Christmas Closure Information
Our campuses close on Friday 20th December and re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2025 for the Christmas Break.
Students will return to timetabled lessons on Monday 6th January 2025.
For information on term dates and enquiries please visit our information page using the button below.
Early Years Practitioner Level 2 (PT)
The Early Years Practitioner Level 2 CACHE Diploma is a one year part-time programme which will prepare learners to work at a supervised level within early years settings with children aged birth – 5 years.
Course Content
The qualification is built out of four themes, these are:
- Theme 1 – Introducing the role of the Early Years’ practitioner
- Theme 2 – Legislation, framework and professional practice
- Theme 3 – Play, development and learning for school readiness
- Theme 4 – Professional development
Within these themes it is necessary to complete 14 mandatory units and 2 optional units. In total 16 units are studied through the year. It is also a requirement to complete at least 250 placement hours (although some learners may be required to do in excess of this amount in order to complete all assessed tasks required of them in the work placement).
How will I be assessed?
Assessment of the units consists of written assignments and set tasks, which are internally assessed and verified, and a portfolio of work and practical observations in the workplace setting by a qualified assessor. The Assessor will visit the student in placement to sign off competency in the workplace. Approximately eight hours of study in the student’s own time is required to complete the programme of study.
What award will I achieve?
Early Years Practitioner Level 2 CACHE Diploma
What are the entry requirements?
Candidates should have a strong interest in the area of working with children to support their learning, and development. They will need to be dedicated and committed to their study and be responsible for their own learning. Students on this course are required to be employed or volunteering in a suitable childcare setting that can include Nursery, School or Pre-school. For this pathway it must be suitable employment to meet all qualifications criteria.
This course heavily reliant on independent study and candidates should therefore have strong time management and organisational skills.
GCSEs English and maths at grades A*-C (9-4), or Level 2 Functional Skills Equivalent are desired. We offer Functional Skills courses in English and maths if required.
What Can I Do Next?
Possible progression to Cache Level 3 Early Years Workforce Qualification.
Fees and Funding
If you are aged 19 and over, in certain circumstances you may be eligible for a fee waiver and therefore you will not have to pay for your course.Â
Eligibility for a fee waiver will depend your age at the start of the course, your previous qualifications, your employment status and whether you claim certain benefits.
If you do not meet the criteria for a fee waiver, you may be eligible for some assistance from the College’s Bursary Funds, depending on the household financial circumstances.
If you do not meet the criteria for a fee waiver, and are not eligible for assistance from the Bursary Fund, you will have to pay for this course.
This programme may be free if you meet the eligibility criteria listed below. If these do not apply, you will need to pay a fee, and the published fee is located further down the course information page.Â
Do I have to pay a fee?
The information in this section applies to this course, and may not apply to other courses with different funding criteria.
| You will not pay tuition fees if you are: |
| aged 19-24 on the 31st August 2025 and have an active Education, Health and Care Plan. |
| aged 19+ and employed, or self-employed and your annual gross income is below £25,000. |
| aged 19+, unemployed and not on benefits or in receipt of benefits with an income less than £892 a month or £1,437 a month with a joint benefit claim. |
| You will not meet the eligibility criteria if you: |
| are aged over 19 at the start of the course and you are employed, or self-employed and your annual gross income is over £25,000. |
| Therefore you will pay tuition fees. |
In certain circumstances, the College’s discretionary bursary fund maybe able to assist with a contribution towards tuition fees. Eligibility to the fund depends on the household’s financial circumstances. Further information regarding the discretionary bursary fund can be found further down this page.
Please note that if you have to pay the full-cost fee, you are unable to access any financial assistance from the College Bursary Fund.
Other Additional Costs
Regardless of whether tuition fees apply, some of our programmes incur additional costs which could include:
- Equipment costs – such as uniforms, kits, books and so on
- Trips and enrichment activities
- DBS checks (formerly CRB checks)
- Occupational Health Screening
You will be informed of any additional costs associated with your chosen programme as early as possible to allow time for payment to be made.
Am I eligible for a bursary?
If you are aged 19 at the start of the course, unemployed and not in receipt of benefits, or employed and earning over £25,000, you may be eligible for assistance with your tuition fees from the College Bursary Fund.
Bursary funds are targeted at households with a net income of under £25,000.
If you are assessed as being eligible for a bursary award to assist with your tuition fees, the award will not exceed 75% of the fee payable and you will be responsible for paying the balance of the fee.
Students can apply for assistance from the bursary fund for other course related costs, such as transport, meals, books and equipment.
The bursary fund cannot assist with any general living costs nor can it be used as an attendance incentive.
Applications to the fund are not normally considered if the household income exceeds £30,000 but may be considered in some instances if the household is experiencing severe financial hardship.
When can I apply?
When can I apply?
******Applications for student funding for learners who started in September 2024 are still open. Applications can be made from this page using the button below.
Applications for student funding for learners starting in September 2025 will not open until the end of June 2025*****
For courses starting in September 2024, applications should be made by 1st November 2024. If you find yourself in financial hardship after this date it is important that you still contact Student Services. Applications received after 1st November will be considered on a pro-rata basis subject to need and the availability of funds.
Full details of the bursary funds can be found here:
Payment Options
Payment should be made in full at the time of enrolment. Acceptable payment methods include Debit Card and Credit Card (excluding American Express). Please note that we are no longer able to accept cash or cheque payments.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes, you can spread the cost of fees. Any student of the College who pays his/her own programme costs is entitled to do so on a monthly payment plan basis, providing the total course fees exceed £200 and the student is aged 19 years, or over, on 31st August in the current academic year.
Where total course fees exceed £200 you (or your employer, if they are paying your course fees) can choose to pay your fees in instalments through a monthly payment plan and 40% of the fee or £500 (whichever is lower) will be payable at enrolment.
The balance must be paid within 6 months or by the end date if the course is less than 6 months in duration.
The monthly instalment payments will also be set up at the point of enrolment, or if you are enrolling using our online enrolment process, a member of our Finance team will contact you to set up the instalment plan after you have submitted your online enrolment.
In order to pay through monthly instalments, students must sign the Colchester Institute Instalment Payment Plan terms and conditions!
If a student fails to sign up to an instalment plan at enrolment all fees will become due for payment within 30 days.
Failure to fulfil any terms and conditions of an instalment agreement will result in you becoming immediately liable for the full outstanding balance and you may not be entitled to pay any future fees by instalments.
Please download and save the form below, then fill it in and sign it. These forms can either be emailed to registry@colchester.ac.uk prior to enrolment, or if you are completing an online enrolment you can upload these documents during the enrolment process.
Further Education Fee Instalment Student Terms and Conditions
Employers who are funding a student’s fees must complete and sign an authorisation form which must be submitted either prior to or at enrolment together with an advance payment of 40% of the course fee or £500, whichever is lower. This can be paid via the online store prior to or at the point of Enrolment.
If the advance payment is not made prior to or at Enrolment the student will not be eligible to attend college.
Further Education Employer Authorisation Form, Instalment Plan, Terms and Conditions
The application window for part-time courses starting in September and October 2025 opens in January 2025, and we start processing applications from this date.
Applications for this course are made via our online application form and you will be able to access it from this course page.
Once you are ready to apply then please click the ‘Apply Online‘ button which will be located in the menu directly underneath this section from January 2025.
Upon successful submission of an application you will receive an acknowledgement email from our Admissions team. If you do not receive this you should contact the team to check that your application has been received.
During the second half of the summer-term (May and June), applicants will start to receive further correspondence from the College about the next stages of the admissions process. These will include details about interviews with the course tutor or any pre-assessments and trades tests.
Once applications are open, if you have any further questions about the application process or next available start date, want to check the progress of your application or if you are unsure about anything please contact us using the enquiry line or enquiry form below.
Early Years Practitioner Level 2 (PT)
| Level | Level 2 |
|---|---|
| Location | Colchester |
| Duration | 36 weeks |
| Study Mode | Part-Time |
| Campus / Adult Skills Centre | Colchester Campus |
| Start Date | September 2025 |
| Applications | Applications for September 2025 will be opening in January |
| Fee(s) | 19+: £1,243 |
Other courses in this area
Disclaimer
All fees, prices and funding information shown on this page are for courses starting in the 2024-25 academic year unless stated otherwise, and are correct at the time of entering/printing information, however these may be subject to change due to factors outside of our control. The College cannot accept legal or financial liability as a result of any such changes.
Courses fees are generally not confirmed for September until June / July due to the above factors.
The course information describes programmes offered by Colchester Institute. The College takes all reasonable steps to provide courses as described, but cannot guarantee provision. The information is for guidance and does not form any part of a contract.
The College reserves the right to update and amend information as and when necessary. Colchester Institute will do its best to provide the courses shown, but may have to modify or withdraw a course depending on customer demand and other factors.
