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EPA Standard
Early Years Educator
Early Years Educators and other early years professionals provide high-quality education and care for all children. They play a key role in ensuring a safe and secure learning environment which is inclusive of all children. Early Years Educators work in a range of settings including full day care, children’s centres, preschools, reception classes and childminders.
Level 3 
£7,000 
18 months
Why NCFE?
We’re an approved End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) specialising in EPA delivery across health, education, early years, digital, social care, and business apprenticeship standards. We offer flexible and reliable EPA solutions supported by sector expertise, guidance documents and proactive service and support.
Entry: apprentices will undergo all the checks as per the Early Years Foundation Stage requirements to ensure suitability to work with children.
End-point assessment
The EPA for Early Years Educator contains two methods of assessment:
Observation with Questioning
In the Observation with Questioning, an Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA) observes the apprentice in their workplace and asks questions. The apprentice completes their day-to-day duties under normal working conditions. It gives the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) mapped to this assessment method. This method results in reliable, valid and authentic data, and assesses KSBs holistically.
Grading: grading will be measured as fail, pass or distinction.
Professional Discussion underpinned by a Portfolio
An IEPA and apprentice have a formal two-way conversation. This assessment method tests KSBs holistically and objectively, as well as allows for the assessment of KSBs that do not occur on a predictable or regular basis. The apprentice may also refer to and illustrate their answers with evidence from their Portfolio of Evidence.
Grading: grading will be measured as fail, pass or distinction.
Previous versions
Early Years Educator v1
Delivering from XXXX to XXXX