs and GMCs):

GEC3: Creating texts for different purposes and audiences
GMC10: Optimising work processes

Downloadable resources

Word document including introduction, framework for learning, ten lesson plans and associated supporting resources	1
PowerPoint to support lesson plan including embedded videos	1

This TRIP can be found here.

AoC resources

Please find AoC's resource depository here.

Last updated: 03 September 2024 08:43

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