The Extended Diploma was launched last September on the back of demand from the sector for a qualification which delivered more study hours than the generic Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce (L3 CYPW), and also provided a much-needed bridge to higher-level study.
CACHE chief executive Richard Dorrance, (pictured), said that developing a vocational childcare qualification that can go to A* level is a first for the sector.
'It gives learners a choice. They can either go into work with a licence to practise endorsed by the CWDC, or go on to university,' he said. 'Those who started the course last September will be able to use the points, but we are expecting to see a much larger cohort this year.'
The Extended Diploma incorporates all the units from the L3 CYPW and adds extended units which build and develop higher-level skills. Learners who have already completed the L3 CYPW can complete the additional units and the three externally marked assignments to gain the full qualification.
Meanwhile, CACHE said that its Level 2 Award in Child Care and Education is the only childcare qualification which has been approved by the DfE for reporting in the 14-16 Performance Tables for 2014.
The Government revealed earlier this week that it was cutting the value of over 3,100 vocational qualifications, which can no longer count towards schools' league tables, following last year's review of vocational qualifications by Professor Alison Woolf.