Child Development & Care

Faculty Leader - (Mrs J Thomson)

In Child Development and Care we aim to ensure all students are able to:

• Understand how people adapt and develop from birth to age five.
• Analyse the equality and diversity within the childcare setting.
• Develop an understanding of the influences that affect holistic development.
• Students will be given the opportunity to develop their independence through an introduction to supporting children through key transition periods.

At Halewood Academy we encourage students to develop a knowledge and understanding of child development and well-being necessary for working with children in a variety of settings. The course will support students who wish to be introduced to childcare and development for children aged 0-5 years. They will become self-reflective and considerate individuals that are able to explore transferable knowledge and study skills that will support progression to future learning.

We aim to do this by:

• Providing an understanding of holistic child development
• Identifying factors that influence child development
• Understanding legislation in the early years
• Promoting care routines and activities to support the child
• Providing an understanding of the expectations of an early years practitioner and their roles and responsibilities in a childcare setting
• Providing an understanding of the importance of observation in early years childcare
• Understanding the purpose of planning in early years childcare

The curriculum is interleaved in a manner that allows students the opportunity to strengthen their understanding of each topic whilst absorbing new knowledge.

What do we expect learners to get from studying Child Development and Care?

The success of the curriculum will be defined in the improved outcomes at P2S points for allstudentsalongside a development in their understanding of the stages of development of children aged 0-5 years. It is vital that learners are encouraged to consider the variety of factors that may affect children’s development, whilst developing an understanding of the responsibilities of early years workers within different sectors.

Students achieving a level 2 could progress to a level 3 qualification post 16, such as:

Level 3 Applied Generals in:

• Early Years Childcare in Education
• Health and Social Care
• Level 3 Technical Level Qualifications allow entry to the workforce and higher education:

Opportunities are available in:

• Education and childcare, including a range of options for early years educators and teaching assistants
• Health and social care
• Health science

Students could also progress onto an apprenticeship.