UDERLYCS - BA Early Childhood Studies

The BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies is a full or part-time degree. The degree has been developed to meet the need for well-qualified early childhood specialists working with young children and their families across all sectors; play, care, health.

The Early Childhood Studies course philosophy is based on social critical theory. Early Childhood Studies (ECS) is an interdisciplinary and multi-professional course which specialises in early childhood as a discipline. It provides the basis for future employment in a range of roles related to the first years of life, working with babies, young children and their families, in an educational, social, health, multi-professional, international or community setting.

A key feature of the course is the wide range of subjects that act as a launch pad. A range of local and international perspectives are taken, including; children's rights, children's well-being, dialogical social pedagogical and curriculum approaches, diversity and inclusion The course is underpinned by such disciplines as education for social justice, sustainability, health, neuroscience, history, cultural studies, psychology, sociology, philosophy, politics, economics and legal studies. Students will develop an in-depth knowledge of current policy, themes and issues relating to children, childhood, and early childhood Studies and how theses impact young children’s’ lives and practice within early childhood Studies. Therefore social justice and social inclusion are the foundation for the course.

.Our School Vision has been designed to align with the University’s Vision and Strategic Plans and has involved all staff and students. The ECS course embraces the values of social justice and inclusion and celebrates diversity and differences through continued widening-participation so that students and staff feel a sense of belonging and are proud to be part of the ECS community The course is reflective, inward and outward looking, responding appropriately to the needs of students, staff, and the communities and the professions we support. The ECS course will empower students to develop their self-confidence and resilience, throughout their personal, professional and academic journey.

The course supports students’ learning and development progressively. In the first year of study students will complete an emerging identity module. In the second year, they will continue to consolidate identity until they establish their professional identity in their final year. Through this process they will become graduates who have developed wide social, political, economic and cultural perspectives of the world. The spiral curriculum approach will help to design appropriate modes assessment at each level of study.

To ensure that students are supported and achieve their goals, at the beginning of each academic year, induction is organised across all levels. During induction, students get to know each other, the Academic Mentors, Library staff and the systems of the University, as well as being introduced to their Academic/Level Tutor and the teaching team. During these induction days, students, amongst themselves and with their tutors, begin to develop trusting relationships. As a team we acknowledge students values, cultures and previous knowledge and experiences and act as a bridge between the students culture and the academic culture to empower their time at university. We actively create opportunities for all our students to develop a sense of belonging. There is also a designated module at Level 4 for academic skills, although these are also embedded across all levels in all modules. We work very closely with the Academic Mentor to ensure that our first year students build confidence and have an academic voice.

Teaching and learning strategies and methods include lectures seminars and access to course materials through the university’s virtual learning environment. Students are also encouraged to undertake enriching activities e.g. attendance at relevant exhibitions and visits to relevant sites or community resources and these enrichment activities are embedded in some modules. Debate and group discussion support cognitive skills both in the classroom and through web-based discussion and seminar groups. Reflection and discussion are key to positive learning for all students and such experiential learning promotes their growing ability to act as reflective practitioners.

The Early Childhood Studies course responds to market demand as the new modules are current and meet the needs both employers and the job market. This will enhance the graduate opportunities in a range of allied professions and agencies. Some of the modules that relate to employability are emerging, consolidating and establishing identity modules and an assessed placement module in their second year of study.

1. Develop students’ academic skills whilst empowering them with personal and professional skills resulting in confident graduates

2. Promote the academic study of children and early childhood in an ecological context and to enable students to develop insights and understandings relating to how children and childhood are understood from a range of academic and professional perspectives.

3. Facilitate the development of early childhood specialists who are able to explain, reflect upon and critically assess their own practice; the legislative and historical framework in which they work and to take a well-informed part in current debates, thereby acting as advocates in the field

4. Develop students’ awareness of the inequalities faced by young children and their families and to develop awareness of anti-discriminatory practice

5. Enable, empower and enthuse students to make transformational changes to their own lives and to the lives of children, families and communities

6. Enable students to recognise their strengths, capabilities and experience as professionals and learners and to take active responsibility for their own learning and to contribute to the learning of their colleagues

7. Develop the professional competence of those who work with young children and their families, meeting local and national workforce development needs, thereby improving the quality of early childhood across a range of services

8. Enhance the professional identities of early childhood practitioners, within a multi-disciplinary and wider multi-professional context

9. Promote social justice and inclusion by working collaboratively as partners with parents/carers, communities and wider professional contexts using participative approach as equals.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within Early Childhood Studies

2. Devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of Early Childhood Studies

3. Describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in Early Childhood Studies, recognising the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge

4. Manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to Early Childhood Studies

5. Apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects

6. Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem

7. Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences

8. Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts

9. Undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature

10. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners/professionals.

Early Childhood Studies 2022

Critical theory and dialogic pedagogy are the base and foundation of our teaching, and students capital is acknowledged and built on. Therefore, social justice and the equality and social justice framework form the basis of teaching and assessment. We use a wide range of modes of assessment to ensure that there is an equality of access across the levels to support and develop students’ potential. We have specific sessions on assessment to discuss what assessment means, work in small groups to discuss learning outcomes so that all students’ have a shared understanding of what the learning outcomes are and the assessment brief. Students will be introduced to the marking criteria so that they become familiar with how assignments are marked.

We offer formative assessment opportunities throughout of the degree course with a full draft at Level 4, detailed assignment plan at Level 5 and discussion of a plan at Level 6. We hold 1:1 formative feedback sessions online or via phone, or where possible, face to face. We also run workshops after 1:1 tutorials. Students are encouraged to have 1:1 tutorial meetings following summative submission and feedback to discuss how they can achieve a better grade in future. Students are also encouraged to work with our Academic Mentor in order to fine tune their academic skills.

We work very closely with our Academic Mentor across all levels. At level the 4 Academic Mentor is involved in supporting students on how to put forward an argument using an academic voice, reading and summarizing and engaging critically in academic text. At level 5 and 6 depending on the needs of the individual students, the Academic Mentor is invited to support students’ based on the identified needs. Students can book 1:1 sessions with the academic mentor to receive more assistance or in-depth feedback. We also work with our librarian across all levels. The librarian runs a session to demonstrate and explain how to access the online resources. Students can book individual appointments to get more support if needed.

Academic skills are embedded throughout our teaching across all levels. We organize individual and small group activities such as, summarizing, discussing and critically evaluating academic texts.

At the beginning of the academic year, we plan as a team handing in dates for draft and summative assignments by taking into account workload demands on students. We also consider the types of assessments that are due first so that the pressure on students and staff is alleviated.

We offer formative assessment opportunities, full draft at Level 4, detailed assignment plan at Level 5 and discussion of a plan at Level 6. We have 1:1 formative feedback sessions online or via phone, or where possible, face to face. Prior to 1:1 tutorials, tutors will read the full draft/plan and offer written feedback. Staff will email that formative feedback is released and that the student should read this and begin to action it. Tutors will check that this has been read (where possible), and remind the students to read it and prepare specific questions prior to the tutorial meeting
Students are encouraged to have 1:1 tutorial meetings following summative submission and feedback to discuss how they can if necessary, improve their grade in future.

When marking assignments, constructive and developmental feedback is given in the text followed by feedforward to ensure students reflect and engage critically on the feedback to identify areas for improvement.

We have a rigorous and robust system in our marking process. Assignments are first marked by the tutor, second marked by another tutor. Where 20% of the assignments are sampled, including top, medium and just pass grades, and all fails, are second marked. If there are less than 20 scripts in a group,, all are second marked. We have a moderation process where the second and first marker have a dialogue, complete a moderation form and the assigned moderator from the team will decide which grade is most appropriate. Following this the External Examiner is presented with all the documentation to check the quality and standard of this process and feedback to us as appropriate. This is then followed by developing an action plan.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades BBC in three A levels or a ‘full and relevant’ Early Years Level 3 qualification: Check early years qualifications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)
• enhanced criminal records check

We recommend that you have GCSE Maths at grade C or above, or an equivalent qualification such as functional skills, however this is not an essential requirement for entry to the programme. Please be aware you must hold an approved math qualification in order to gain Practitioner status.

There is a fitness to practice policy for placement related modules SE5W00 . This is detailed in the placement handbook.

At Level 4 as long as students complete all modules at the pass standard and have 120 credit they can be awarded Certificate of Higher Education

At Level 5 as long as students complete all modules at the pass standard and have 240 credit they can be awarded Diploma of Higher Education.

At level 6 As long as students completed all modules excluding the dissertation module and have 300 credit, they can be awarded BA Early Childhood Studies

At level 6 As long as students completed all modules excluding the dissertation module and have 300 credit, they can be awarded BA Early Childhood Studies including the dissertation module and have 360 credit, they can be awarded BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies

At level 6 As long as students completed all modules excluding the dissertation module and have 300 credit, they can be awarded BA Early Childhood Studies including the dissertation and professional placement module at level 5 and have 360 credit, they can be awarded BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies with practitioner status

Reflection and discussion are key to the teaching and learning of all Early Childhood Studies students as this will support developing critical thinking. This is one of the principles of social pedagogy. The reflection and discussion will be in the context of tutor-led discussions and reflection will be promoted by reflective exercises incorporated into the web-based materials. Experiential learning will promote the students growing ability to act as a reflective professionals. For example, students practise and reflect on techniques to promote effective interactions with children, parents/ carers and with other professionals by role playing and undertaking critical evaluations of their own values and pre-conceptions of children and childhood.

Students are invited to reflect and discuss their progress with their tutors and these meetings ensure that the individual student is supported in their studies and enabled to progress appropriately according to their needs.

Early years leadership roles
Charities and Local, international Community projects
Further and Higher Education lecturing
Government, private and voluntary sectors

Routes to further study:
PGCE early years and primary teaching
Social work
Play therapy

Our health, social care and early childhood studies graduates have gone onto to work as early years practioners, nursery teachers and managers, mental health officers, support workers and nurses at various employers including Kings College Hospital, the NHS and various schools and nurseries.

Continuing your studies with us

The School of Social Professions has a wide range of exciting industry-linked postgraduate courses available on a full-time and part-time basis in education, health, social and community work. We offer the following degrees that would be ideal for postgraduate progression:

• Get into teaching with one of our PGCE courses
• Youth and Community Work (with JNC Recognition) - MSc
• Early Childhood Studies - MA
• Safeguarding and Security - MA
• Education - MA

For full-time students:

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades BBC in three A levels (or a minimum of 112 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg CACHE Diploma)
• English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)
• enhanced criminal records check

We recommend that you have GCSE Maths at grade C or above, or an equivalent qualification such as functional skills, however this is not an essential requirement for entry to the programme.

For part-time students:

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of two years’ full-time employment working with young children, evidenced by a reference from your employer
• current employment as a practitioner with children from birth to six years, or be able to undertake a placement in an early childhood setting for a minimum of two hours per week per module studied
• English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)
• enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

If you don’t have traditional qualifications or can’t meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing our Early Childhood Studies (including foundation year) BA (Hons) degree.

Due to statutory requirements, we are not able to offer sponsorship under the Student visa route for this course. We will be happy to consider those falling into this category for an alternative suitable course on request. Overseas nationals who already hold an alternative visa in a suitable category or have been granted permission to remain in the UK indefinitely may be considered for admission, but please note that an additional international enhanced police check will be required.