This course will introduce you to physical and emotional child development and the importance of play in the early education of children. It will help you to develop fundamental good practice skills – essential for your progression towards further study or employment. You will:
The National 4 course is made up of the following four units:
You will be taught through a range of practical activities, as well as classroom-based theory. Study will take the form of individual research, group activities, practical work, watching videos and reviewing course hand outs/text books.
Throughout the course you will be offered an opportunity to review and identify how your skills and knowledge are developing, and will be expected to demonstrate:
To achieve the course award you must attend regularly and successfully complete the all units. Assessment will be based on test and case studies along with project work and a folio. This course will show on your final SQA certificate as a National 4 qualification.
Everything you need to know about applying for this course.
Although there are no formal entry requirements for this course you should be working toward National 4 Englsih and be able to demonstrate effective communication skills. There will be a selection process applied to all applicants for this course to ensure suitability.
You will be expected to undertake self-study activities in your own time to achieve success on this course.
Students will need access to a laptop with internet access.
A selection process will be applied to all applicants.
Whilst you are on the course, you will be required to:
Eating and drinking are not permitted in classrooms. Drinking water is available from water dispensers in the corridors within the College buildings.
Whether you wish to progress in your studies or enter the world of work, North East Scotland College has excellent progression opportunities, with links to eight universities across Scotland and great relationships with industry employers.
Upon successful completion of this course you may be able to progress to one of the following full-time courses at North East Scotland College
If you would like to progress directly to work upon completion of your course, you can pursue a range of entry-level positions in the early education and childcare sector.
“Starting College as a mature student was quite daunting at first but I can honestly say I’ve never looked back. ” – Katie McCafferty
“It was a lot of hard work but it genuinely just felt like it was where I was meant to be.” – Mandy Mackintosh
“My time at NESCol was a hugely positive experience – both in terms of my qualification and the knowledge, understanding and perspective I gained and the social connections I have made.”
“I want to let people know if they are a bit scared or worried about going to college, there’s so much help and support available. It’s a really nice place to study. It will be so worthwhile – I’m so happy I did it.”
“It has definitely been the hardest and most challenging two years of my life but also the most rewarding in so many ways. I’ve even gained a new group of friends in my classmates – we still keep in touch after finishing the course in the summer.”
“To advance my career I had the choice of a PDA or to go down the degree route and I knew from the outset that my learning style was better suited to the PDA option.”
“I started out as the lunch lady at one nursery and now I am the Manager of Peek-a-Boo nursery. I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship – I would do it again.”
“I found studying at Fraserburgh campus very enjoyable, the staff motivated me to work hard and there were always plenty of opportunities to expand my learning and knowledge. When I first left school I had no confidence and doubted my abilities, NESCol changed that. “
“I had the life experience but not the right professional qualifications. To open the door to the big opportunities as an Early Years Practitioner I knew had to gain HNC Childhood Practice and then a degree – that’s when I applied to College.”
“I’ve really enjoyed everything about the course. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first started because it had been a long time since I had been in education, but since coming back to College I’ve really enjoyed learning all of the subjects – even the ones that are more difficult.”
“NEScol is an enriching learning environment where staff go above and beyond to ensure you experience great learning and understanding and also support YOU as an individual, encouraging you work to your full potential and achieve great things.”
This course is only available to pupils in S4 to S6 across Aberdeenshire, giving pupils the opportunity to experience life as a College student whilst staying on at school.
Please note, applications for schools courses must be submitted by a member of school staff.
You can apply for a place on this course by completing an online application form, which you can access using the ‘Apply Online’ button. Once completed, this will be received by our Admissions Team who will then process your application.
Please note that courses are subject to minimum viability levels. In the event of insufficient numbers of applications, courses may be withdrawn from the programme. Certain courses are arranged with schools working in a consortium arrangement – in such cases, pupils from consortium schools will be given priority in the allocation of places.
Here are some courses you may also be interested in.
