What is this gateway?

Thinking about your Options?

Start shaping your future with the right choices.

Explore how the subjects and skills you’re learning now can lead to rewarding careers in Education & Early Years – a vital sector full of meaningful impact, nurturing young minds, and helping children thrive from their earliest steps. From teaching in classrooms and nurseries to supporting child development, planning engaging activities, and shaping the next generation, this is where empathy, creativity, and patience make a real difference.

Check what’s available at your school and remember: choosing a strong mix of creative, caring, and communication-focused subjects keeps your options wide open and your future full of possibilities.

Core subjects

📖 English Language & Literature – Essential for communicating with children, parents and colleagues, reading and telling stories, writing observations and reports, planning activities, and supporting language development in young learners.

🔢 Maths – Vital for understanding child development stages, planning structured activities, managing resources and budgets in settings, exploring numbers, shapes, patterns and measurements through play, and tracking progress.

🧪 Science – Builds understanding of child development, health and nutrition, biology of growth, sensory experiences, and the natural world – the foundational principles for creating safe, stimulating environments and activities for young children.

💻 Digital – Essential in modern early years settings: using educational apps and interactive tools, recording observations digitally, managing learning platforms, safeguarding online, and introducing basic digital literacy through play.

What to study?

Relevant Year 9 Options Subjects

Closely Linked Subjects

🌍 Geography – Useful for exploring the world, environments, and cultures through play, helping children understand their surroundings and diversity.
🏥 Health & Social Care – Directly relevant for child welfare, safeguarding, health and safety, and supporting children’s physical and emotional needs.
📜 History – Valuable for introducing concepts of time, change, and storytelling, fostering curiosity through past events and personal histories.
⚖️ Religious Education – Supports understanding diversity, values, and moral development, while exploring festivals and cultural traditions with young children.

Linked Subjects

🚀 Boost: Skills for life & learning – Builds confidence and core skills in numeracy, literacy, science & digital to support GCSE Maths & English pass for Year 9 students working towards grade level.
⚽ BTEC Sports (Discovery) / Physical Education (Excel) – Valuable for promoting physical development, planning games and activities to build motor skills, coordination, and healthy habits.
💻 Creative Media – Useful for creating digital resources, media storytelling, interactive apps, photographing observations, and safe digital creativity
🗣️ French (Discovery) / Spanish (Excel) – Valuable for introducing languages through songs/rhymes, cultural stories, diversity awareness, and early bilingual communication skills.
🔬 Triple Science – Provides understanding of biology (child development/health), chemistry (safe sensory play), and physics (movement/forces) for educational activities.

Career areas

Unlock Careers in Education & Early Years

See the exciting career areas you can unlock by studying subjects within the Education & Early Years Gateway. From inspiring the next generation in classrooms to supporting child development, shaping early learning experiences, and making a lasting difference in young lives, these pathways turn your passion for helping others into real-world impact.

The table below highlights the most popular and diverse roles currently in high demand—perfect starting points for your future.

Career Areas within this Gateway
👩‍🏫 Teacher

 📚 University Lecturer

 🧗 Outdoor Activity Instructor
📋 Office Administrator

 🧪 Laboratory Technician

 📚 Librarian
🥋 Karate Instructor

 🤝 Social Worker

 🔬 Research Scientist

Post-16 opportunities

T Levels

T Levels are a two-year qualification equivalent to three A Levels and combine classroom learning with an extended in-depth industry placement lasting at least 45 days. On completion, progression can be onto Higher / Degree apprenticeships, university or employment.

The course is offered at:

City of Stoke on Trent 6th Form College –  About T Levels
NSCG – View All Courses | NSCG
Stoke on Trent College – T Levels – Stoke-on-Trent College :Stoke-on-Trent College

A Levels

A-levels are a 2-year programme ideal for students who want to study 3 subjects in depth and plan to progress onto university or a Higher apprenticeship. They can be a great option for learners who enjoy learning facts and theories, are good at exam assessment and good at doing independent learning and research outside of the classroom.

Relevant subjects include:
English, Psychology, Sociology, Science, Maths, History, Geography, Languages

A levels are offered at the following local colleges and 6th Forms:

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships can be a great option for learners who are ready for the work place and are sure about the job they want to pursue. Learners will have to find an employer to take them on by searching for apprenticeship vacancies and going through the employer’s recruitment process. Employers are generally looking for applicants who are self motivated, have a good standard of maths and English and are reliable and passionate about achieving their chosen job role.

School leavers will usually start on either a Level 2 (Intermediate) or Level 3 (Advanced) apprenticeship depending on job requirements and GCSE grades. Level 3 apprenticeships are generally equivalent to 2 A-levels.

Search for ‘Education & Early Years‘ vacancies by postcode Browse apprenticeships before you apply

Pre-Apprenticeships

Pre-apprenticeships are ideal for learners who want an apprenticeship but are not quite work ready. Need to improve your maths and English, develop your confidence or gain some relevant work experience? If so, a pre-apprenticeship at a local training provider could be right for you.

Locally:
Equality Training offer a Childcare pre-apprenticeship – Childcare and Early Years – Equality Training
Learn4work offer a study programme with a childcare work placement – Learn 4 Work | Stoke-on-Trent

Skill-Based courses

Vocational courses can be a good option for learners who know what career sector they want to go into but may not meet the entry requirements for T levels or A-levels or where there is no relevant T level option available. Focusing on coursework, with some external assessments, they include both practical and classroom based learning.
Vocational courses are available from level 1 up to level 3 depending on GCSE grades and will include English and maths, if grade 4 or above has not already been achieved in these subjects.

Level 3 vocational qualifications are equivalent to 3 A-levels and are widely-recognised to get you into university, apprenticeships or employment.

The following colleges offer vocational courses in Childcare / Early Years

Stoke on Trent College (Cauldon) – Courses
NSCG – Care, Education, Nursing & Midwifery

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