Entry requirements

Please note that Level 3 apprenticeships/advanced apprenticeships do not meet our minimum entry requirements because they do not accrue UCAS points. There are a couple of exceptions to this, as follows:

• SQA foundation apprenticeship, which does accrue UCAS points
• A few apprenticeships incorporate qualifications that do accrue UCAS points (BTEC, CACHE, for example)

We expect applicants to have some experience of caring for children. This could include babysitting, nannying, volunteering at a children’s group, or helping to care for younger relatives, for example. If you are unsure whether your experience is suitable, please contact the Admissions team.

If you don’t have UK qualifications, we will check your equivalent international qualifications using the UK ENIC database to confirm your qualifications meet our minimum requirements. UK ENIC is a national agency and provides the only official source of information on international qualifications to individuals wishing to study in the UK. Your qualifications must be equivalent to, or higher than, our minimum entry requirements.

If you have any concerns about qualifications when submitting your application as an international student, you can contact the UCAS helpline on +44 330 3330 230 or visit their website.

The UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, followed by a transition period that ended on 31 December 2020.

The UK government has introduced a new immigration system, the Student route, for all applications made from outside the UK, including EEA nationals, who will enter the UK for studies from 2021 to study a course which meets the requirements of the route.

This means EU, EEA or Swiss nationals who wish to begin studying in the UK from August 2021 onwards will no longer be eligible for home fee status, undergraduate, postgraduate or advanced learner financial support from Student Finance England for courses beginning in the academic year 2021/22.

It will not affect students who started courses in the academic year 2020/21, nor those EU, other EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from Citizens’ Rights under the EU Withdrawal Agreement, EEA EFTA Separation Agreement or Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement respectively. It will also not apply to Irish nationals living in the UK and Ireland whose right to study and to access benefits and services will be preserved on a reciprocal basis for UK and Irish nationals under the Common Travel Area arrangement.

For more information, please visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) Brexit immigration webpage

You must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient English language competence to complete your training. It’s expected that applicants with English as an additional language will undertake IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System) and achieve an overall band of 6.0 with no less than 6.0 in each component skill. If you’ll be applying for a Student visa, you must have a SELT (Secure English Language Test). To meet this requirement, Norland requires IELTS for UKVI (Academic) test with an overall band of 6.0 with no less than 6 in each component skill, or equivalent. Before you book your test, please contact the Visa Manager to ensure you’re booking the correct test. See the IELTS website for more information

Studying for our early years degree involves a considerable amount of time spent working with children, therefore acceptance is subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (formerly known as the Criminal Records Bureau) Enhanced Disclosure check. There is a fee for the DBS service. Further details will be sent to you after you have made your application. As a graduate of Norland you will be expected to update your DBS every three years or register onto the DBS update service.

If you are a non-UK based student, you must obtain a police certificate or certificate of good conduct from that country as well as completing the DBS application at the start of your course. Further information is available from the UK government criminal records checks for overseas applicants webpage

When you qualify as a Norlander you may work without supervision with babies, young children and their families. Accordingly, Norland has a responsibility to ensure that students are fit to practise under these circumstances. An offer of a place to study at Norland may be conditional upon you being deemed fit to practise.

Working with babies, young children and their families is very rewarding but can be emotionally and physically challenging too. Applicants must meet Norland’s competence standards for working with children and their families in order to become Norland students and to continue to work as Norlanders once qualified. These competence standards, as defined in the Equality Act 2010, are academic, medical and professional standards, and are articulated in Norland’s Code of Professional Responsibilities and in the learning outcomes of each module of study. If you are offered a place at Norland, you will be asked to sign a permission form so that we can register you with Smart Clinic, our Occupational Health Advisors, where you will complete an online Pre-Placement Screening questionnaire. If further investigations are needed, there may be additional costs to the applicant. Please note that further occupational health assessments may be needed throughout your time as a Norland student if there are changes to your health, the cost of which will be the responsibility of the student.

Students must be fully up to date with their childhood vaccinations and have, as a minimum, the following vaccinations as listed on the pre-placement medical questionnaire:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Whooping cough
• Polio
• MMR
• Meningitis A,C,W & Y

If a student has not had chicken pox, then they should also have the Varicella antibody test and arrange to be vaccinated if needed.

Norland is committed to safeguarding and ensuring the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all students and staff to share this commitment. Your suitability as a prospective student will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. If an offer is made to you it will be on the condition of relevant safer recruitment checks being conducted and in line with Norland policies and procedures.

The Norland Code of Professional Responsibilities applies to all Norland students and Norlanders (Norland graduates). As a Norland student you will be expected to adhere to the Code fully and to act at all times in such a manner as to justify trust and confidence.