Education and Early Years

[Updated 08/10/25]

Upcoming CPD events 

We have a full schedule of interactive and useful training events taking place over the next few months. Read our summary below and visit our events webpage for the full details. 

• ESP drop-in clinic: teaching and delivery support for the autumn series, Wednesday 15 October, 12pm-1pm 

• Education and Early Years drop-in clinic: your questions, answered, Wednesday 3 November, 12pm-1pm 
• Education and Early Years assessor masterclass: observation with intention – making every minute count, Wednesday 12 November, 3:30pm-5.00pm. 

Education and Early Years T Level Conference – save the date! 

Join us at our Education and Early Years T Level conference in July 2026 which will bring together professionals from across education and industry to:  

• hear from expert speakers  

• take part in interactive workshops designed to support your practice 

• network with peers and share best practice. 

📅 Date: 1 July 2026  📍 Venue: Radisson Hotel, York  🎟️ Tickets: available soon – register your interest today.  

You can apply for remission funding to attend this event for up to three members of staff. Your school or college will receive £400 funding per person for your attendance and participation on the day. For more information on how to apply for funding, please log into your ETF Account - Industry Insights - Information - Information and how to apply | Programmes  

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Education and Early Years: which specification to deliver  

We know that many of you will now be delivering the new Education and Early Years T Level (Generation 2) to new starters from September 2025, while also continuing to deliver the original T Level (Generation 1) for students already in their second year. To support you, we want to make sure it is clear which specification applies to which group of students. 

Students who started before September 2025  

• These students are registered on the original Education and Early Years T Level qualification (first introduced in 2020).  

• They must continue on this original specification (Generation 1) for their second year and complete their course and any retakes against the qualification they started on, Education and Early Years T Level (603/5829/4). Access the Generation 1 qualification specification.  

Students who started in September 2025  

• New year one students should start on the new qualification (Generation 2), Education and Early Years T Level (610/5748/4). Access the Generation 2 qualification specification.   

Students must remain on the same specification they were originally registered on to ensure their teaching, learning and assessment all match the correct qualification requirements.  

If you would like support with planning your delivery, please contact us to arrange a curriculum consultation with our Provider Development team. 

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Education and Early Years resources (Generation 2) 

The next batch of T Level resources will be available from Friday 24 October. This release includes three comprehensive session packs to support effective delivery of Element 2: Supporting Education 2.3 The scope and purpose of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the national curriculum from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. 

You can download the resources from the qualification page. For more information on the resources, coverage, and pricing, please refer to the resources factsheet on the qualification page under the ‘qualification details’ section.  

Please note that the Generation 2 Education and Early Years T Level is a new qualification, not an update to the previous version. Because of this, the resources developed to support the new T Level are also new. This means that access to these resources is not included in previous purchases made for the Generation 1 Education and Early Years. If you’re delivering the Generation 2 Education and Early Years T Level, you may wish to purchase the new resources separately.  

The new Generation 2 materials will be offered on a modular basis so that you can select the elements that best meet your delivery needs. Purchasing is optional, and you’re not required to buy the new resources in order to deliver the qualification  

Please remember that alongside the new resources, you continue to have access to a wide range of free support which can be found on our events webpages. 

Why are resources not released ahead of year one delivery? 

We’re working hard to get resources to you as soon as possible. To ensure the highest quality, each resource goes through a thorough development and review process before publication, including robust quality assurance checks to confirm accuracy and relevance. Releasing resources in phases allows us to share batches as soon as they’re ready. We appreciate this may mean some resources arrive during your first year of delivery, but they’re designed to strengthen and support your existing delivery. We encourage you to use our schemes of work to support planning, and always refer to the qualification specification to ensure all mandatory content is covered. 

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Generation 1 T Level Education and Early Years (603/5829/4) - schedule of assessment guidance  

Once your second year students are booked onto the Occupational Specialism (OS) of their choice - Early Years Educator (EYE) or Assisting Teaching (AT), you’ll be able to add a schedule of assessment for each student via the Portal. The allocated moderator will use the schedule of assessment to plan moderation visits for assignment 2 of the OS.   

The schedule of assessment captures:  

• details of the student’s industry placement  

• rank order of students  

• planned dates when the assessor will observe the student for:  

• Assignment 2 Part 1 – Competency Criteria (EYE only)  

• Assignment 2 Part 2 – Structured Observations (EYE and AT)  

Following the release of the new Early Years Educator criteria from the DfE, the Portal has been updated:  

• For Assignment 2 Part 1 – Competency Criteria (EYE only): you no longer need to select the individual criteria being covered. Instead, simply select ‘Yes’ in the Assignment 2 Part 1 box.  

• For Assignment 2 Part 2 – Structured Observations (EYE and AT): continue to select ‘Structured Observation 1, 2 or 3’ as appropriate.  

Our T Level Portal User Guide has also been updated to reflect the change.  

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Sign up to our next student conference

Prepare your students for success in their placements and future careers by signing up for our upcoming Education and Early Years student conference. Your students can join as individuals, or you could add to your lesson plan to deliver in the classroom. 

This conference will focus on working with babies, children, and families. We’ll bring together early years and education professionals who will share their wealth of specialist knowledge and expertise when working with these groups, giving your learners an insight into this sector.  

Join us on Tuesday 14 October, from 10am to 12pm – sign your learners up now .