Why study this course?
The Early Childhood Studies (including foundation year) BA (Hons) will open doors for you to enter a career in early childhood care, educational or advisory settings. This degree comes with a built-in foundation year that will prepare you for undergraduate study and is the ideal choice if you don’t meet the necessary requirements to enter the standard three-year course.
On the course you’ll benefit from extra time to work on your study and transferable skills, but you’ll also graduate with the same award and title as students on the three-year degree.
More about this course
On our Early Childhood Studies (including foundation year) bachelor’s degree you’ll study the play, development and learning of children from birth to six years old. This will be taught in relation to practice in early childhood settings and within a socio-cultural context.
Your foundation year will be shared with students from other degrees with a foundation year, which will give you an opportunity to discuss the subjects you study with students that have different academic perspectives. It will also allow you to meet students outside of your course and expand your network, which you might find useful when job hunting after graduation.
The foundation year is designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for undergraduate study, such as essay writing, time management, research and critical thinking. During the foundation year you’ll also take a taster module in early childhood studies, which will allow you to prepare for more rigorous study of the subject in the subsequent three years of your degree.
You’ll receive exceptional academic and pastoral support from your tutors and a range of services at the University. This will be in the form of one-to-one sessions with your tutor or via small group workshops, during which you’ll be able to work further on your academic and transferable skills. The University also offers a careers service, which can help you to find work experience opportunities, improve your interview technique and learn best practice for writing job applications.
In the three years following your foundation year you’ll study the same content and modules as students on the Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons). You’ll also have the option to graduate with Graduate Practitioner status, which will require you to complete an additional work placement in your final year.
If you find that you’d like to specialise in a different discipline in our School of Social Professions, there will be flexibility to allow you to do this.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 0 modules include:
Critical Thinking (core, 15 credits)
Interventions for Change (core, 15 credits)
Key Concepts in Early Childhood (core, 15 credits)
Media, Crime and ‘Race’ (core, 15 credits)
Reflecting on Self and Society (core, 15 credits)
Researching Discrimination (core, 15 credits)
Researching Inequality (core, 15 credits)
Social Issues in Context: Text to Essay (core, 15 credits)
Year 1 modules include:
Academic Skills and Professional Placement (core, 30 credits)
Adults and Children as Learners: An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies (core, 30 credits)
Perspectives on Children’s Development (core, 30 credits)
Safeguarding Young Children’s Health and Well-being (core, 30 credits)
Understanding Play (core, 30 credits)
Year 2 modules include:
Approaches to Pedagogy and Curriculum in the Early Years (core, 30 credits)
Challenging Inequalities (core, 15 credits)
Children’s Rights in Today’s World (core, 15 credits)
Communicating in Multi-lingual contexts (core, 15 credits)
Early Years Learning and Practice Frameworks (core, 15 credits)
Enquiry-based Learning (core, 30 credits)
Promoting Early Learning Through the EYFS and Key Stage 1 (core, 15 credits)
Creative Thinking and Representation from Birth to Six (option, 15 credits)
Professional Studies and Practitioner Placement: Part 2 (option, 15 credits)
Year 3 modules include:
Early Childhood Studies Project (core, 60 credits)
Leading Practice with Children, Families and Professionals (core, 30 credits)
Reading Research and Research Methods in Early Childhood (core, 15 credits)
Debating Children and Childhood (option, 15 credits)
Professional Practice in Key Stage 1 (option, 15 credits)
Where this course can take you
On graduation you’ll be able to pursue a range of careers within early childhood settings, including health and social care, education or advisory roles with public bodies.
