Program Overview

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education in Practice (Graduate Practitioner)

Why study this course

Continue working or volunteering while pursuing your degree, providing you with valuable practical experience alongside your academic studies

The National Student Survey 2022 revealed an impressive satisfaction rate of 96.85% among students in professional studies programs, highlighting quality and effectiveness

Opportunity to study with support from a research-active team, ensuring you receive the latest insights and developments in the field

Work towards meeting the Department for Education's Full and Relevancy Criteria, providing a clear path to meeting professional standards in early childhood education

Course summary

Are you passionate about early childhood education and ready to take the next step in your academic and professional growth? Our BA (Hons) work-based degree programme is the perfect opportunity for individuals who have already completed a suitable Foundation Degree or Higher Education Diploma in Early Childhood. This programme seamlessly blends practice-based learning with campus-based teaching sessions that take place once a week, ensuring you can maintain your current work or volunteer commitments.

Key facts

• Award: BA (Hons)
• UCAS code: L522
• Duration: 1 Year
• Mode of study: Full time
• Start date: September 2025
• Award: Bishop Grosseteste University
• Institution code: B38

About this course

If you've previously studied our Foundation Degree Early Childhood Education in Practice, this programme is your natural progression. Over the course of one year, you'll integrate your previous learning experience of working with young children into your studies. This comprehensive course provides invaluable insights into effective management and leadership within the children's workforce, allowing you to deepen your understanding of the complex factors contributing to children's learning and development.

Drawing from your foundation degree knowledge, this course aims to challenge and expand your understanding of how to support children by exploring alternative and international perspectives on child development. Collaborating with students from related courses, will broaden your perspectives on working with children and young people, enhancing your employability.

In addition to your coursework, this programme offers you the exciting opportunity to delve into research. You will be expertly guided in research methods, ethical considerations, and report writing, empowering you to contribute to the field of early childhood education through your own research endeavours. This invaluable experience will further enrich your academic journey and career prospects.

Throughout the programme, the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education in Practice (Graduate Practitioner) aligns closely with the full and relevant criteria of the Department for Education and the graduate competency requirements of the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN). Additionally, it includes elements of assessed practice. Upon successful completion of this programme, you'll have the opportunity to obtain this sector-recognized accreditation. Please note that this accreditation requires you to hold English and Maths at Level 2.

Join us on this enriching journey and elevate your career in the field of early childhood education. Enrol in the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education in Practice (Graduate Practitioner) and unlock your potential to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young children. Our weekly sessions, starting from 1pm, are designed to fit your schedule, allowing you to balance work, education, and your passion for nurturing young minds.

What you will study

Students on this course currently study some or all of the following modules:

Compulsory modules

• Independent Study Part 1: Introduction to Research at Level 6
• Critical Issues in Professional Practice
• Professional Practice and Leadership
• Independent Study Part 2
• Child in the World

Optional modules

• End of Programme Graduate Practitioner Competencies

Entry requirements

• You will typically have 240 HE credits from a Foundation degree or a HE Diploma in a relevant field of study.
• You will be required to have a Level 2 functional skills qualification in English and Mathematics or a Level 2 functional skills equivalent qualification.
• You are expected to have a current (or prospective) voluntary or paid employment in a relevant setting for a minimum of 12 hours per week, totalling 360 hours each year of study.
• Typically, you are expected to have three years of experience in a voluntary or paid role working with children.

How you will be taught

The BA (Hons) Professional Practice programmes are work-based degrees and form part of a hybrid work-based learning approach. All modules are based around students’ practice and assessment learning outcomes across modules at all levels requiring students to make links between theoretical and work-based practices.

You will work with a range of experienced academic staff and be supported through peer-led groups, directed tasks and interactive web-based resources.

Academic staff

• Dr Nyree-Anne Nicholson
• Tara May

Assessment

Typically, a variety of assessment methods are used including presentations, discussions, debates, poster presentations, essays, portfolios of work, case studies and reflections. All assessments allow you to reflect on your practice and theory as you evidence your learning, building on your personal strengths to develop clear communication skills to share your knowledge and understanding.

Assessment types within and across modules have been carefully considered throughout the programme to provide you with a variety of assessment methods in each year of study. The modes of assessment combine to draw and assess your practical work-based knowledge and theoretical understanding of the module content with the aim of developing transferable skills including the acquisition of academic literacies.

Assessments are a combination of practical oral assessments such as, but not limited to, presentations, discussions, debates, poster presentations, and narrated PowerPoints. Coursework will include, but is not limited to, essays, portfolios, case studies, reflections, and an e-portfolio. The e-portfolio is only required for those students working towards the GPC competencies. On the GPC pathway, you will be required to maintain a record of achievement, which will be supported through an e-portfolio application hosted within the VLE.

Careers & Further study

The BA (Hons) Professional Practice programmes are work-based degrees, with the majority of students within paid employment.

Early Childhood Education students often focus on pathways into teaching, via a PGCE. Other students see the degree as a springboard to other educational careers or management roles. Although this list is not inclusive, students on BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education in Practice are often looking for full and relevancy to be counted into adult: child ratios within settings, managerial opportunities, and work with the local authority.