Working with children in the early years
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| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown.
Summary
Please note that this course is not open for registration unless you have successfully studied E124 or EZL124.
This course (and E124) has been replaced by our new 60-point course The early years: developing practice (E100) from October 2009.
If you have successfully studied E124 and wish to study E123 (towards the Certificate in Early Years Practice, Foundation Degree in Early Years, Diploma of Higher Education in Early Years or the BA and BA (Hons) Early Years) there is an opportunity to do so. E123 and E124 will be presented for the last time in October 2011. Please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for further advice.
This course is for anyone working in the field of early years education working with children aged from birth to seven years old. You’ll consider practice in relation to working with young children, and other adults (including parents and carers). You’ll develop awareness of provision for young children, focusing on birth to age seven, and explore how young children develop and learn. The course looks at the early childhood curriculum and its underpinning principles and values, and considers the roles of creativity, communication and play in planning for children’s learning. You’ll need to be working in an early years setting prior to and during the course.
Course content
This course is for a wide range of people who work in early years settings, including unqualified early years teachers, teaching/classroom assistants, nursery nurses, playgroup workers and leaders, childminders and others working voluntarily in school, Children's Centres, day nurseries, and out-of-school settings. You must be working with children within the age range 0-7 years. The course will enable you to consider your roles, responsibilities, knowledge and skills in relation to work with young children and working with other adults, including parents and carers. You will increase your understanding of the role of the early years practitioner, the nature of learning, and the importance of the context of learning in the early years, and you will develop an awareness of the structure and nature of the wider range of provision for young children.
Through DVDs and audio recordings, a course reader and activities linked to your work with young children, you will explore the ways in which young children develop and learn, and the factors that affect learning, including the role of parents and the learning that takes place in the home and the surrounding community. You will further your understanding of the nature of the early childhood curriculum, underpinning principles and values. You will increase your understanding of the role of curriculum frameworks in children’s learning, and consider the roles of creativity, communication and play in learning.
By the end of the course you should:
- know about the range of early years settings, and parents’ and children’s entitlement to them
- have further developed your understanding of how young children learn and develop
- have explored further your understanding of the principles that underpin early years policy and practice
- have increased your understanding of the factors that affect learning
- have explored your own roles in relation to work with young children
- have increased your understanding of the role played by curriculum frameworks in children's learning
- have developed your understanding of working with other adults, including parents.
Vocational relevance
This course is for practitioners working in a wide range of early years settings with young children and their families, and its content is directly relevant to practice.
Entry
This course is available in the United Kingdom and to students working in English-medium, early years settings in Europe and British Forces schools who have already studied and passed E124 or EZL124. You must have been working with young children for a minimum of 5 hours per week, in either a paid or a voluntary capacity, in an early years setting prior to starting the course for six months if full time, and a year if part time. During the course, you will need to be working in the setting for a minimum of five hours a week in order to carry out the practical activities.
To work in an early years setting you will need to meet the ‘fit person’ criteria for doing so, including obtaining the necessary criminal record clearance required for the setting and country in which you are working. It is the responsibility of you and your employer to ensure you meet these requirements, and not the OU. You should contact the relevant agency in your country for more information if you are in doubt about your eligibility, or to find out more. For who to contact in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales visit the Childhood and Youth website.
Level 1 courses provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning to help you to progress to courses at Level 2. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
To undertake the course you must be working in an appropriate early years setting in either a paid or a voluntary capacity with young children. You and your employer will need to complete a permission agreement form confirming this before you begin the course. You must also ensure you meet the ‘fit person’ criteria as noted in the section entitled Entry. There is no essential preparatory work before the course starts, but it is suggested that you locate and become familiar with the policy and curriculum documents for the early years setting in which you work. Reading publications such as Nursery World, Early Years Educator and Early Education, as well as other practitioner journals, will allow you to acquaint yourself with current educational issues in the early years sector. E123 involves approximately 5 hours of study at home and 3 hours of task-related activities in the work-place per week. You can expect to spend extra time on personal reading and writing assignments and the project.
Qualifications
E123 is a compulsory course in our
- Certificate in Early Years Practice (C37)
- Foundation Degree in Early Years (G01)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Early Years (E37)
- BA Early Years (B51)
E123 is an optional course in our
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a course towards a qualification if you have already taken another course with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this course, visit our excluded combination finder or check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service before registering.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Please note that this course makes substantial use of audio and visual materials. The course materials are available on CD-ROM in Adobe (pdf) format. This can be used with a screen reader or large print can be produced. Large print versions of the course materials can also be provided on request. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. If you have concerns about taking this course please contact your regional or national centre for advice. The Open University also provides a range of sources to support students in developing their study skills and you will be able to access these from the Student website.
Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
A course reader, written course materials including study topics, an assignment guide, study guide and media guide, a DVD and a CD-ROM. There is also a course website.
You will need
DVD and audio CD player.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. If you are new to the OU, you will find that your tutor will be particularly concerned to help you with your study methods. We also offer tutorial support online through online forums and via group tutorials that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Ask your regional or national centre if you need to know more before you decide whether to register. Your regional or national centre will provide you with both general and certain specialist help with your studies. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper.
The end-of-course assessment (ECA) is a project that takes the place of an examination. Equal weighting is given to the TMAs and the final project and you must pass both parts to pass the course. Assessment is an essential part of the teaching and so you are required to complete it all. You will be given more detailed information when you begin the course.
Professional recognition
E123 is one of two compulsory courses in the Certificate in Early Years Practice, a vocationally-oriented qualification which will enhance your existing role and give your career a boost. It takes account of the training needs of a wide range of practitioners working in a variety of early years education and care settings.
The Certificate in Early Years Practice is included in The Children’s Workforce Development Council’s Qualifications List for those delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage. This List has information about qualifications that OFSTED accept for regulatory purposes and guidance about suitable job roles for those who have achieved different qualifications. The OU’s Certificate in Early Years Practice is listed as an acceptable course at level 4.
The Certificate has qualified status for classroom assistants in Northern Ireland. In Scotland the Certificate is recognised at Support Worker Level.
E123 is a compulsory Level 1 course within the OU Foundation Degree in Early Years which has been recognised by the Children's Workforce Development Council as meeting the requirements for an Early Years Sector-Endorsed Foundation Degree.
There is more useful supporting information about the early years courses on the Childhood and Youth website.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2010. This course and Supporting children's learning in the early years (E124) have been replaced by a new 60-point course The early years: developing practice (E100) in October 2009. See Summary above for more information.
How to register
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept online registrations for this course. Instead, please read the Entry section of this course description and contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
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