Children's Play, Learning & Development Curriculum

BTEC Children’s Play, Learning and Development BTEC stands for Business and Technical Education Council, and their aim is to enable students to achieve specialist work-related qualifications. BTEC Children’s Play, Learning and Development (CPLD), is being offered to help you gain some of the skills you will need for a career in education or care, for example, initial teacher training, nursing, early years practitioner, youth leader, sports coach, children’s holiday representative, child psychology.

BTECs are vocationally related qualifications, where students develop knowledge and understanding.

Additionally, they are popular and effective because they allow students to take responsibility for their own learning and to develop skills that are essential for the modern-day workplace. These skills include: team working; working from a prescribed brief; working to deadlines; and presenting information effectively.

The experienced teaching team include Mrs Mason and Mrs Hallam

Key Stage 4 Edexcel BTEC Level 2 First Award in Children’s Play Learning and Development (360 GLH).

The Award is fully aligned with requirements for progression –to further study at level 3, into an apprenticeship or into the workplace.

The BTEC First Award is a level 2 qualification with Pass, Merit, Distinction and Distinction* grades and is equivalent to one GCSE, A*-C.

Level 2 Units In Year 10 the following units are taught: UNIT 1:

PATTERNS OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT (Exam May)

UNIT 3:

PRINCIPLES OF EARLY YEARS PRACTICE (Continued in Year 11)

In Year 11 the following units are taught: UNIT 2:

PROMOTING CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PLAY

UNIT 3:

PRINCIPLES OF EARLY YEARS PRACTICE

Sixth Form- Key Stage 5 Edexcel BTEC Level 3 National Award in Children’s Play Learning and Development (360 GLH) The Edexcel BTEC Level 3 National Award in Children’s Play Learning and Development (360 Guided Learning Hours): ● is equivalent to one A level in terms of size ● can be taken alongside A levels ● contains five units in total Own Early Years Practice

● requires learners to complete the Skills for Practice Log during the work placement of 50 hours

Level 3 UNITS In Year 12 the following units are taught: UNIT 1:

CHILD DEVELOPMENT (120GLH) (Exam January 2015)

UNIT 2:

PLAY AND LEARNING (60GLH)

In Year 13 the following units are taught: UNIT 4:

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN EARLY YEARS SETTINGS (30GLH)

UNIT 8:

SAFEGUARDING IN EARLY YEARS (30GLH)

UNIT 9:

OBSERVATION, ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING (60GLH)

UNIT 10:

SUPPORTING CHILDREN’S LITERACY AND NUMERACY DEVELOPMENT (60GLH)

The National Award gives students a solid understanding of key areas of children’s play, learning and development judged essential by the sector, as identified in the Interim Report for the Nutbrown Review (March 2012), including an understanding of: ● child development for the 0-7 age group in Unit 1: Child Development ● theorists such as Piaget and Vvgotsky in Unit 1: Child Development ● the importance of healthy brain development in Unit 1: Child Development ● child protection in Unit 8: Safeguarding in Early Years ● observations in Unit 9: Observation, Assessment and Planning.

Work experience Students undertaking the Edexcel BTEC Level 3 National Award in Children’s Play, Learning and Development are required to experience 50 hours in one placement from the following age bands: ● birth up to 2 years in a nursery ● 2 up to 4 years in nursery, pre-school but not reception classes ● 4 up to 8 years with children who are in a classroom setting.

The placements are local Primary Schools and Nurseries that have been used for many years and the staff, who demonstrate top quality professional practice, are also very supportive.

Finally, the Levels 2 and 3 qualifications should help develop students’ literacy and numeracy skills which are vital for students who may become educators of children themselves.