New requirement: provider-appointed assessor approval
As part of the delivery for Generation 2 of the Education and Early Years T Level, we’ve introduced a new requirement – all provider-appointed assessors must now be approved by NCFE before carrying out any assessment activity for this qualification.
You must ensure that all new assessors are approved before they begin assessment activity and that no assessment decisions are made by unapproved assessors.
Visit our provider-appointed assessor approval webpage for more information.
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Moderation
Introducing additional guidance for Assignment 1 Part 1 Early Years Educator (Generation 2)
We’ve created a new document to support you and your students with the evidence gathering for Assignment 1 Part 1 of the Early Years Educator occupational specialism. You can access this document on the Portal via the qualification webpage – simply scroll down to the guidance and log in to the Portal.
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Early Years Educator (EYE) Assignment 2, Part 2: updates and reminders for structured observations (Generation 1 ONLY qualification)
The moderation window is now fully underway, with assessments being conducted daily. To maintain high standards and ensure consistency, assessors are reminded to follow the best practice guidance outlined below:
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Subject
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Guidance
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Reminders to support Assignment 2 of the occupational specialism
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Once all three structured observations are complete, marks must be shared with students however these are subject to change depending on the outcome of moderation. There is a template ‘final marks’ form to use in the tutor guide, which must be signed by the assessor and student and then uploaded to the Portal.
Marks must be entered onto the Portal for all students by Friday 15 May. Before you upload marks we advise you to check them for accuracy, ensure there are no miscalculations when adding up marks, and that the total number of marks awarded is correct and in line with what is available for each criterion. If incorrect marks are uploaded this can affect tolerance levels.
Please ensure you withdraw any inactive students before entering marks. (Refer to Portal user guide).
You must upload all documentation set out on the checklist to the Portal for the stage 1 moderated students by Friday 15 May. All documentation should be signed.
For EYE competency criteria, please remember to select ‘achieved’ or ‘not achieved’ on the Portal. You don’t need to upload further evidence . Evidence should be stored in line with your provider’s requirements.
You should also complete documentation for any students who are not included in the stage 1 moderation sample by Friday 15 May ready to upload if we ask for any further samples.
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Following moderation window closing on 15 May 2026:
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Once the Portal closes at the end of the assessment window (Friday 15 May) we will run tolerance checks. If a provider’s marking is not in tolerance with moderator’s marking we will select more students for remote moderation. These additional students will be listed on the Portal the following day. For more information please watch the ‘view students selected for moderation and upload evidence’ video resource.
You must upload the required evidence for each student to the Portal within three working days of the assessment window closing. You should refer to the checklists detailing the evidence requirements that were used throughout stage 1 sampling.
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Tips for uploading files:
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- File names must include the student’s name, provider name, ULN and provider number, as well as the task information.
- Where possible, files should be no bigger than 1GB.
- Up to 10 files, with an individual file size limit of 2GB can be uploaded at one time.
- Larger file sizes will take longer to upload.
- Files larger than 2GB will need to be compressed.
- Zip files cannot be uploaded.
- More useful tips for uploading files can be found here.
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Assessment window opening: Early Years Educator and Assisting Teaching occupational specialisms, Assignment 2 (Generation 1)
The assessment window for Early Years Educator (EYE) Assignment 2 Part 2 and Assisting Teaching Assignment 2, opened on Monday 2 February. The window will close on Friday 15 May, as stated in our Key Dates Schedule.
Please see the Education and Early Years specific information on our moderation webpage for more information.
Useful reminders
- You can find the latest tutor guides on the T Level in Education and Early Years Qualification (Generation 1) Page. Please ensure you are using the marking bands within the most up to date tutor guide for the occupational specialism (OS). You can find the latest tutor guide on the qualification webpage linked above.
- You should use the student evidence upload checklists provided by your moderator to ensure you submit the required documentation from students by the agreed deadlines.
- You must make sure all students’ schedules of assessment are kept up to date. If there are any changes with placements, the details must be updated immediately to allow as much notice as possible to your moderator.
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Resources
We’ve launched the next set of T Level resources:
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Core content coverage
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No. of session packs
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Element 4: Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
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4.2 The role of a multi-agency team in providing integrated support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
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1
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Element 4: Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
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4.3 The principles of integration, equity and inclusion, and the differences between them
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1
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You can find these resources on the qualification page on our website.
For more information on the resources, coverage, and pricing, please refer to the resources factsheet, available on the qualification page under the ‘Qualification details’ section.
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Events
T Level Education and Early Years: strategic insights for senior leaders, Wednesday 20 May, 3:30-5pm
This high-level CPD event is tailored specifically for senior leaders seeking a clear, strategic understanding of T Levels and their implications for curriculum planning, staffing, and employer engagement. T Levels represent a significant shift in technical education, and strong leadership is key to successful implementation. This session will provide up-to-date guidance, share lessons learned from early adopters, and offer practical advice to help leaders embed T Levels effectively within their institution's broader vision.
Sign up now
Education and Early Years T Level conference – sign up now
Time is running out to sign up for our Education and Early Years T Level conference in July, which will bring together professionals from across education and industry to:
- hear from expert speakers, who'll share updates from across the sector, innovative ideas and real-life examples
- take part in interactive workshops designed to offer practical tips, hands-on activities, and useful strategies
- meet and connect with peers to share best practice and explore common challenges.
📅 Date: 1 July 2026 📍 Venue: Radisson Hotel, York 🎟️ Tickets: limited places available – sign up now!
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Updates to qualification materials for T Levels following annual review
Qualification specification updates
Following our annual review process, where we update the T Level qualification content to support your delivery or reflect changes in current practice, we’ll be publishing new versions of the qualification specification for Generation 2 of the Education and Early Years T Level in May. We’ll publish this on the qualification webpage.
This qualification specification is for teaching from September 2026. The summer 2027 assessments will be based on this version of the qualification specification. The previous version of the specification will remain available to support resits for the Autumn 2026 series.
You can see the full details of the amendments in the change history record within the qualification specification. This should help you to understand how the changes might impact you and your students.
Sample assessment material (SAM) updates
As part of our annual review process, we also publish updated versions of the SAMs forGeneration 2 of the Education and Early Years T Level. We’ve made changes to the following documents:
- ESP – SAM – Task 1 Generic Brief
- ESP – SAM – Mark Scheme
- ESP – SAM – Provider Guide
- ESP – SAM – EYE – Scenario and Control documents
- ESP – SAM – EYE – Task 1 Pro-formas
- ESP – Additional SAMs – Task 1 Generic Brief
- ESP – Additional SAMs – Mark Scheme
- ESP – Additional SAMs – Provider Guide
- ESP – Additional SAMs – EYE –Scenario and Control Documents
- ESP – Additional SAMs – EYE –Task 1 Pro-formas
- ESP – Additional SAMs – AT –Task 1 Pro-formas
- ESP – AT – GERs – Grade A
- ESP – AT – GERs – Grade E
- ESP – EYE – GERs – Grade A
- ESP – EYE – GERs – Grade E
- OS – EYE – SAMs – All Assignments Provider Guide
- OS – EYE – SAMs – Assignment 1 part 2 – Structured Observations – Assessor Guidance
- OS – EYE – SAMs – Assignment 2 – Brief
- OS – EYE – SAMs – Assignment 3 part 1 (a) – Observation Record Form template
- OS – EYE – SAMs – Assignment 3 part 1 (a) – Brief
- OS – EYE – SAMs – Assignment 3 part 1 (a), part 1 (b) Part 2 – Mark Scheme
- OS – EYE – SAMs – Assignment 3 part 2 – Scenario-based Questions
- OS – AT – SAMs – Assignment 1 – Student Guide
- OS – AT – SAMs – Assignment 1 – Assessor Guidance
- OS – AT – SAMs – Assignment 3 – Briefs
Full details of the amendments in the change history record within the qualification specification. This should help you to understand how the changes might impact you and your students.
