T Levels focus on vocational skills and can help students into skilled employment, higher study or apprenticeships. Each T Level includes an in-depth industry placement that lasts at least 45 days. Students get valuable experience in the workplace; employers get early sight of the new talent in their industry.
This occupation is found in a range of maintained and private, voluntary, and independent settings such as full day care, children's centres, pre-schools, reception classes, playgroups, nursery schools, home based provision, hospitals, social care settings, out of school environments, and local authority provision.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality early education and care to children. Through an evidence based approach, they provide opportunities and learning experiences for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Early years educators follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements set by government for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5 in both indoor and outdoor environments.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with children, parents, carers, colleagues, and wider multi agency professionals such as health visitors, early help services, social workers, and speech and language therapists. This includes supporting children with SEND.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for ensuring a safe and secure environment for children's learning. They ensure that the learning environment and provision is inclusive and supports all children, and demonstrate a clear understand of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Early years educator's teach and facilitate children's learning play. They apply the observation, assessment, and planning cycle to support progress and children's development. An early years educator will act as the key person for one or more children within their setting. They may play a leadership role within the setting or may act under the supervision of a manager.
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Duty 1 Support children's learning and development through applying knowledge of pedagogy and the observation, assessment, and planning cycle. |
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Duty 2 Develop secure and supportive relationships with children and families as the key person for children in their care, advocating for those children. |
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Duty 3 Provide respectful and responsive physical and emotional care to children, promoting health and wellbeing. |
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Duty 4 Work with key individuals in children’s lives (for example parents, families, and carers) to improve all children’s outcomes and wellbeing. |
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Duty 5 Work in partnership with other organisations and agencies to support children’s learning, development, health and wellbeing. |
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Duty 6 Support the implementation of change to improve practice. |
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Duty 7 Initiate and engage in continuous professional development, underpinned by reflective practice. |
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Duty 8 Ensure compliance with child protection and safeguarding legislation, policies, and procedures. |
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Duty 9 Work in ways that promote and support equality, diversity, and the inclusion of all children, respecting their social and cultural context. |
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Duty 10 Ensure compliance with Health and Safety legislation, policies, and procedures. |
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Duty 11 Use technology to record and update information for example observations, assessments, reports, risk assessments, and safeguarding concerns. |
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Duty 12 Promote and engage in children’s play. Support all children to create and adapt the environment to reflect their interests and enable their learning and development. |
K1 K5 K6 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K22 K23 K24 |
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Duty 13 Ensure legal requirements of statutory frameworks are met within policy, procedure, and practice. |
K1: The importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion, and respecting children’s social and cultural context.
Back to Duty
K2: Safeguarding policies and procedures for children and colleagues, including child protection and wellbeing.
Back to Duty
K3: Types of abuse including domestic, neglect, physical, emotional and sexual, and know how to act to protect children and colleagues.
Back to Duty
K4: The legal requirements and guidance on health and safety, security, confidentiality of information, and safeguarding.
Back to Duty
K5: The principles of risk assessment and management, and how to balance risks and benefits of activities for children.
Back to Duty
K6: The statutory and non-statutory frameworks and guidance for provision in early years including SEND.
Back to Duty
K7: The legal rights of each individual child according to their current and future needs.
Back to Duty
K8: The role of colleagues and multi-agency working to support the child.
Back to Duty
K9: The role and responsibilities of the early years educator, including providing supervision to staff.
Back to Duty
K10: The role and responsibilities of the key person.
Back to Duty
K11: Theories and significance of attachment.
Back to Duty
K12: The importance of professional relationships and collaboration with parents, families, or carers.
Back to Duty
K13: The importance of professional relationships with colleagues, other organisations, and agencies.
Back to Duty
K14: The influence of all key individuals in children's lives on children's learning and development.
Back to Duty
K15: The development of social skills and maintaining relationships.
Back to Duty
K16: How children learn and develop from conception to age 7; physiologically, neurologically, biologically, psychologically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. Including the interaction and impact of biological and environmental factors.
Back to Duty
K17: The elements and characteristics of a wide range of enabling environments.
Back to Duty
K18: How the design, resourcing, and use of the indoor and outdoor physical environment supports children’s learning and development.
Back to Duty
K19: How the design of the day and expectations adapts to support and reflect all children’s current needs (for example, those children with SEND, EAL, communication difficulties, and the most able).
Back to Duty
K20: How the organisations approach and values underpin the environment.
Back to Duty
K21: How children experience change, transition, and significant events.
Back to Duty
K22: The theories of play and its fundamental role in learning and development.
Back to Duty
K23: How children develop characteristics for effective learning.
Back to Duty
K24: How, when, and why to conduct observation and assessment.
Back to Duty
K25: How the observation, assessment, and planning cycle is used to analyse and respond to children’s learning, development, and interests.
Back to Duty
K26: How to create experiences and opportunities for children informed by the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
Back to Duty
K27: Methods of reflective practice, including supervision, and opportunities for continuous professional development.
Back to Duty
S1: Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
Back to Duty
S2: Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
Back to Duty
S3: Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
Back to Duty
S4: Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
Back to Duty
S5: Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
Back to Duty
S6: Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
Back to Duty
S7: Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
Back to Duty
S8: Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
Back to Duty
S9: Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
Back to Duty
S10: Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
Back to Duty
S11: Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
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S12: Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
Back to Duty
S13: Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
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S14: Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
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S15: Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
Back to Duty
S16: Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
Back to Duty
S17: Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
Back to Duty
S18: Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
Back to Duty
S19: Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
Back to Duty
S20: Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
Back to Duty
S21: Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.
Back to Duty
B1: Confident to have difficult conversations.
Back to Duty
B2: Child-centred and empathetic, valuing equality, diversity, and inclusion and the uniqueness of each child.
Back to Duty
B3: Vigilant and act with professional curiosity.
Back to Duty
B4: Caring, compassionate and sensitive.
Back to Duty
B5: Honest, open, respectful, and a role model.
Back to Duty
B6: Self-motivated, using initiative and proactive.
Back to Duty
B7: Playful and creative.
Back to Duty
B8: Reflective and reflexive and committed to CPD.
Back to Duty
Qualification type: T Level
Qualification level: 3
Awarding organisation: NCFE
Approval date: 01/04/2020
Available from: 01/09/2020
Occupational specialism: Early years educator
ST0135 Early years educator
Qualification type: TQ
Qualification level: 3
Awarding organisation: NCFE
Approval date: 07/03/2024
Occupational pathway: N/A
Qualification category: Occupational entry technical qualifications
Age range: Adults only
Work placement: No
ST0135 Early years educator
Qualification type: TQ
Qualification level: 3
Awarding organisation: NCFE
Approval date: 07/03/2024
Occupational pathway: N/A
Qualification category: Occupational entry technical qualifications
Age range: Adults only
Work placement: Yes
Qualification type: TQ
Qualification level: 3
Awarding organisation: NCFE
Approval date: 07/03/2024
Occupational pathway: N/A
Qualification category: Additional specialist technical qualifications
Age range: 16-19 and adults
Work placement: No
ST0135 Early years educator
Qualification type: TQ
Qualification level: 3
Awarding organisation: Pearson Education Ltd
Approval date: 07/03/2024
Occupational pathway: N/A
Qualification category: Occupational entry technical qualifications
Age range: Adults only
Work placement: Yes
ST0135 Early years educator
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