BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Integrated Foundation Year
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-09-18 | - |
Program Overview
Overview
Begin your journey towards becoming a skilled Early Years practitioner
Are you interested in studying an early years degree but feel you would benefit from a better foundation of knowledge?
Then the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Integrated Foundation Year is an ideal option for you.
Our Childhood and Early Years degrees
Hear from staff and students and learn more about our Childhood and Early Years courses.
Develop your knowledge and skills
This four-year route will build your academic skills and enable you to confidently embark on an undergraduate degree.
Over the four years, you will focus on work with young children up to the age of eight.
By the end of this degree, you will develop your effectiveness as a skilled Early Years practitioner.
Study areas include:
Child development
Children's behaviour
Safeguarding
Special Educational Needs and Disability
Practical placement options
With a minimum of two practice placements, you will be able to make critical links between theory and practice, building your confidence as an early year’s practitioner.
We believe it is invaluable to link theory that you learn on the degree, with practice. Alongside the placement opportunities on this course, we’ve introduced an optional qualification element to this course to enhance your employability prospects.
In the final year, this course offers you the option to complete a third practice placement in order to gain your Graduate Practitioner Competencies, enhancing employment opportunities within the early year’s sector.
If you follow the Graduate Practitioner pathway in your final year, you will graduate with both a practical and an academic qualification at Level 6. Many of our students also choose to specialise further in a career pathway such as teaching or social work.
Read more
Recognised qualification
Our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Integrated Foundation Year degree is a recognised qualification by the Department of Education.
This means you will gain a ‘full and relevant’ qualification, which is important should you wish to work in an early years setting and be included in an employer’s staff to child ratio.
On this course you will
Program Outline
Teaching and Assessment
Feel the support of our staff as you gain confidence in your abilities
Teaching
You will learn from expert practitioners and accomplished academics with a wide range of experience within the field of Early Childhood Studies.
We bring new research together with established theory into the classroom through a mix of direct teaching, seminars, and activity-based learning.
Within your learning sessions, you will be challenged to go further and be encouraged to be proactive, responsive and responsible for your own learning and ideas outside of the classroom.
Our focus on group discussion and the consideration of the thoughts of others allow you to develop your own ideas.
Assessment
It is important that our assessments are designed to meet the various learning needs of students.
We offer a variety of assessment methods that include presentations, assignments, exams, academic posters and placement portfolios.
We also encourage our students to publish their work. Past students have had articles accepted in sector publications such as Early Years Educator.
The Course
Develop your practice skills and knowledge of working with children
Studying at university can be challenging but that’s the beauty of studying this course with an integrated foundation year.
Following a year that introduces to the subject and develops your academic skills and confidence, you will study a diverse and interesting range of modules.
This list is indicative and subject to change.Select a year
Communication Skills
Foundation in Knowledge and Skills
Learning Outdoors
Professional Studies: Learners and Learning
Project
Valuing Individual Differences
Communication Skills
Communication Skills
This module aims to develop the intellectual and practical skills that will be of value in a variety of situation and will include the development of self-awareness, problem solving, reflection and reflexive skills.
You will prepare to communicate effectively with a range of people in a complex and diverse society and enable you to identify existing skills and knowledge and to take responsibility for developing and using these skills in a competent way.
The module will introduce you to the ethical issues and professional codes of practice in relation to intervening in the lives of others.
Foundation in Knowledge and Skills
Foundation in Knowledge and Skills
In this module, you will develop your basic knowledge and skills to support your academic development and improve your confidence in your academic writing and reading.
Learning Outdoors
Learning Outdoors
The module aims to provide an opportunity for you to consider the use of the outdoors as an exciting, engaging and purposeful learning environment. You will consider the theory underpinning the use of the outdoors and will reflect upon how and why it can support learners of all ages and abilities.
Professional Studies: Learners and Learning
Professional Studies: Learners and Learning
This module will enable you to develop an understanding of how learning is influenced by a diverse range of factors.
You will focus on the implications of this on the role of a teacher in areas such as:
as well as establishing a safe and stimulating learning environment.
Project
Project
This module is an applied piece of work related to your chosen degree. It will require you to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the foundation year and will enhance your ability to work individually and as part of a team.
During the project, you will develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen future specialisation. You will be encouraged to demonstrate creativity in the design, planning and execution of a project.
Valuing Individual Differences
Valuing Individual Differences
This module develops your knowledge of atypical development in children and young people.
You will focus on the medical, genetic, and environmental influences on children’s development and evaluate theories of child development to gain a deeper understanding of how individual differences can affect learning.
In doing so, it will develop your thinking on the current discourses about defining special educational needs and disability.
Child Development (0-8 Years)
Children’s Rights and Policy
Introduction to Childhood
Play, Creativity and Expressive Arts
Preparing for Professional Practice
Safeguarding Children and Integrated Practice
The Developing Practitioner
Child Development (0-8 Years)
Child Development (0-8 Years)
This module introduces you to the nature of developmental psychology and encourages a critical understanding of psychological theories in relation to children’s development.
Children’s Rights and Policy
Children’s Rights and Policy
This module introduces you to the development of social policy and children’s rights.
It engages with ideological debates to locate current early years policies and initiatives in their historical, social, political, and cultural context.
Introduction to Childhood
Introduction to Childhood
This module aims to introduce you to the multidisciplinary nature of Early Childhood Studies and the different ways in which childhood is viewed, discussed, and analysed.
You will focus on various sociological concepts and perspectives in trying to understand young children’s lives and experiences.
Play, Creativity and Expressive Arts
Play, Creativity and Expressive Arts
This module provides you with an understanding of the different perspectives of play in relation to child development and learning.
You will explore the influence of key pioneers on contemporary concepts of play and make links between theory and effective practice in the early years sector.
Preparing for Professional Practice
Preparing for Professional Practice
The module will introduce you to how theory is linked and applied to effective Early Years practice.
The topics covered in this module will be a precursor to your first practice placement.
Safeguarding Children and Integrated Practice
Safeguarding Children and Integrated Practice
The module will enable you to develop knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding agenda and underpinning legislation. You will learn how to apply this in practice with children, parents and colleagues.
The Developing Practitioner
The Developing Practitioner
This module enables you to gain assessed experience in a setting that is relevant to early years practice.
Childhood in Crisis: Global Perspectives
Children’s Health & Wellbeing
Curricula Around the World
Preparation for Independent Project
Rocking the Cradle
Special Educational Needs and Disability
The Reflective Practitioner
Understanding Children’s Behaviour
Working With Families
Childhood in Crisis: Global Perspectives
Childhood in Crisis: Global Perspectives
The module aims to explore international issues in Early Years Education and Care such as understanding globalization and migration and the possible impact it has on children and their families.
You will examine the responsibility of the adult within children’s crisis situations, as well as the adult systems for helping children out of crisis.
In addition, you will explore the impact of crisis on children in the short and long term, as well as the implications for child development and children’s rights.
As part of this, you will have the chance to critically reflect on their own practice and recognise the complexity of caring for babies and young children.
Children’s Health & Wellbeing
Children’s Health & Wellbeing
The module develops your knowledge and understanding of the issues that surround health and well-being as they affect children, young people into adulthood.
You will explore how 21st century living has highlighted an increasing concern over the health and well-being of children and adults alike and this is reflected in current government agendas.
Curricula Around the World
Curricula Around the World
This module will focus on a range of early years curriculums from around the world (for example Reggio Emilia, the Whāriki, Montessori, High Scope and Steiner) and consider how these are delivered and the impact of their underpinning philosophies.
Preparation for Independent Project
Preparation for Independent Project
You will explore how to conduct empirical research for your Independent Project, as well as to promote understanding of research within the field of Early Years.
In addition, you will develop your awareness of ‘research mindedness’, as well as qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research approaches as you link evidence-based research to professional practice.
Rocking the Cradle
Rocking the Cradle
This module explores how ethical discussion and legislation have both struggled to keep up with the fast-changing landscape of conception, pregnancy, the birth process, and the care of babies up to the age of two years.
These developments have in turn fed into the sociological changes around the nature of parenting, the family and professional practice.
The nature of attachment is shaped by the experience of pregnancy and the birth process. the first two years of the child’s life are important to various key child development theorists and the module will consider the links between theory and practice in relation to Early Years.
Special Educational Needs and Disability
Special Educational Needs and Disability
This module develops your critical understanding of the issues that surround special educational needs and disability (SEND) in society and Early Years settings, with reference to government policy initiatives and legislation.
The history, economic and social dimensions of issues relating to special educational needs and disability will be explored, along with an analysis of the impact upon children, families and working practices.
In addition, the origins and meanings of related terminology will be explored and debated.
The Reflective Practitioner
The Reflective Practitioner
This module enables you to gain assessed experience in a setting which is relevant to Early Years practice.
This will help you form a critical understanding of the ways in which theory and practice relate to one another within an Early Years setting, as well as to develop appropriate skills and gain experience.
Understanding Children’s Behaviour
Understanding Children’s Behaviour
This module will enable you to develop knowledge and critical understanding of the differing theoretical perspectives on children’s behaviour in the Early Years.
You will critically analyse several factors relating to children’s specific needs, family, Early Years settings, wider society and culture: such as concepts and principles of inclusion.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to explore theories, significant and emerging, relating to the psychology of children’s behaviour.
Working With Families
Working With Families
This module will enable you to explore the reciprocal relationships that need to exist between the early years setting, the child and their family. It will encourage you to develop a detailed understanding of the importance of partnership working for the child and their family to promote inclusion and collaboration.
Children’s Literature & the Media
Criminology & Childhood
Graduate Practitioner Placement
Independent Project
Leading Professional Practice
Learning, Teaching & Caring in Adventure Education
The Digital Child
Therapeutic Play
Children’s Literature & the Media
Children’s Literature & the Media
This module uses children’s stories and the media to explore current and past constructs of childhood. Specific examples of these media are used to consider the wider social, cultural and educational issues that surround their production and consumption.
Criminology & Childhood
Criminology & Childhood
This module aims to explore aspects of criminal law and offending in relation to childhood.
Case studies will be used to illustrate how criminal law and childhood is given particular significance, including use of media coverage.
Graduate Practitioner Placement
Graduate Practitioner Placement
This practical placement module builds on theory from taught modules in the programme and placements at both Levels 4 and 5. It gives you opportunities in relevant settings to achieve the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competences. You will complete 25 days in a placement setting and workshop sessions in the university.
Independent Project
Independent Project
The independent project is designed to engage you in a longer-term and analytical piece of research on a topic relevant to Early Childhood Studies.
The module includes a focus on the research process. This includes guidance on research design, writing a literature review, application of methodological approach and method(s) used, ethical issues, data collection and analysis.
Leading Professional Practice
Leading Professional Practice
This module aims to introduce you to the key factors that affect strategies for leading and managing in Early Years provision. You will develop knowledge and understanding of how to improve practice through working alongside staff, children, families and other professionals.
Learning, Teaching & Caring in Adventure Education
Learning, Teaching & Caring in Adventure Education
This module enables you to gain experience in innovative and adventurous environments in which children can develop, learn and play such as Forest School and Beach School. You will examine the theoretical, psychological, physical and social processes and benefits for children and early years professionals and teachers that come with activities away from conventional environments.
The Digital Child
The Digital Child
The module introduces you to the digital experiences of childhood, and the effects of technology on children in a fast-changing world, as you assess the benefits and drawbacks from social, emotional, and behavioural perspectives.
The module examines access to the online world, and policy and parental attempts to control children’s digital consumption.
Therapeutic Play
Therapeutic Play
This module aims to explore and critically analyse the centrality of play in enabling children to make sense of the world around them and their place within that world, especially when experiencing trauma.
Careers
Develop your career opportunities within early years professions
With this degree, you can pursue a career as an Early Years Practitioner.
You’ll foster and develop the abilities, social skills and understanding of children aged three to five, focusing on optimum child development and preparation for a successful transition to primary school education.
Possible career paths include:
University of Chichester alumni who have completed a full undergraduate degree at the University will receive a 15% discount on their postgraduate fees.
