The numbers (and stories) behind the Education and Early Years T Level

The following article was first featured in FE News on Wednesday 21 January 2026

As one of the first of its kind to be launched, the Education and Early Years T Level has always been a flagship subject for the qualification. Now in its sixth year, we take a closer look at how it has impacted students, providers and employers, as well as the wider technical education landscape.  

“From the start, I knew I wanted to make a difference in children’s lives.”  

During her placement at a primary school as part of the T Level in Education and Early Years, Scarlett Leek encountered a child – let’s call him Harry – experiencing difficulties with speech and language development.  

A challenge for most seasoned teachers, the then 17-year-old had a decision to make: pass the responsibility onto others and continue with the rest of her placement or grab this learning opportunity and run with it. 

After taking time to research helpful strategies and techniques, Scarlett brought her ideas to the class teacher and collaborated with a speech and language therapist to design tailored, engaging activities to support Harry.  

She began leading a small group communication game that helped build his confidence and speech. Thanks to Scarlett’s work, school staff and Harry’s parents noticed a clear improvement in his language development.  

Now well on her way to becoming a primary school teacher herself, Scarlett credits the combination of academic and real-world skills the T Level gave her. 

She said: “One of the things I value most about this qualification is the incredible experience and personal growth. Through my industry placement, I gained real-world maturity and practical skills that perfectly complimented the knowledge I developed during my college studies.” 

Scarlett is one of more than 10,000 students to have embarked on the Education and Early Years T Level since its inception in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024, registrations grew by 615%, with almost 250 providers delivering the qualification in 2025.  

Targeted at 16–19-year-olds, the qualification supports progression into roles such as nursery assistant, early years educator, and teaching assistant, as well as degrees in primary education or child psychology. Importantly, successful students also gain a formal licence to practise, meaning they can get to work straightaway. 

Back in November, the T Level claimed the prestigious Qualification of the Year accolade at the FAB Awards – recognising the contributions made by awarding organisations (AOs) and their employees to education and skills. 

It was a significant moment for NCFE, the AO responsible for developing the Education and Early Years T Level. As specialists in the sector, and pioneers for T Level qualifications, NCFE has been at the heart of shifting perceptions of technical education.  

“NCFE protects the precious legacy of CACHE qualifications – a trusted indicator of quality for students, tutors and employers alike,” explains Janet King, Sector Manager for Education and Childcare at the awarding organisation and education charity.  

“We know from research the difference a highly qualified and specialist trained workforce can make. NCFE takes its role as lead in the sector seriously. This responsibility is an absolute privilege, and we make it our business to develop qualifications to enable our students to be the best they can be when working with babies, children, and families.”   

Developed alongside employers from nurseries, schools, and childminding services, the Education and Early Years T Level has gone on to be widely recognised as a key contributor to workforce development in early years education.  

Always Growing Nurseries, which oversees four settings based in south east England, has fully embraced taking on placement students, reporting that they show initiative, awareness of safeguarding, and confidence in delivering play-based learning. Often their placement will result in job offers or part-time work alongside study. 

Phoebe Wright is the Fern Room Provision Leader at Always Growing Windsor. She talks about her recent experience of supporting a T Level placement student: “Overall, we have found having a T Level student in our room to be a hugely positive experience. 

“As our student became more settled and showed high levels of competency, her time being directly taught or instructed lessened. She was able to become a valuable member of staff; reading the room to see where she is needed, recognising what jobs could be completed, and what jobs she should delegate to another staff member.” 

This sentiment is being echoed by providers, who have seen first-hand how the qualification prepares students for the demands of the sector.  

Cardinal Newman College was one of the first providers to begin delivering the T Level and Helen McGrady-Gore, T Level Quality Development Lead at the college, has been at the heart of the qualification since the beginning.  

She said: “The T Level qualification is supporting our learners to develop the skills required to be occupationally confident and skilled to the relevant level, which provides a greater opportunity for future employability.” 

This is backed up by the statistics when it comes to student outcomes. In 2023, 81% of students stayed in the same occupational route after completing the qualification. This resulted in 49% progressing to university and 42% going straight into paid employment.  

The vast majority (87%) of students said that the Education and Early Years T Level helped them to progress, which was the highest across all the T Level pathways. 

Another student to have completed the T Level is Saman Kaur. She progressed to study Early Childhood Studies at Staffordshire University and is effusive about how the qualification has enabled her to find relevant work opportunities.  

She shared: “I chose this qualification because it offered a perfect blend of college learning and hands-on experience through placements. The placement opportunities have been invaluable, allowing me to secure employment with various professionals, including a SENCO, Occupational Therapist, and Physical Therapist.” 

Saman’s long-term ambition is to work with UNICEF, advocating for children’s rights and access to education worldwide. 

Whether its small interventions in a primary school classroom that go on to change one life, or ambitions to improve the lives of children across the globe, in just over five years the Education and Early Years T Level is preparing a skilled, confident, and future-ready workforce who will play a critical role in society.  

With V Levels set to be added to the alphabet soup of qualifications, and A Levels remaining a bastion of familiarity, it's hoped that the growing success of T Levels, such as this one, will continue to provide welcome certainty amongst the changes.  

You can discover more about the Education and Early Years T Level, including upcoming events and learning resources, here.

Pictured: Scarlett Leek with her NCFE Learner of the Year - Highly Commended Aspiration Award in 2025

Pictured: NCFE pick up 'Qualification of the Year' for the Education and Early Years T Level at the FAB Awards 2025