Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies

Course overview

Designed by the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN) to strengthen work-based degrees and degrees with placements.
You can study this module if you graduated in 2022 or later from our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education or BA (Hons) Children and Early Childhood degrees. Extend your degree to be ‘full and relevant’ without a level 3 in early childhood education (as required by the early years foundation stage).

On completion you are awarded the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies, qualifying you to be a graduate practitioner from an ‘approved level 6 qualification’ (DfE, 2003) as considered in the early years foundation stage.

This qualification allows you to practice in private, volunteering and independent providers, as well as nursery classes in free schools and academies. You are able to offer a higher adult to child ratio, which is attractive to employers.

What you study

The content of the module is driven by the ECSDN.

You complete a professional portfolio, and gain support on how to evidence material that maps across to the core competencies, such as learning and teaching experiences observed and assessed by a workplace leader.

Workshop-style seminars are held to share ideas and identify where core competencies have already been met. You discuss practical examples of what practice may look like.

How you learn

You are introduced to the portfolio and core competencies through an initial face-to-face workshop. You explore scenarios with other students, ensuring that robust evidence is selected, sharing ideas and examples. You can share your portfolio with a tutor in a format of your choice for feedback.

Your work-based mentor is provided with a recorded session on the competencies and portfolio.

You are supported by our virtual learning environment (VLE) to supplement and build on your classroom experience.

How you are assessed

You receive peer and tutor feedback in seminar and tutorial sessions across the module. You also engage in professional dialogue at your workplace to combine your knowledge and practice.

Your end of course assessment is a pass/fail portfolio project. You are assessed on your ability to evidence your practice and knowledge of the nine ECSDN core competencies. You must also:

• demonstrate that you achieved a level 2 in English language and maths

• show you had a suitable workplace mentor(s)

• prove that your workplace is graded as good or better by Ofsted.