Early Childhood Education and Care: Leadership and Management - NTU in Mansfield Higher National Certificate / Higher National Diploma
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- UCAS Code(s): X365
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: 2 years
- Study Mode(s): Full-time
- Campus: NTU in Mansfield
- Entry Requirements:
More information
Introduction:
Designed with a strong emphasis on employer engagement and work readiness, the Higher National Diploma (HND) Early Childhood Education and Care course reflects the increasing demand for highly qualified practitioners working in the Early Years Sector.
Studying with NTU at Mansfield, you’ll enhance your knowledge, skills and behaviours to improve the quality of learning and development in your setting. You’ll become a proactive and influential Early Years practitioner – advocating play-based learning and supporting others to develop your own practice.
The HND Early Childhood Education and Care course is designed for those working or aspiring to work with and caring for children from 0–5 years, with knowledge of 5–8 years. The course is suitable for those already working in, or aspiring to work in Early Years childcare, with responsibility for leading other practitioners or groups who hold a Level 3 qualification in Early Years.
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NTU in Mansfield is your alternative route into higher education. We've built this qualification with the local job market in mind. Each of our higher education courses is relevant, hands-on and work-focused. -
An assessed practice element in this qualification is recognised by the Department for Education (DfE), allowing students in England to count in the staff: child Level 3 ratios. -
Benefit from top-class teaching and respected research at an award-winning university.
What you’ll study
In year one, you'll undertake stimulating learning required by all early childhood practitioners in the Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC). In year two, you'll build on this through the Level 5 Higher National Diploma (HND) with specialist modules relating to the leadership and management pathway.
Personal and Professional Development through Reflective Practice (15 credit points)
- This module focusses on reflective practice and theory.
- You’ll be encouraged to employ critical reflection to explore your own practice and how this shapes your leaderful approach to early childhood care and education.
Protecting Children in Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points)
- This module explores contemporary and historic legislation, policies and practices which focus on keeping children safe.
- You’ll be encouraged to reflect upon your own safeguarding practices.
Play and Learning in Early Childhood (15 credit points)
- This module explores the value of play as a pedagogical approach to development, learning and teaching.
Supporting and Promoting Children's Development (Infants and Toddlers) (15 credit points)
- This module explores a range of theoretical perspectives in relation to early child development.
- You’ll focus on the initial stages of physical, intellectual, and emotional development as well as exploring early language acquisition and the development of social skills.
Supporting and Promoting Children's Development (Young Children) (15 credit points)
- This module considers attitudes towards child development and critically explores the internal and extraneous factors that might influence their developmental progress.
- You’ll focus on children in the later stages of the early years phase.
Promoting Healthy Living (15 credit points)
- This module examines a range of contemporary health issues exploring this on the stage of personal practice, local, national and international concerns.
Preparing for Research (15 credit points)
- This module prepares students to use active research to improve the early childhood sector.
- You’ll explore a range of required research skills and develop a personal research preparation project.
Promoting Inclusive Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points)
- This module examines the importance of inclusion and inclusive practice.
- You’ll be encouraged to reflect upon what this looks like in practice and how it can be further promoted through policy, practice and pedagogical approach.
Investigating Childhood: Action Research for early Childhood Practitioners (30 credit points)
- This module examines what is meant by action research and what it entails.
- You’ll develop an action research project in your own setting, which will focus on enacting change at a policy or practice level.
Improving Quality in Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points)
- This module explores quality from a range of perspectives encouraging you to critically reflect on your role and the role of others in impacting quality.
- You’ll develop a critical awareness of how quality information is used to improve practice.
- You’ll acquire the skills necessary to critically consider the unnecessary influences on quality within policy and practice development.
Current and Emerging Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education and Care (15 credit points)
- This module explores the history of ECEC pedagogy from local and international perspectives.
- You’ll consider the impact of pioneers in the field and their ongoing contribution to contemporary practice.
- You’ll be encouraged to examine how pedagogical theories positively contribute to contemporary practice and what limitations you might be in following these theoretical perspectives.
- You’ll explore the idea of curriculum critically considering what it is, why it is relevant and the ways in which such approaches might restrict or limit practice.
Advanced Practice in Safeguarding and Child Protection for the Early Childhood Practitioner (15 credit points)
- This module explores three main aspects of child protection.
- You’ll examine the role of the practitioner in dealing with child protection, the process required and the how to deal with disclosures.
- You'll demonstrate how you support current practice in your own setting, lead practice and address the challenges faced when using locally policies systems and practices supporting children in your care.
- You’ll examine and demonstrate how a practitioner operates holistically using multi-agency approaches and how to facilitate this for a child-centred outcome.
Managing and Leading People in Children’s Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points)
- This module is concerned with developing students understanding between leadership and management as well as the methods these are applied through in early years settings.
- You’ll examine the knowledge gained to develop appropriate activities to lead and manage a team in an ECCE environment.
Managing Children’s Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points)
- In this module you’ll consider the nature and purpose of curriculum with a focus on how management implements the curriculum in meeting the individual needs of children.
- You’ll consider how to manage staff resources effectively to ensure high quality provision.
Mentoring and Supervision in Early Childhood Education and Care Practice (15 credit points)
- This module supports students in understanding mentoring and supervision as a means of establishing learner relationships that allow individuals to take control of their own professional development.
- You’ll also develop confidence and motivation through the consolidation of reflective practice to drive your own personal and professional development.
How you’re taught
The course will be delivered over two and a half days per week.
Total Qualification Time
The Total Qualification Time on the HNC is 1,200 hours and 2,400 hours on the HND. Total Qualification Time is an estimate of the total amount of time expected of a student to achieve the award. This includes guided learning when a tutor is present to give specific guidance, directed learning which is unsupervised and independent and invigilated assessment.
Total Qualification Time includes:
- guided learning which can include live taught online sessions as well as opportunities for face-to-face delivery, one to one tutorial
- regular meetings with your work-based tutor
- independent and unsupervised research/learning – which may include engagement with asynchronous (taught online) video content
- mandatory placements
- unsupervised compilation of a portfolio of work experience
- unsupervised e-learning
- unsupervised e-assessment
- unsupervised coursework
- watching a pre-recorded podcast or webinar
- unsupervised work-based learning.
Guided Learning
Guided Learning on the HNC is 480 hours and 960 hours on the HND. Guided Learning is defined as the time when a tutor is present to give specific guidance towards the learning aim being studied on a programme.
Guided Learning includes:
- classroom-based learning supervised by a tutor
- work-based learning supervised by a tutor
- mandatory placements
- live webinar or telephone tutorial with a tutor in real time
- e-learning supervised by a tutor in real time
- all forms of assessment which take place under the immediate guidance or supervision of a tutor or other appropriate provider of education or training, including where the assessment is competence-based and may be turned into a learning opportunity.
Placement
Students will complete a total of 525 placement hours throughout the course - 375 hours at level 4 and an additional 150 hours at level 5.
Mandatory elements:
- A minimum of two different settings is required
- A minimum of 75 practice hours with each of the following age ranges:
- From birth to one year 11 months
- From two years to four years 11 months
- Five years to seven years 11 months
- If a student undertakes work placement in two settings only, at least one of these settings must enable the student to meet the practice hours requirements for at least two of the age ranges specified above.
How you’re assessed
Students will be assessed throughout the two years as per the assessment requirements for the HND units – the assessments will include all of those listed.
- written reports
- essays
- creation of planning documents
- work-based projects and portfolios
- academic posters, displays, leaflets
- PowerPoint (or similar) presentations
- recordings of interviews/role plays
- work placement logbooks and reflective journals
- workplace observation of practice and assessment records
- presentations with assessor questioning
- professional discussion.
There will be an Early Childhood simulation suite to facilitate practice and learning where you can:
- replace and amplify real experiences with guided ones
- practice as many times as you need
- build confidence
- lose inhibitions
- respond to scenarios.
Careers and employability
The course offers an introduction to Early Childhood, Education and Care, as well as equipping you with the skills, knowledge, behaviours and experience relevant to the workplace or placement. You will be prepared for a career in a number of different settings in the early years education, leadership and care sector, including:
- Assistant Manager
- Education Welfare Officer
- Baby Room Leader
- Health Play Specialist
- Deputy Leader
- Higher Level Teaching and Learning Assistant
- Early Years Coordinator
- Hospital Play Worker
- Early Years Foundation Stage Lead
- Pre-School Leader
- Early Years Officer
- Play Leader
- Early Years Practitioner
- Senior Practitioner/Key Worker
- Early Years Support Worker
- Room Leader
- Specialist Practitioner in Child Development (Health)
- Community Nursery Nurse.
Campus and facilities
We are continually investing in our facilities and transforming our learning and teaching environment to create an inspiring and innovative atmosphere. Teaching will take place at the University Hub's £6.5 million University Centre, which opened in 2016 and which is equipped with the latest facilities and state-of-the-art technology. Facilities include:
- On-site Café
- Teaching and Learning Centre
- Library
- Social spaces
- Student support services
- Dedicated study zones including PC suites
- Sports facilities.
Entry requirements
- 64 UCAS Tariff points from three A levels or equivalent
- GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4; or
- Equivalent qualifications such as Functional Skills Level 2
- Enhanced DBS.
Other qualifications and experience
The following qualifications will also be considered:
- Other related Level 3 qualifications
- Relevant work experience, or an international equivalent to the above qualifications.
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to three different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.
We accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please visit our international qualifications page.
We have undergraduate Childhood courses which are suitable for tier 4 visa applicants. Here is a list of all the undergraduate courses we offer.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as support from our expert Employability team.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.
We accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please visit our international qualifications page.
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply now button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
Keeping up to date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please call us on +44 (0)115 848 4200 or complete our enquiry form.