Childcare update - March 2022

Residential childcare qualification update

It has been brought to our attention that some clarity is required for the selection of optional units in Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) 601/5402/0.

We would like to confirm that to meet the rules of combination, Learners must choose a minimum of 3 units from the optional units group equating to minimum 8 credits.

• Total number of credits that must be achieved = 61 
• Number of mandatory credits that must be achieved = 53 
• Minimum number of optional credits (minimum 3 units) that must be achieved = 8 

The qualification specification is currently being amended and will be published on the website soon.

Birth to 5 Matters Spring Festival: Playing today to prepare for tomorrow | 21-31 March 2022

An online event exploring the vision of Birth to 5 Matters non-statutory guidance, which aims to help practitioners.

Opportunity to attend 20+ session over 10 days including some inspirational keynote speakers and practical sessions from early years experts

You will need to register online for the sessions you want to attend. Registration is free and will ensure that a reminder is emailed to you prior to the session. More here: 

Birth to 5 Matters Spring Festival

Early Years Lead Practitioner EPA

Just an update to let you know that we are nearly ready for this EPA and our materials will be published soon. We had some positive feedback from providers who reviewed our materials. 

We also received feedback on our fees and following all the feedback we have now revised our EPA price for this standard which is now £950. You can find more information and all our fees on our Apprenticeship standards pages. 

Update on Observation requirements for Early years Educator and Early years practitioner EPA.

Early Years Educator EPA

There has been confusion on observation requirements for the EPA. We have now had clarification that;

• At least two observations of practice, maximum 20-minutes in total duration, which should be video recorded where possible except where there are safeguarding concerns, in which case a written account is acceptable. Video-recorded observations must not be sent to the EPAO as part of the portfolio. Video recordings must not leave the employer’s premises and can only be viewed on site. Written accounts where used should be purely factual accounts (i.e. no opinion or judgements) and must be written by someone appropriately qualified and in a position of responsibility (such as a line manager or member of the senior management team, or the assessor for the qualification), following the EPAO’s guidelines and using the template. The portfolio cannot include reflective accounts or witness testimonies. 
• Employer feedback/review (maximum one) 

*To clarify, for the Level 3 Early Years Educator portfolio, the 2 observations must total 20 minutes in duration – please do not submit two separate observations each of 20 minutes duration. 

*Please also timestamp these observations so clear to see how long they are.

Level 2 Early Years Practitioner 

There must be 2 direct observations within the portfolio, each a minimum of 60 minutes, which have been carried out at the apprentice’s usual place of work and within the last 3 months of their learning. The observations must be date and timestamped. 

Where possible the direct observations should be videoed except where there are safeguarding concerns, in which case written accounts are acceptable. Video-recorded observations must not be sent to us as part of the portfolio. Video recordings must not leave the employer’s premises and can only be viewed on site. This can be done on the day (in the case of a face-to-face assessment), prior to the professional discussion. Written accounts, where used, should be purely factual accounts (i.e. no opinion or judgements) and must be written by someone appropriately qualified and in a position of responsibility (such as a line manager, member of the senior management team, or the assessor for the qualification).