HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England (HTQ)

Name: HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England (HTQ)
Price: 20266700 £

Higher Education Programme

The HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England (HTQ) has been designed in collaboration with students, employers, higher education providers, subject experts and relevant professional bodies to ensure alignment with recognised professional standards.

This is particularly evident in the early years sector, where it is now the norm for students expecting to progress into employment in the sector or to a Level 6 vocational degree to already have meaningful work experience in the sector. The Pearson BTEC Higher National qualification in Early Years Professional Leadership embraces this development and enhances students’ progression opportunities through mandatory work placement requirements that include assessment on placement to further embed meaningfulness

Apply – Sep 2026 – Reading

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Course Details

Study Mode

Full Time

Start

13 September 2027

End

09 June 2029

Duration

2 Years

Fees

£6,700 per year

Home/EU students.
International students not accepted.

Guided Learning

480 hours

Independent Learning

720 hours

Location

Bracknell and Wokingham College / City of Oxford College / Guildford College / Reading College / Banbury and Bicester College

The HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England offers students a stimulating and challenging programme of study. It provides the essential subject knowledge required to progress successfully into employment or further study and has been specifically designed to meet the needs and expectations of students aspiring to work in early years environments, using a thematic approach to learning in early education and care.

The programme includes content aligned with the needs of professional bodies, employers and higher education. Assessment considers not only students’ cognitive skills and what they know, but also their applied skills, professional behaviours and ability to put their learning into practice. Unit-specific grading, assignments and a varied assessment approach support progression and accommodate different learning styles.

The qualification also includes an assessed practice element that is recognised by the Department for Education as ‘full and relevant’. This means that, in England, students who hold the qualification may be counted within the staff-to-child Level 3 ratios in early years care or education settings, as outlined in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework.

Year 1 (Level 4) Units

Personal and Professional Development through Reflective Practice (15 Credits)

In this unit, students will explore what it means to be a professional in early years education, and how this is evidenced through providing the best care possible for the children in their settings. Reflective practice is an excellent way to maintain and continuously improve the quality of practice and students will apply reflective skills during their learning in this unit. This will include taking a balanced view of their practice, recognising and celebrating their strengths and what works well, and demonstrating that they are able to work towards continuous improvement.

Protecting Children in Early Years Education and Care Environments (15 Credits)

In this unit, students will review their home country’s legislation, guidance, policies, practices and procedures that underpin the protection of children through the provision of a healthy and safe environment. Through this unit, students will apply the knowledge gained by demonstrating the skills needed across a range of technical or professional work activities for protecting children and encompassing the ongoing need for health and safety practices in an early childhood education and/or care setting.

Play and Learning in Early Childhood (15 Credits)

This unit will support students’ understanding of historical and theoretical perspectives and how the dominant discourses that influence play may require updating and application in practice. Students will examine the complexities and challenges that play provides in early childhood practice. They will be encouraged to challenge perspectives on play and see the reasoning behind developing a deep understanding of play. Practical skill development in recording quality observations of children’s self-chosen play is an essential part of this unit.

Supporting and Promoting Children’s Development (Infants & Toddlers) (15 Credits)

This unit will explore and question the theoretical evidence base which that justifies approaches adopted to work with infants and toddlers in the early years sector. Students will consider how biology, neurological brain development and environmental experiences play a major role in influencing children’s development and learning. Students will demonstrate how they can implement, and support others in implementing, best practice that supports positive long-term impacts on children’s holistic development.

Supporting and Promoting Children’s Development (Young Children) (15 Credits)

In this unit students will learn about perceptions of children’s development and factors that influence the way children develop. Students will explore theories of development and examine how these influence policy and practice. This unit will also cover key milestones of children’s development up to 12 years.

Promoting Healthy Living (15 Credits)

Students will reflect on their roles in relation to supporting children’s health and wellbeing and on developing the skills and behaviours in themselves and others they may lead that demonstrate they are able to work in respectful, ethical and inclusive ways with children, families, caregivers and other professionals.

Preparing for Research (15 Credits)

This unit explores and promotes early childhood practitioners as researchers within the field and introduces students to essential research skills. It is anticipated this will then inform their practice as well as support their academic competence through the sourcing, reading and analysis of contemporary literature. The unit will promote students’ critical thinking and writing skills as they explore and assess a broad range of texts around their chosen research topic. This unit will also explore data collection methods that are currently used in educational research with a view to students conducting their own action research at a later date.

Promoting Inclusive Early Years Education and Care Environments (15 Credits)

The purpose of this unit is to ensure that students develop a clear understanding of what inclusive education and care look like within provision, and the importance of this in relation to ensuring the best possible outcomes for children from the earliest opportunity.

Year 2 (Level 5) Units

Investigating Childhood Action Research for Early Childhood Practitioners (15 Credits)

This unit aims to support students in evaluating practice and initiating a small change to practice in their settings, based on the reading and research they have undertaken. They will explore what is meant by action research and what it might involve. They will consider a range of research methods and data collection tools before deciding on and justifying an action research project in their settings.

Improving Quality in Early Education and Care Environments (15 Credits)

This unit explores quality from these different perspectives and encourages students to reflect critically on their role, the role of others in settings and how broader factors impact on quality. The unit will introduce students to a range of evidence and data to encourage them to develop a critical awareness of how quality information can be used and interpreted.

Managing and Leading People in Children’s Early Education and Care Environments (15 Credits)

This unit will develop students’ understanding of the relationship between leadership and management and the methods by which these are applied in early years settings. Through examining their own role, students will use knowledge gained to develop appropriate opportunities to effectively lead and manage people and a team in a children’s early education and care environment, including promoting a positive culture, clear communication and a shared vision, and setting shared objectives and monitoring these.

Managing Children’s Early Education and Care Environments (15 Credits)

In this unit, students will consider the nature and purpose of curricula, with a focus on how management implements the curriculum to meet the holistic needs of the children, as well as developing an understanding of how to manage staff resources effectively to deliver high-quality provision.

Mentoring and Supervision in Early Education and Care Practice (15 Credits)

This unit will support students’ understanding of mentoring and supervision as establishing and developing learning relationships that support people to take charge of their own development. The unit will enable students to develop their confidence and motivation, through self-reflection and improved understanding, and their interpersonal skills. Further, this unit aims to develop students’ practice in being able to lead, mentor and carry out meaningful supervision in children’s early education and care environments.

Current and Emerging Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education and Care (15 Credits)

This unit explores the history of early years education pedagogy from a local, national and international perspective. Students will consider in depth the work of pioneers in the field and their important and ongoing contribution to current practice. Students will explore the idea of curricula and critically consider what a curriculum is, why it may be relevant, what can it offer and in what ways it can support and restrict practice. The link between curriculum, practice and practitioners is central to this.

Impact of Curriculum on Early Childhood Education and Care (15 Credits)

This unit will develop students’ understanding of the impact of early childhood care and education curriculum models and frameworks and the ways these are used in early childhood settings. By examining their own role, students will use the knowledge gained to develop appropriate opportunities to effectively carry out holistic assessment and use home country curriculum models and frameworks in children’s early education and care environments, including promoting positive frameworks to improve quality. Students will reflect on their own role and responsibilities when working with others and evaluate their own knowledge of curricula.

Approaches to Entrepreneurship in Early Childhood Education and Care (15 Credits)

Students will explore the typical process that would be followed to ensure robust business planning, considering potential pitfalls and minimising risk as businesses become established and grow. They will also explore the statutory requirements appropriate to their area and how compliance with these is often a prerequisite of registration with industry regulators.

A wide range of teaching, learning and assessment methods are used according to the learning outcomes of specific units, including lectures, seminars, critiques, projects, and collaborative practice. Students bring with them a wide variety of experiences and expertise and teaching and learning strategies draw upon this, allowing students to learn from each other.

A variety of modes of assessment are used on the programme. These are designed to be the most appropriate assessment methods for each of the units in question in terms of their learning outcomes. Assessments are designed to replicate the kind of activity students would be expected to undertake in the workplace wherever possible.

Each unit is assessed on completion although there will be formative assessment opportunities in each unit for students to receive feedback prior to the final submission date. All project work will be assessed. This will take the form of written feedback including a grade for each unit. Each assignment brief states which unit and learning outcomes are being covered, and the assessment criteria.

The course will be assessed via 100% Coursework

Support

You will have a range of support made available to you, including academic and pastoral support, learning support and access to additional support funds (if eligible). Please see our Support Pages for further information.

You will be provided with a suitably equipped place to work when attending college, which will include access to specialist staff, IT facilities and other learning resources which will be appropriate for the nature of work you will be required to undertake.

Additionally, the college offers a wide range of other resources and facilities including additional learning support, which will be available to you, further details of which can found in the Higher Education Student Handbook.

Additional study support

Whether you have a recognised disability, specific learning difficulty, or not, you will be eligible to access additional learning support in all the following areas:

assistive software training
IT upskilling
essay planning and structure
proofreading and editing written work
bibliographies and referencing
time management and personal organisation
revision and exam tips
presentation techniques

Applicants for the HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England will normally be expected to possess at least one of the following:

A BTEC Level 3 qualification in Early Years or related subject area with a minimum of a Merit overall, plus:

A GCE Advanced Level profile that demonstrates strong performance in a relevant subject or adequate performance in more than one GCE subject. This profile is likely to be supported by GCSE grades at A* to C (or equivalent) and/or 9 to 4 (or equivalent) in subjects such as Maths and English.

Other related level 3 qualifications

An Access to Higher Education Diploma from an approved further education institution

Relevant work experience.

Applications from students returning to education who do not possess the formal entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant industry experience, will be considered on merit but would normally be expected to have achieved a Level 2 Maths and English qualification.

All applicants will be interviewed prior to a decision being made.

English language requirements:

To ensure that each applicant can demonstrate their capability to learn and be assessed at the relevant level in English, students who are non-native English speakers and who have not carried out their final two years of schooling in English will be required to demonstrate their ability at a standard equivalent to:

Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level B2

PTE Academic 51, or IELTS 5.5 (reading and writing must be at 5.5).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

We welcome applications from people with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds.

If you do not meet the formal entry requirements above but have relevant work experience, training, or alternative qualifications, you may still be eligible to apply through our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process.

This process allows us to recognise the learning you have gained through professional practice, previous study, or other experiences when we assess your RPL application.

If you need any further advice or guidance, please see our How to Apply for a Higher Education Course, or send an enquiry through our Contact Us page.

Admissions Information

Our Admissions Policy outlines our commitment and responsibilities to applicants, while the Admissions Procedure for Higher Education explains the application and enrolment process.

All applicants are also encouraged to read our Higher Education Terms and Conditions, which provide important information and reference the relevant policies and procedures that apply to applicants and enrolled students. These can be found at the bottom of our Higher Education Policies page.

HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England (HTQ)

Course Details

Support

Additional study support

Please note:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION