Childcare - Pearson BTEC L1/L2

Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Child Development

About the child development sector

The early years sector focuses on the learning, development and care of children in the UK, there were approximately 1.7 million Ofsted registered childcare places for children offered by many different types of early years settings in England in 2019, ranging from childminders and nannies to nurseries, crèches and preschools. Knowledge of child development is important in a variety of occupations outside of childcare and teaching, for example, in healthcare roles such as paediatricians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists.

Who is the qualification for?

The Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Child Development is for learners who want to acquire sector-specific applied knowledge through vocational contexts by planning, developing and adapting play opportunities suitable for young children across five areas of development as part of their Key Stage 4 learning. The qualification recognises the value of learning applied knowledge and vocational attributes to complement GCSEs. The qualification will broaden learners’ experience and understanding of the varied progression options available to them.

What does the qualification cover?

The Tech Award gives learners the opportunity to develop applied knowledge and understanding of child development and growth up to the age of five, how children learn through play and how meeting the needs of individual children will support their development, play and learning. In a practical learning environment, pupils will have the opportunity to develop applied knowledge in the following areas:

• The characteristics of children’s development from birth up to five years
• Factors that affect growth and development
• The importance of play
• How play promotes children’s learning and development
• Reasons why children may need support
• Child-friendly environments to support play, learning and development in children from birth to five years old
• Supporting all children to learn and develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially, and adapting activities to support children’s play, learning and development.

This Tech Award is a practical introduction to the application of play opportunities for the learning and development of children in a variety of environments.

What can the qualification lead to?

Study of the qualification as part of Key Stage 4 learning will help pupils to make more informed choices for further learning, either generally or in this sector. The choices that pupils can make post-16 will depend on their overall level of attainment and their performance in the qualification. Pupils who generally achieve at Level 2 across their Key Stage 4 learning might consider progression to:

• A Levels as preparation for entry to higher education in a range of
• Study of a vocational qualification at Level 3, such as a BTEC Level 3 National in Children’s Care, Learning and Development or a vocational qualification in a related sector such as a BTEC Level 3 National in Health and Social Care. These qualifications prepare learners to enter employment or apprenticeships, or for a move to higher education to study a degree in early childhood, childhood and youth areas or in related sectors such as nursing and social care

Components

Pupils are required to complete and achieve all three components in the qualification.

Assessment

The three components in the qualification give pupils the opportunity to develop broad knowledge and understanding of children’s development, and the importance of play. Internal assessment – externally moderated Components 1 and 2 are assessed through non-exam internal assessment. The nonexam internal assessment for these components has been designed to demonstrate application of the conceptual knowledge underpinning the sector through realistic tasks and activities. This style of assessment promotes deep learning through ensuring the connection between knowledge and practice. The components focus on:

• The development of core knowledge and understanding of the key features of children’s growth and development, and factors that can affect how children make progress between the ages of birth to five years old
• The development and application of practices, such as using play opportunities to benefit children’s learning and development. Non-exam internal assessment is delivered through Pearson-set Assignments. These assignments are set by Pearson, marked by the centre and moderated by Pearson.  All internal assessments will be completed within ‘controlled conditions’.