This course will provide a transition year to the advanced T Level in Education and Childcare and will give you the necessary skills and knowledge to prepare you to succeed on the T Level.
The aim of the main qualification within this transition programme is to provide learners with knowledge and understanding of babies and young children from birth to 7 years of age, with applied knowledge in the early (0-5) years.
The qualification content meets the full and relevant Department for Education (DfE) criteria for a Level 2 Early Years Practitioner in the workforce.
You need a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 3 (D) or above, including a grade 4 (C) in English.
You must be willing to provide evidence for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
You will study units such as:
You will continue to study maths if you have not already achieved a grade 4 at GCSE.
You will be required to attend a placement in a childcare setting.
You will also develop study skills that will enable you to progress to the advanced T Level and carry out an employer-led project and an independent research project.
You will be internally assessed via a variety of methods including exams and controlled assessments.
Skills-based outcomes must be achieved in a real work environment and will include direct observation in the workplace.
You need flat shoes for your placement and you will be required to wear a College placement shirt.
This Transition course is the ideal preparation for the advanced T Level in Education and Childcare.
Former DCG student James Bates plans to train as a primary school teacher once he has finished his top up degree at the University of Derby.
James, who is 23 and from Belper, progressed to a degree in Early Childhood Studies after getting a distinction in his foundation course in Children and Young People’s Services at the Roundhouse.
James said taking the three-year foundation course had been a “great stop gap” between school and university.
He added: “A lot of what I learned at Derby College keeps cropping up on my degree course.
“If I’d gone to university straight from school, I think I would have struggled with the academic writing. I know I would have found that side so much harder.”
James did an apprenticeship in school sports before College, and because his foundation course was part-time, carried on working at a local primary school three days a week. He was also able to work for the Rural Derbyshire School Sport Partnership which promotes sports in schools across the Dales and Hope Valley.
James is continuing to work as a Teaching Assistant and for the partnership while studying for his degree. As part of his College studies, James wrote an essay on the impact of Covid-19 on the role of teaching assistants.
A lot of what I learned at Derby College keeps cropping up on my degree course.
If I’d gone to university straight from school, I think I would have struggled with the academic writing. I know I would have found that side so much harder.