Diploma for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator) Level 3 NCFE

When & Where

8 September 2025 - 29 June 2026 ( 420 hours, 35 weeks )
Morning, Afternoon, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
View course timetable
North Kensington Centre

Quick Facts

Availability Yes
Tutor Suzzanne Warwick-Barron
Course Code K25ESWA07A
Suitable For 19 year olds and up are permitted on this course

What you will learn

The aim of this qualification is to prepare you to become Early Years Educators and qualifies you to work in a supervisory role within a nursery. On successful completion of the course, you will be able to work with children from birth to 5 years and gain knowledge of children aged 5 to 7 years. The course requires you to be in a placement or work within a childcare setting for 350 hours (12 hours or 2 days a week). You need to demonstrate competence in working with babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. You will be assessed in the workplace by a qualified assessor who will support you in achieving this. Please note that to fully qualify, Level 3 Early Years Educators will need a Level 2 in English and maths. Therefore, you will need to have achieved GCSE English and maths at Grade 4-9 (A*-C) or equivalent Level 2 qualifications, including Functional Skills. You will study all aspects of early years practice from keeping children safe to legislation. You will cover in detail different the theories of learning that underpin the Early Years Foundation Framework and how to develop children in each of these areas, including social and emotional development and emergent literacy skills. This course is suitable for adults (19+). School leavers (16-18 years old) can do the same qualification over two years.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Learners will study all aspects of early years practice from keeping children safe to legislation and theoretical perspectives
Upon achievement of this qualification it is intended that learners will be able to enter the workforce as early years educators
The course gives you a ‘license to practice’ which means you can work unsupervised and manage or lead a room or setting

On successful completion of the course, you will achieve the following qualification: Diploma for the Early Years Workforce (Early Years Educator) [NCFE]

Class format and activities

The course is assessed continuously. There are 20 assessed assignments. These could be an essay, report, or a presentation or piece of group work. You will be assessed in your placement or work by our professional assessor to ensure you are implementing the best practice you are learning in college. Skills-based outcomes must be achieved with reference to a real work environment and must include direct observation within the workplace.

Entry requirements

GCSE English & maths Grades A*-C / 4-9 or Level 2 equivalent is desirable, plus a Level 2 in early years or equivalent. An additional requirement is to pass a criminal record check (through the Disclosure and Barring Service). You will need good spoken and written English to take the course and an interest in working with children. If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5/7, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

What you need to know before you enrol

The course runs from the beginning of September to the end of June and your timetable will normally be over three days a week. This may include a mixture of teaching in college and online. Excellent attendance and punctuality will be required to complete the course successfully. Applicants are expected to show a high degree of verbal and written communication skills. Please complete the Disclosure and Barring Service application for your progression. Work experience will form an essential part of your study programme. Start making enquiries local to you as soon as possible.

What you need

You should arrive to your lessons prepared to learn with pens, pencils and a writing pad. All other resources and materials you need will be provided. In the event of teaching moving online, you will need a computer with internet access for online lessons via MS Teams on a daily basis.

What you can do next

The course gives you a ‘license to practice’ which means you can work unsupervised and manage or lead a room or setting. After one year of practice you can apply for the advanced practitioner level 4 or the Foundation Degree in early years.