Program Overview

BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education in Practice

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 in 2022 revealed an impressive satisfaction rate of 96.85% among students in professional studies programs, highlighting the quality and effectiveness.

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

Work towards meeting the Department for Education's Full and Relevancy Criteria. A clear path to meet professional standards and ensure your education aligns with industry standards, enhancing career prospects.

Course summary

Are you enthusiastic 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: L521
• 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, including those from diverse educational contexts, 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 aligns closely with the full and relevant criteria of the Department for Education. Additionally, it includes elements of assessed practice. Please note that to be considered full and relevant requires you to hold English 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 and unlock your potential to make a meaningful impact on the lives of young children. Our weekly sessions, starting from 1 pm, 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

• Applicants will typically have 240 HE credits from a Foundation degree or a HE Diploma in a relevant field of study.
• Applicants are expected have a current (or prospective) voluntary or paid employment in a relevant setting for a minimum of 360 hours per academic year equating to 12 hours per week of study.
• Typically, applicants are expected to have three years of experience in a voluntary or paid role working with children.
• Students must complete and submit a workplace agreement that sets out the tripartite partnership between the student, the setting and the BGU and clearly identifies the student holds a current DBS as a condition of enrolment.
• Applicants with alternative qualifications can contact our Admissions team for advice as BGU is committed to widening access and participation and adheres to a strict policy of non-discrimination.

How you will be taught

This course allows you to study and continue to work. It is a flexible qualification covering the broad range of settings and contexts in which services such as education, health and social care are provided for 0 – 8-year-olds. Students undertaking the course remain in employment, or as volunteers, over the academic year in the same manner as the Foundation Degree.

The top up degree offers opportunities to critically evaluate practice through a detailed analysis of the systems, procedures and changes that contribute to your field of study. This course will promote your professional formation as a reflective practitioner and modules will cover topics such as leading people and teams, promoting quality, new models of practice and contemporary issues such as current political and social trends.

In addition, the undertaking of an independent research study will support your continuing development as a leading practitioner within the children’s workforce.

Academic staff

• Dr Nyree-Anne Nicholson
• Tara May
• Paul Staples

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.

Careers & Further study

Graduate opportunities have enabled our students to attain managerial positions within their sector, to lead practice with their setting. Many go on to further study to become teachers through our PGCE routes, or gain a professional status. Others take on professional roles in areas such as special educational needs, mentoring, subject support, school, family and welfare liaison roles in the wider educational community and with local authorities working with the full range of age groups and sectors.