Early Childhood Studies

This well-established and successful course offers highly contemporary perspectives on early childhood studies, to develop your skills and your career in early education and care.

SSTAR teaching and learning award winners 2015-2018, the team provides a hardworking and committed learning environment which benefits students and the children we work with.

There are 12 modules over the two years, beginning with developing the professional and interpersonal skills required to practice. The course explores young children’s welfare and wellbeing and how this relates to policy and provision in the UK. You then look at wider international perspectives on children’s education and wider still at psychology and theories of learning and development.

In the second year, you begin to look in greater depth at different perspectives on childhood
And learn how researching childhood can reveal new ideas and approaches.

On a practical level, you learn about multi-agency working, about children’s spaces (including outdoor play, play design and forest school), health and physical wellbeing, and the issues affecting children’s social and emotional development.

This course covers a lot of ground, developing knowledge of psychology, sociology, and the holistic development of children. There is also scope to specialise in areas that interest you and could form the focus of career professional development.

It’s an engaging course too, featuring collaborative and independent study, trips and events with the University, and inspiring lecturers and guest speakers who will support your learning and challenge your thinking in a progressive learning environment.

The course comprises six 20-credit modules at each level of study (six per year for full-time study)

The six modules you will study in Year One are:
-Professional Skills and Development
-Interpersonal Skills; leadership and teamwork
-Young Children's Welfare and Wellbeing
-Policy and Provision
-International Education Perspectives
-Theories of Learning and Development

The six modules you will study in Year Two are:
-Perspectives on Childhood
-Researching Childhood
-Multi-agency Working
-Children's Spaces
-Health and Physical Wellbeing
-Social and Emotional Development

There are no exams on the foundation year and the foundation degree; instead, you will be assessed using a range of methods throughout the academic year.

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS