Early Years Education PGCert with Early Years Teacher Status

Top reasons to choose this course

• Gain EYTS – the mark of professional recognition for those working in the early years sector.
• The course is part-time so you can continue to work in the sector while studying.
• Brighton is an Ofsted ‘good’ provider and you’ll be educated by an expert team with their own experience as early years practitioners.
• You’ll gain supported practical experiences in other settings, including a school. 
• At university you’ll have access to over 30,000 specialist resources including books, teaching resources, games and an online catalogue in our curriculum centre.
• There are no fees to pay and your employer is supported with training and a financial incentive to provide cover while you are on placement.
• You’ll gain masters level credits which can be used towards further study.

How you will benefit

• Achieve a professional status (EYTS) and academic award at masters level (Postgraduate Certificate Early Years Education)
• Improve and change practice in your setting.
• Lead practice across the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Support and mentor your colleagues and others.
• Model skills and behaviours that safeguard and promote good outcomes for children.

How your setting will benefit

• Early years teachers are leaders of change and can manage and inspire those they work with.
• Early years teachers have a wealth of up-to-date knowledge of effective practice that they have developed through training.
• Ofsted recognises the difference graduates are making and you will be contributing to its vision for a highly skilled workforce.
• Parents may be influenced to choose a setting that employs an early years teacher over one that doesn’t.

Course structure

On this programme you will spend the majority of your time in your current workplace, with two other placements working with different age ranges, including at Key Stage 1. In your workplace and on your placements you will put into practice the skills you learn through your training with regard to current research and relevant theories.

In addition to placement requirements, you will typically attend university for one to two days per month; there are also five induction days in September.

During university-taught sessions you will engage with two masters level modules that will focus on:

• critical analysis of early years research, theory and policy
• reflecting on early years professional practice
• leading practice in early years.

These sessions will support you to reflect on and analyse your own practice, as well as develop practice within your setting. The training programme is dynamic and tailored to your professional development needs.

You will be assessed via:

• module assessment tasks such as written assignments in response to current research and policy in early years
• a formative review to determine your progress in meeting the Early Years Teachers’ Standards
• a portfolio of evidence which relates to your practice against the Early Years Teachers’ Standards
• direct observation of your practice.

There are no written examinations on this course.

Areas of study 

Your training may include aspects of the following:

• placement experience with the 0–5 age group including 14 days in a school at Key Stage 1 and 16 days with an alternative age range
• development and learning in the 0–5 age group
• presentation skills
• reflective practice
• leadership skills
• working with sector professionals – university-based training is supplemented by experienced and renowned researchers and outside expertise such as speech and language therapists and movement and play specialists.

Meet the team

Holly Kilvington, senior lecturer

Holly’s core belief that all babies and children are unique, capable and should have access to the highest quality learning experiences extends beyond working in early years education to supporting learners of all ages. Her passion has developed from previous experience as a nursery employee, nanny of a child who had complex needs, teacher and EYFS leader in a primary school.

Holly completed her Diploma in Childcare and Education (NNEB) before qualifying as a teacher for children aged 3–7 years (QTS) at the University of Brighton and now works as a senior lecturer in the school. Holly supports teaching on the Early Years Education PGCert with Early Years Teacher Status programme, undergraduate BA(Hons) Primary Education with QTS programme and the PGCE Primary Education programme.

Dedicated to excellence within the early years sector, Holly carries her enthusiasm into the EYITT programme leader role as well as that of support tutor.

Placements 

As well as gaining further experience in your early years workplace, you will have the opportunity to undertake placements in other settings, including in a school at Key Stage 1 for 10 days over two weeks.

In addition, you will undertake a work placement with an alternative age range. So, for example, if you normally work with children aged 3–5, you would have a placement working with under 3s. This placement is also for 10 days over two weeks.

At the university we have close partnerships with local schools and early years settings to support your placements. The EYITT course team will help you to arrange them and you will have the support of mentors throughout.

Facilities

Curriculum Centre
The specialist Curriculum Centre on our Falmer campus houses more than 30,000 specialist resources, spanning all the subjects in the national curriculum. The collection includes games, DVDs, CD-ROMs, pictures, charts, education packs and an extensive collection of children’s books.

Falmer library
The Falmer library houses an extensive array of literature and resources related to early childhood education and care.

Ofsted

Graded ‘good’ by Ofsted for early years in our 2024 initial teacher education inspection.

Ofsted commended us on many aspects of our courses, saying:

• Trainees shine at Brighton’s long-established and highly impressive teacher training programmes.
• The care and dedication shown by staff towards trainees is superb.
• Trainees are at the heart of everything. They are valued and expertly supported throughout the course.
• The curriculum skilfully equips trainees in safeguarding, behaviour management and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Trainees impress the placement settings they work in because of their professionalism and aptitude to apply what they have learned.

Course fees

There are no fees to pay on this course. We also work in partnership with your current employer to provide training and support and offer your employer a £7,000 financial incentive to provide for your cover while you're at university and on placement.

You can find further information on the Department for Education website.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international postgraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Local area

Maps

Support and wellbeing

Sport at Brighton