Early Years | Nescot

Available courses

Introduction to Health, Social Care and Children and Young People's Settings: Level 1

This qualification aims to give you the basic knowledge necessary to care for children of a variety of ages, learning how to keep them healthy and safe. The course includes BTEC Level 1 and 2 Cooking Skills and CACHE Level 1 Certificate in Well-Being.

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16-19 Full-Time

CACHE Diploma for The Early Years Practitioner Level 2

On this course you will learn how to care for and support children and young adults.

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16-19 Full-Time

Early Years Educator: Level 3 Apprenticeships

Early Years Educators, and other job roles such as nursery nurse and childminders, are highly trained professionals who play a key role in ensuring that young children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. They work in a range of settings including full day care, children’s centres, pre-schools, reception classes and as childminders. They may either be working on their own or supervising others to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements set by Government for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old.

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16-19 Full-Time

Education & Childcare T-Level (Level 3)

T Level programmes are designed to provide progression routes into skilled and technical employment, higher or degree apprenticeships, or university. They will offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during a 45-day industry placement that will give students practical insights into the sector and an opportunity to embed the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. You will spend 70-80% of your time in the classroom and 20-30% on a high-quality work placement with an employer.

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The Early Years Department

The whole department is deeply committed to helping you become the care professional you want to be. We will give you a thorough understanding of the theory of your chosen area and provide you with innovative, exciting opportunities to put that understanding into practice. Whether you are already working with children and want to take your career further, or are just starting out Nescot’s Early Years courses will show you how to keep children healthy and happy.

We not only give you work experience in the wider world but you can also get involved with other departments at Nescot to give you a real feel for your chosen career. From experience in the Campus Nursery, Nestots, to working with some of our students with learning disabilities, you will learn how to put classroom theory into practice to change lives.

What You Can Expect

Targeted work experience in an organisation relevant to your area of study, so that you can see for yourself how your skills could fit in different sectors.
Childcare employers frequently send us their vacancies because they want someone who is ‘Nescot qualified’.
The opportunity to do work experience at our on-site nursery, Nestots.
Level 3 students get additional qualifications in cooking and paediatric first aid, to increase their employability even further.
Students go on a range of trips throughout the year, including to Thorpe Park and Brighton, to give them an opportunity to practice planning an effective trip.
Students benefit from an annual careers fair, where a range of local employers network with our students, which leads to real job opportunities within the industry.

Our Staff

Our tutors are excellent teachers and mentors with a wide breadth of industry experience, including nursery managers, special needs practitioners, primary school learning support and nannying. The quality of teaching in the department has consistently been recognised as good or above.

Progression

Early years students from Nescot have gone on to study at universities such as King’s College London, the University of Roehampton and St Mary’s, as well as finding work straight after finishing at Nescot.

POSSIBLE CAREERS...

Childminder
Children’s nurse
Crèche assistant
Early years teacher
Holiday childcare representative
Hospital play specialist
Nanny
Nursery assistant
Nursery manager
Playworker
Primary school teacher
Special care baby unit assistant
Special needs teaching assistant
Teaching assistant

At Nescot we encourage our students to think ahead, so that they can choose the right courses to fit them and their future. We also use an innovative online platform called Start, which is a free and comprehensive digital platform, offering students a single starting point to help simplify careers guidance. Students can build a personal profile aimed at guiding them throughout their career. Find out more here.

Early Years

This chart shows some details about employment trends in the sector, and companies Nescot works with.

Skills you will gain

If you want to work with young children it is essential to get both knowledge and experience. Your journey as a Nescot student will balance classroom, practical and work experience to ensure you have the skills for a rewarding career. Your learning will include:

Resilience and mental health

Knowledge of Early Years

Foundation Stage framework

Legislation and health & safety

Organisation and communication skills

Safeguarding and equality & diversity

Self-confidence

Empathy and care giving

Literacy, numeracy and IT skills

Observation and assessment

One of the best things about the course is the extra things we learn. For example, we got an extra qualification in cooking, which would be really useful if you became a nanny. We’ve learnt a lot about using Makaton and visual aids, so I feel more equipped to help children with additional needs, too. I’m staying at Nescot next year to study for a Foundation Degree in Pedagogy, and I’m really excited about starting it. I’m hoping to become an Early Years teacher in the future.
Lilly
Level 3 Education & Childcare

I’m the only male in our group of 20, but the whole class are very supportive and I feel included and comfortable. It doesn’t matter if I’m the only male – I think you should study what you want to do, and I enjoy working with children. I think it’s really important for more men to get into childcare – we are role models and it is good for schools and nurseries to have a balance of sexes.
Jake
Level 3 Education & Childcare

Other subjects

Travel & Tourism

Nescot's Travel and Tourism department will give you the skills to work in one of the world’s most exciting and fastest moving industries.

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Motor Vehicle & Motorsport

If you have a passion for cars or engineering then Nescot's specialist training courses could provide you with an introduction to the industry, or build on existing skills developed in the industry and further your career opportunities. It is a great time to be working in the Motor Vehicle industry as the sector is predicted to have record growth in the coming years.

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Hair & Beauty

Whether you are thinking of a career as a hairdresser in a salon, a beauty therapist in a spa or a make-up artist in the theatre and or in the world of TV or film, we have a course for you to enable you to take your first steps. Plus, our Hairdressing courses are powered by Toni&Guy - see course details for more information.

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Health & Social Care

Nescot’s Care and Health Team are at the forefront of a fast-moving industry. We believe in treating our students as responsible adult individuals and you will rapidly grow in both ability and maturity. We pride ourselves on the fact that our students are so well regarded that employers frequently send us their vacancies because they want someone who is ‘Nescot qualified’.

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