PGCE Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) (Birth to 5 Years) 2024

Welcome to the course

Welcome to the PGCE in Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) (Birth to 5 Years) Graduate Employment-based pathway. We look forward to receiving you onto the programme and hope that you will enjoy your study with us.

This pathway will support you to ‘top-up' your knowledge, understanding and skills with all three age groups so that you can meet the Teachers' Standards (Early Years).

Knowledge and experience needed to demonstrate the Teachers' Standards (Early Years) encompasses:

Knowledge of child development and practice with birth to 5-year-olds;
Experience of working with babies (birth to 18 months), toddlers (18 to 36 months) and young children (36 to 60 months)
Experience in leading practice and supporting other practitioners to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for birth to 5-year-olds.

Teaching and learning will consist of a range of strategies including:

Weekly sessions at the University to share practice, support learning, develop knowledge and prepare for the Assessment Process.
Independent reading and research to develop your knowledge and understanding of working with children from birth to five years old to lead practice across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Masters level modules that will support your ongoing professional development beyond the course and into your career as a teacher.

The Early Years Team is looking forward to working with you in what will be an intensive, challenging but also, we hope, rewarding, exciting and enjoyable programme.

Helen Sutherland
PGCE Early Years Teacher Status Course Leader

EYTS term dates

Term	Term dates	Reading Week
Term 1	Friday 13 September 2024 to Friday 20 December 2024	Monday 28 October 2024 to Friday 1 November 2024
Term 2	Friday 10 January 2025 to Friday 4 April 2025	Monday 17 February 2025 to Friday 21 February 2025
Term 3	Friday 25 April 2025 to Friday 20 June 2025	Monday 26 May 2025 to Friday 30 May 2025

These are provisional dates and may be subject to change.

PGCE EYTS students attend the University on Fridays for taught sessions.

Induction and enrolment

Enrolment

The exact date, time and details of your enrolment sessions will be confirmed at a later date. Please make sure that you read the information carefully and bring the necessary documents.

Induction and first teaching session: Friday 13 September

9am to 12 noon: Induction / LRC
1pm to 4pm: Early Years Standards and Assessment Process

(Room and building to be confirmed)

Car parking for campus sessions

If you are arriving by car, please park in Car Park D where there will be signs directing you to the relevant room.

Parking restrictions are in place on site during term-time. You must obtain a temporary parking pass from Reception during the first week of term. You will be able to apply for a permanent Kingston Hill pass once you have enrolled.

Bus

The 85 and K3 buses stop outside the Kingston Hill campus. The free Kingston University buses stop on the campus itself.

Registered name

When you enrol, you should ensure that your name on our student record system is the same as your passport/photo card driving licence.

Getting ready

The University has a Getting Ready web page specifically for new students. You may find this helpful as a source of support and means of contacting other applicants.

FAQs: Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) (Birth to 5 Years)

When does my course start?

Friday 13 September 2024.

What day of the week does teaching for EYTS take place?

Teaching always takes place on a Friday from 9am until 4pm, with additional sessions and tutorials from 4–5pm.

When will I find out about EYTS placements and how many days will I have to do?

Students must complete a minimum of 10 days in an Early Years setting. However, this may be extended to 20 days depending on your experience. The course leader will discuss this with you early on in the course.

When will the first EYTS employer incentive payment be made to my setting?

We aim to make the first payments in October, however, if this is not possible we will make a double payment in November.

FAQs: General information

When will I receive an unconditional offer for EYTS?

When you have uploaded evidence of the academic requirements stipulated in your offer to OSIS.

Please email pgce@kingston.ac.uk to notify us when you have uploaded your qualifications so we can verify them as quickly as possible. Once we are satisfied your qualifications meet our requirements, we will change your offer status to unconditional.

Please note your offer will remain conditional until you have received DBS and Occupational Health clearance.

When will I receive my course timetable?

You should receive the timetable for the first week shortly before you start the course. Your full first semester timetable will be made available to you following enrolment.

FAQs: DBS and Occupational Health

Do I need a DBS for EYTS course if I already have one?

As you are already employed you should have an Enhanced DBS certificate in ‘Child Workforce' - your DBS needs to have been issued within the last 3 years. You will be contacted directly by the PGCE EYTS Admissions Administrator should we need to arrange for a new DBS check.

How do I obtain Occupational Health Clearance for EYTS?

You will be contacted directly by the PGCE EYTS Admissions Administrator with details of how to complete your Occupational Health Clearance – please make sure that you answer your health questionnaire accurately so that if required, we can ensure reasonable adjustments are made for you while you are on course. The email from our OH provider Fit 4 Jobs will contain your username and password.

FAQs: Setting/School placements

Do I organise my main EYTS Alternative Setting Experience placement or will the University do this for me?

The Placement Team at the University will organise the Alternative Setting Experience placement. You will be expected to arrange your own 4-day KS1 experience – this should take place in the Autumn term.

How far will I be expected to travel to my placement setting/school?

The University does not, and cannot, guarantee maximum journey times and distances to placement settings/schools but does take into consideration trainees' circumstances and requirements.

Students can anticipate being placed in a setting/school, in some cases, that is within a two-hour commute from the University as this is where our partners are located.

When will I find out what setting/school I have been placed in?

The Placement Team usually notifies students of their placement approximately two weeks before their placement start date.

I have a disability or domestic responsibility (i.e. caring responsibility). I will need to be placed in a local setting/school. Is this possible?

Although there are no guarantees, we will do our best to place you in a setting/school as close to your home as possible.

Support for students with disabilities or dyslexia

Who to contact for support

If you have a disability or dyslexia and require support while you are at University, you must contact the Disability and Mental Health Support Service.

The contact details are:
Kingston University - Disability and Mental Health Support
020 8417 7314
Email: disability@kingston.ac.uk

Full details of the support services and facilities are also available here.

You are also strongly encouraged to contact us in the Department of Education before you start the programme. We are committed to providing you support during your studies and if we are aware of your specific needs in advance, we can make provisions and have these in place for your course start.

Please email education@kingston.ac.uk with details of your specific requirements.

If you would like to speak with someone in confidence, please contact Oliver Richards, the Admissions Team Leader.

Useful contacts

University department	Contact number	Email address
Department of Education	020 3308 9932 Press Option 4, then 2 and 2 again to get through to Education Admissions.	education@kingston.ac.uk
Main Switchboard	020 8417 9000
Accommodation services	020 8417 7311	accommodation@kingston.ac.uk
Fees and funding (undergraduate)	020 8417 7312	studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk
Fees and funding (postgraduate)	020 8417 7312	studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk
Student life advisory	020 8417 7312
Disability and mental health support	020 8417 7314	disability@kingston.ac.uk

Contact details for external organisations	Contact number
Kingston Hill
Student Finance England	0300 100 0607
Disabled Students' Allowance	n/a
First Advantage Online Disclosures	0115 969 4600

How to find us

Your course will be taught at the Kingston Hill campus, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB.

View campus information, directions and public transport options on the Kingston Hill webpage.