Make a real difference to the lives of young children and their families, and work towards becoming part of the essential early years graduate workforce. This course will support your development in a wide range of professional skills which are essential for working with children (aged 0-8 years) and families, including those with additional needs.
Our Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons) course scored 96% for both teaching and academic support in the National Student Survey 2023 and our education courses are ranked in the top 15 in the UK for teaching and student satisfaction by the Guardian Good University Guide 2023.
You’ll gain real-world experience of putting your skills into practice through a range of work-based placements such as; children’s centres, schools, family refuge centres, gallery education teams, play rangers, nurseries, family support teams and special needs schools. In relation to placements, you’ll have the option to achieve the Graduate Practitioner Competencies (which encompass and build upon the Level 3 Early Years Educator requirements) and ensure that you’ll count as ‘full and relevant’ in early years settings. We are a member of the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network.
With practice in this country firmly under your belt, you’ll have the opportunity to visit Stockholm; an international leader in early years practice. You’ll be able to witness first-hand how they provide for their children and families across a variety of setting types and develop skills in conducting a comparative study (see ‘Trips and Experiences’ below).
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Study style
You’ll be supported by lecturers with a wealth of professional experience, to develop knowledge and understanding of the complex world surrounding young children and their families. You’ll be encouraged to explore areas linked to well-being, education, health, social care, psychology, sociology and media studies.
In your first year, you’ll explore contemporary influences and factors that impact upon children’s lives. We then consider how we may use this knowledge to provide the most enabling environment for children’s development. You’ll develop skills to enable you to ‘tune in’ to children, and to identify their requirements, including for children with additional needs.
Year two focuses on working with children and their families within 21st-century communities, including those who have been marginalised. In addition, you’ll investigate how children learn, the characteristics of effective learning and the impact this can have on their learning dispositions, such as motivation, curiosity, creativity, thinking and self-reflection. We also offer certified paediatric first aid training and safeguarding training, during this year.
In your final year, studying the ‘Contemporary Issues’ module will ensure that you enter the workforce being knowledgeable of the most recent developments and issues impacting upon professional practice, children and families. You’ll also be able to choose from optional modules which cover: the biological, environmental and sociological factors that influence wellbeing; and the notion that lifelong learning within education is the key means of equipping children to meet the challenges that face them in their 21st-century lives.
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