Understanding Early Years - QLS Level 3 Course

The Understanding Early Years - QLS Level 3 Course covers child development, relationships and environment and offers useful hints on planning and resourcing together with ‘reflective practitioner’ exercises throughout which test the knowledge and understanding of the learner.

This course provides theoretical guidance for practitioners on meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and it aims to provide useful advice and detailed information for supporting children’s learning and development.

Please Note: This course alone will not give the qualification required to work in this sector. This course provides underpinning knowledge, but you would most likely require an RQF qualification with practical experience to work with children. If you are looking to gain a RQF Qualification then please review the courses on our website which have (RQF) within the course title.

The principles of the EYFS, which guide the work of all early years practitioners, are grouped into four themes these being:

• A Unique Child
• Positive Relationships
• Enabling Environments
• Learning & Development

Each of these themes are broken down into commitments and covered in detail to guide practitioners through the framework and offer assistance on how to deliver the framework effectively. The course also encourages practitioners to reflect on their own practice and consider for themselves ways of enhancing their provision taking into account the principles of the EYFS.

On successful completion of this course students will receive a QLS Level 3 Endorsed Certificate of Achievement.

The course is dividided into 4 Sections containing 12 Units:

• Section 1: A Unique Child
• Section 2: Positive Relationships
• Section 3: Enabling Environments
• Section 4: Learning & Development

There are no particular entry requirements for this course, so students can sign up providing they are comfortable studying at a Level 3 standard.

You can start this course at any time, and you would be registered for a one-year period. You also have access to a personal tutor who can be contacted by email. Your tutor is available to assist with any queries and to mark your assignments for the Awarding Body.

As the course is self-study, you can complete it as quickly as you like. Support extensions are available if students do not complete the course within the one-year period.

This course is supplied as hard copy paper-based materials. You will receive an A4 ring bound course folder which will include all of your course notes and assignments and there is a separate study guide which should be read before starting the course and explains about support, the required format of assignments and how to submit assignments for assessment. We find this format works well for this particular course as you don't have to be on a computer to work through the notes and you get to keep the course materials after you have completed your study if you need to refer back to them.

We do also offer the option of an online version of the course notes which can be purchased for an additional £36.00 for learners who prefer computer-based learning or are travelling and need access to their course notes. This option is available at the checkout when ordering the course.

The hard-copy course materials are dispatched using a next working day courier service where available and the online course notes are usually issued within 24 hours of processing an application.

If learners would prefer an online only version of the course notes then please contact us for information on how to order this.

You will be assessed on TMAs (Tutor Marked Assignments). Most TMAs consists of short paragraph answers, although some TMAs may have a specific word count. The main criteria to pass as assignment is to prove to the tutor that you have fully understood the question and have answered it sufficiently.

If the assignment is not of the required level or needs an amendment it will be detailed in your tutor feedback so you can make any required changes. The course tutor will be happy to give guidance as to how you might improve you answers. Your work can be sent back to your course tutor by email or by post.

At the end of this course, successful learners will receive a QLS Level 3 Endorsed Certificate of Achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

The Quality Licence Scheme is part of the Skills and Education Group, a charitable organisation that unites education and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives. With more than 100 years of collective experience, the Skills and Education Group’s strategic partnerships create opportunities to inform, influence and represent the wider education and skills sector.

The Skills and Education Group also includes two nationally recognised awarding organisations; Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access. Through our awarding organisations we have developed a reputation for providing high-quality qualifications and assessments for the education and skills sector. We are committed to helping employers, organisations and learners cultivate the relevant skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.

Our knowledge and experience of working within the awarding sector enables us to work with training providers, through the Quality Licence Scheme, to help them develop high-quality courses and/or training programmes for the non-regulated market.

The course has been endorsed under the Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Kendal Publishing has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 3 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner. 

The course itself has been designed by Kendal Publishing to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. The Quality Licence Scheme endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

You can find more information on level descriptors from our Certification Overview Page.

*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual / CCEA / Qualification Wales