Based at The Whitehaven Academy site.
Examination Board
Pearson Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification BTEC National in Early Childhood Development (Extended Certificate)
Entry Criteria
Grade 4 in English and Science
A Pass in Health and Social Care will be a benefit, but it is not essential.

Assessment and course content
The Early Childhood Development course is graded from Distinction Star to U. (D*, D, M, P, U)
There are four mandatory units; two examined and two internally assessed. The internally assessed units give students the opportunity to engage in applied knowledge and understanding tasks to develop their early childhood development knowledge.
Unit Number | Unit Title | GLH | Type | How assessed |
1 | Children’s Development | 90 | Mandatory | External |
2 | Keeping Children Safe | 90 | Mandatory | External |
3 | Play and Learning | 90 | Mandatory | Internal |
4 | Research and reflective practice in an Early Childhood setting | 90 | Mandatory | Internal |
The qualification has four mandatory units covering the following topics:
Children’s development – Children’s developmental progress from birth up to eight
years, including the theories, principles and factors relating to development, and the
potential impact of a range of factors on a child’s progress through the developmental
milestones.
Keeping Children Safe – Health and safety and safeguarding responsibilities of an
individual working in an early years setting; emergency best practices and when to
address concerns about a child’s welfare.
Play and Learning – The concept of play, the influence of theories and approaches to
play, and the benefits of play and learning activities for children.
Research and Reflective Practice – The influence of research findings on policy and
provision for children and how this influences the behaviours and expectations of an
individual working in an early years setting.
Why you should study Early Childhood Development
The Pearson Level 3 Alternative Academic Qualification BTEC National in Early Childhood Development (Extended Certificate) allows students to engage in a broad investigation of the children’s care and education sector (0-8 years). The course is designed for post-16 students with an interest in Education and Early Years and aiming to progress to higher education as a route to graduate level employment.
Skills Developed, Progression and Possible Future Careers
Students will develop the following knowledge and skills:
- Knowledge and understanding of children’s development, importance of play and learning in development, and health and safeguarding practices
- Knowledge and understanding of how research findings influence legislation, policy and provisions for children
- Skills to support the safeguarding and maintenance of children’s safety, including in emergencies
- Skills to support children’s play and learning experiences, including numeracy and literacy
- Critical thinking, secondary research and reflective practice skills.
Understanding children’s development and safeguarding gives students a good foundation for transition to degrees such as nursing, teaching, and social work. Through the work placement in this qualification, students develop professional practice and interpersonal skills as well as resilience, which will help them to better cope with the demands of the placement in many of these degree courses. In addition, transferable skills such as critical thinking and research are important for academic success.
Students are given the opportunity to undertake a work placement whilst enrolled on this course. The work placement setting should be with children from birth up to eight years and support students with completion of Unit 4: Research and Reflective Practice in an Early Childhood Setting. However, please note that students who do not have the opportunity to complete a work placement can still achieve this unit.
Which subjects will complement this qualification?
The following subjects would be suitable to combine with this qualification:
- Health and Social Care
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Biology/ Science
- English
What further learning will this qualification lead to?
- Nursing – BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing, Nursing – Child – BSc (Hons)
- Teacher Training – Childhood and Early Years Studies BA (Hons)
- Social Work – BA (Hons) Social Work