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Nottingham Trent University

UCAS Code: X365 | Higher National Diploma - HND

Entry requirements

64 UCAS Tariff points from three A-Levels

Pass your Access course with 60 credits overall with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English grade C/4 or equivalent GCSE Maths grade C/4 or equivalent

64 UCAS Tariff points from your BTEC Level 3 National Diploma and one A-Level or equivalent qualification

64 UCAS Tariff points from your BTEC Level National Extended Certificate and two A-Levels or equivalent qualifications

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MPP

MPP from a BTEC Extended Diploma

We will consider T Levels for entry to this course, either as stand-alone qualifications or in conjunction with other Level 3 qualifications, in accordance with the specified course tariff points.

UCAS Tariff

64

64 UCAS Tariff points from three A-Level or equivalent qualifications

About this course

Course option

2years

Full-time | 2026

Subjects

Early years education

Early childhood studies

Designed with a strong emphasis on employer engagement and work readiness, the Higher National Diploma (HND) Early Years Professional Leadership for England course reflects the increasing demand for highly qualified practitioners working in the Early Years Sector.

Studying with NTU at Mansfield, you’ll enhance your knowledge, skills and behaviours to improve the quality of learning and development in your setting. You’ll become a proactive and influential Early Years practitioner – advocating play-based learning and supporting others to develop your own practice.

The HND Early Years Professional Leadership for England course is designed for those working or aspiring to work with and caring for children from 0–5 years, with knowledge of 5–8 years. The course is suitable for those already working in, or aspiring to work in Early Years childcare, with responsibility for leading other practitioners or groups who hold a Level 3 qualification in Early Years.

In year one, you'll undertake stimulating learning required by all early childhood practitioners in the Level 4 Higher National Certificate (HNC). In year two, you'll build on this through the Level 5 Higher National Diploma (HND) with specialist modules relating to the leadership and management pathway.

**Why study Early Childhood Education and Care: Leadership and Management at NTU in Mansfield?**

- ** NTU in Mansfield is your alternative route into higher education**. We've built this qualification with the local job market in mind. Each of our higher education courses is relevant, hands-on and work-focused.

- **An assessed practice element in this qualification is recognised by the Department for Education** (DfE), allowing students in England to count in the staff: child Level 3 ratios.

- **Benefit from top-class teaching** and respected research at an award-winning university. 

- **Learn in our state-of-the-art Early Childhood Simulation Suite** throughout your studies.

Modules

Level 4 modules:
Personal and Professional Development through Reflective Practice (15 credit points);
Protecting Children in Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points);
Play and Learning in Early Childhood (15 credit points);
Supporting and Promoting Children's Development (Infants and Toddlers) (15 credit points);
Supporting and Promoting Children's Development (Young Children) (15 credit points);
Promoting Healthy Living (15 credit points);
Preparing for Research (15 credit points);
Promoting Inclusive Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points);

Level 5 modules:
Investigating Childhood: Action Research for early Childhood Practitioners (30 credit points);
Improving Quality in Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points);
Current and Emerging Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education and Care (15 credit points);
Advanced Practice in Safeguarding and Child Protection for the Early Childhood Practitioner (15 credit points);
Managing and Leading People in Children’s Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points);
Managing Children’s Early Education and Care Environments (15 credit points);
Mentoring and Supervision in Early Childhood Education and Care Practice (15 credit points);

Assessment methods

Students will be assessed throughout the two years as per the assessment requirements for the HND units – the assessments will include written reports, essays and presentations.

The Uni

Course location:

Mansfield

Department:

Nottingham Institute Education

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

89%
Early years education
88%
Early childhood studies

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Education

Teaching and learning

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

86%
Library resources
92%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

84%
UK students
16%
International students
6%
Male students
94%
Female students
56%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

Childhood and youth studies

Teaching and learning

68%
Staff make the subject interesting
85%
Staff are good at explaining things
81%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
66%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
87%
Course specific equipment and facilities
53%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
3%
Male students
97%
Female students
56%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
E

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Education

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£26,000
med
Average annual salary
85%
low
Employed or in further education
65%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

33%
Childcare and related personal services
15%
Teaching and educational professionals
8%
Welfare and housing associate professionals

Childhood and youth studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

Top job areas of graduates

26%
Welfare professionals
22%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
15%
Caring personal services

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Education

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£23k

£23k

£28k

£28k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Childhood and youth studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

£25k

£25k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here