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Early Years

Early Years

Level 2
Cheltenham Forest of Dean Gloucester

Course Overview

Full Time
Certificate

Ideal if: you are looking for a career working with young children, but are not yet ready to take a Level 3 qualification.

You'll learn: how young children develop and the role of the Early Years Practitioner in this.

Expect to: study play and learning, children's development, working in partnership with others including parents and how to provide a healthy and safe environment for children, including safeguarding.

You'll love: the chance to gain practical experience working in a real workplace.

This course will give you the opportunity to learn about the role of the Early Years Practitioner in a childcare/education setting. You will also study child development and how to support children to learn early reading and writing skills. Other areas of study involve relevant legislation and current Early Years Curriculums.

 

You will be able to gain practical experience and have the opportunity to work in a real workplace, whilst studying the essential skills necessary to progress further. You may also be required to study English and Maths to improve your skills.

You will study a range of topics relating to the Early Years childcare/Education Sector. The topics you will study may include:

  • Communication and Personal Development within the childcare/education setting
  • Care routines for children
  • Equality and Inclusion
  • Supporting the creativity of young children
  • Supporting children’s play, development and learning
  • Supporting the behaviour of young children
  • Health and Safety and Safeguarding
  • Working in Partnership with services and professionals who support young children
  • The role of observation, assessment and planning in children’s development and learning

You will be assessed through your course work and external assessment. 

You will need to complete and pay for a DBS check in order to attend any work experience in a nursery setting. There is a dedicated work placement officer to help with this if required.

This course is available at Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Cinderford Campuses.

At Gloucestershire College we want students to develop their English and Maths skills so that they achieve their learning goals and future career aims. For this reason all full-time students (16-18) who have not achieved grade 4 or above English language or maths GCSE will study these subjects as part of their course.

  • Typical Entry Criteria

    • Three GCSE subjects at Grade 3 and above:

      Gloucestershire College welcome any other/combinations of relevant qualifications that are comparable and/or equivalent to the typical course entry requirements.

      For 19+ applicants that do not have recognised qualifications may still meet course entry requirements through alternative methods of assessment at the College’s discretion.

      All queries regarding course entry criteria including the equivalency of qualifications and exceptional extenuating circumstances should be directed by email to the Admissions Department through applications@gloscol.ac.uk.

  • The general progression route for our Early Years (Level 2) programme is:

    Education and Child Care (Level 3) T Level 

    and

    Higher Education, Apprenticeship or employment in industry

Shortlist and Apply

Please select the specific course you would like to apply for.

Early Years

What You Will Pay

Our departments are the training ground for generations of artists, writers, police officers, athletes and other amazing people!

Please select a course to see pricing information.

Careers in the health, social care and early years industries are challenging but immensely rewarding, enabling you to make life-changing differences for the people and children you work with.

Health and Social Care

We offer support of teaching staff with industry experience, coupled with a fantastic set of facilities, including a full-sized training ward, and excellent placement and volunteering opportunities to build your skills and expertise.

Early Years

These courses focus on a range of key areas such as education, the care of young children, and physical health and emotional development. We are proud of our employer partnership with Tinies Nurseries, and our excellent progression opportunities too.

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Student Stories

Rhianna Lewis-Watkins

I want to go into the medical field and this is one of the pathways I can take to get into it. I’d like to be a midwife; I find it fascinating. We’ve learnt a bit about midwifery, and knowing that you’re gonna bring a new life into the world is really exciting. We've learned about healthy living and different legislations, babies growth and development – lots of things!

Rhianna Lewis-Watkins

Level 2 - Health and Social Care - Gloucester Campus

Clive Junior Morgan

I studied Health and Social Care at school and I already work in a healthcare setting in Tuffley after school. enjoy the practical sessions where we’re hands-on doing stuff. We can do voluntary work every Friday and I do activities with adults with learning disabilities. I like the freedom of college.

Clive Junior Morgan

Level 2 - Health and Social Care - Gloucester Campus

Abbi-Savannah Braddick

I preferred GC over university as it had more flexible learning around my employment, my lessons were in the evenings meaning I could work in a nursery during the day. My dream career is to run my own nursery, and this course helped me learn important management skills to get myself where I need to be.

Abbi-Savannah Braddick

Foundation Degree - Early Years

Our Facilities

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Hospital Ward

You’ll find equipment such as mannequins, task trainers, defibrillators, hospital beds, monitors, and specialized stations for hands-on training, allowing students to practice their skills in a controlled environment.

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Proud to be Working With

Believe in children Barnardo's
The old Station nursery
Orchard Trust
Brandon
Cheltenham Dental SPA
Class People
Evesham Dental
Expeditions
Flexicare
Intoplay
Live Well at Home
Milestone School
my Face
Parkside Dental
Tewkesbury Dental
Tinies

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