BA (Hons) Early Years Education

Overview

Course Length:	1 Year Full-Time
Start Dates:	September 2022, September 2023
Subjects:	Education and Teaching
Location:	Edge Hill University Holy Cross College and University Centre, Bury

This is a Level 6 conversion programme, giving you the opportunity to progress from a foundation degree (or equivalent) to an honours degree in a relevant subject.

The programme is primarily aimed at students progressing from the FdA Early Years Education and Leadership programme, although progression from other related foundation degrees may be possible. Focusing on the study of early years education frameworks within a range of local, national and international contexts, you will develop the knowledge and skills required to become an excellent practitioner within your setting and beyond, while also boosting your personal and professional career development.

In Depth

What will I study?

This programme will challenge your assumptions about children’s learning and development. You will be encouraged to reflect on perceptions of what young children should be taught and how they should learn. You will explore the role of play in children’s learning and examine the development of play-based provision in early years settings.

Adopting a critical perspective on early years education, you will discover the key theories and underpinning issues in the education of babies and young children and gain an insight into how to work collaboratively with parents, families and communities.

You will also undertake a small-scale research project where you will identify and investigate an aspect of early years education to explore in-depth.

How will I study?

Following an initial on-campus induction, you will engage in online face-to-face sessions with your tutors one afternoon per week. You will also be invited to attend on-campus sessions 5-6 times per year at the beginning of each module. Along with face-to-face sessions, you will be asked to complete directed tasks and carry out independent research.

Supported learning using the internet and Edge Hill University’s online resources is a major feature of the programme. No prior IT experience is necessary, as full support will be provided.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in each module that you study. This may take the form of an assignment, portfolio, presentation or a combination of these methods.

There are no formal written examinations as part of the current assessment methods on this programme.

Who will be teaching me?

You will be taught by a team of lecturers and associate tutors with extensive expertise and experience and a passion for their subject. All the team are involved in current research and have actively contributed to the development of the Early Years Foundation Stage, as well as various research projects at national and international levels.

Facilities

Housed in a state-of-the-art £9million building, the Faculty of Education at Edge Hill University enjoys a stunning setting from both its lakeside and piazza buildings.

Facilities in the lakeside building include a 300-seat lecture theatre, five well-equipped ICT suites, and 18 teaching rooms complete with the latest technology. The lakeside building is also home to a popular vegan and vegetarian cafe where students can meet to socialise and discuss their studies.

The nearby piazza building offers modern facilities including a lecture theatre and a number of seminar rooms.

Alternatively, you can choose to study at Holy Cross College and University Centre in Bury. You’ll be taught by Edge Hill lecturers and staff, and have access to a range of modern facilities, including recent building upgrades and refurbishments. There’s a range of study spaces and a coffee shop where you can relax before lectures. Holy Cross is especially proud of their library, IT facilities, modern classrooms and meeting rooms in the Mary Kelly building where the face-to-face sessions will take place.

Timetables

You can expect to receive your timetable at enrolment. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day or evening of the week.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information, however our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.

Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

Modules

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Compulsory modules:

FEE3001Critical Perspective on the Early Years Education (20 credits)

Critical Perspective on the Early Years Education develops your ability to challenge certain assumptions about children’s learning and development. This will be achieved through a critical reflection on theoretical perspectives alongside analytical discussion informed by current research. The module considers some of the very specific challenges related to early years education, focusing on the issues of government policies and historical changes related to perceptions of what young children should be taught and how they should learn. You will critically analyse current curriculum frameworks and methods of teaching young children, exploring how theory and practice are influenced by contemporary debates, issues and research findings within the UK educational landscape and across the world.