Early Years Curriculum: Teaching and Learning forms the foundation for your understanding of the early years curriculum and its key structural aspects, including ‘Prime’ and ‘Specific’ elements of learning in the early years foundation stage. Examining the theoretical perspectives that underpin the structure and overarching principles of the early years curriculum, the module places a strong focus on strategies for effective teaching. These include continuous provision, planning from children’s interests, early learning goals, and adult-initiated learning experiences. You will also consider the characteristics of effective learning and explore the links between classroom and home learning environments.

Early Years Specialism: The Playful Curriculum sets the scene for you to gain an understanding of the theories of play that underpin early learning and development in the current curriculum. You gain an insight into the role of play and playfulness in children’s learning and development within the context of an early years environment. You will discover how to adopt an integrated approach to play and learning, explore theoretical models of play, and consider the definitions of play and learning in an early years context.

Exploring Studentship and Professional Identity prepares you for the rewards and challenges, both personal and professional, of teaching in a 21st century classroom. The module will introduce you to the themes of studentship, learning environments and professional identity. It will help you to develop your personal resilience and promote independence within a community of learners, enabling you to connect with your own experiences as an academic learner and student teacher. The module will also develop your initial understanding of the place of research, social justice and contemporary issues. The aim is to instil a desire for lifelong learning and nurture an anti-bias approach to your teaching.

Pedagogy of the Early Years Teacher equips you with an understanding of pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning in an early years environment. The module introduces you to the concept of holistic development and the underpinning theories of learning as applied to early years education. The aim is to enable you to influence and deliver outstanding practice within the early years sector and have a fundamentally positive impact on outcomes for young children. The module also focuses on child development and explores how the early years of a child’s life are crucial to his or her development education.

Researching Values in Education comprehensively prepares you for practice in today’s educational settings and thereby ensures you are ready for your first experience in the classroom. You will receive a solid grounding in key aspects of current educational theory, policy and practice, developing a broad knowledge of the world of education. The module will first draw into focus the presence and identification of different values in education before exploring and theorising the motives for their presence and the means through which they are embedded and realised. The focus will be predominantly on the present day, enabling you to develop a deep understanding of the contemporary education landscape.

Understanding Reflective Practice provides a bridge between the academic study of early years education and the development of the professional competencies associated with the Teachers’ Standards and the recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This module includes enquiry-led experiential learning days where you can explore how settings operate, how this influences provision and identify factors that might impact on learning. You will discover and observe the range of practice that takes place in early years settings, identify the most effective techniques and reflect on how you can develop your own practice. This will prepare you for an initial professional practice placement which will be focused on the observation, planning and assessment cycle in the early years foundation stage (EYFS).

Building Studentship and Professional Identity builds on the themes of studentship, educational research, learning environments and professional identity, progressing your understanding of these four areas while continuing to develop your role as an academic learner, researcher and student teacher. Preparing you for the academic challenge and professional practice demands of your degree, the module will explore the significance, implications and impact of educational research in relation to your own practice. It will also introduce you to the research process, including methodological, theoretical and ethical issues involved in the practical application of research and the construction of a research proposal.

Developing as Reflective Practitioners enhances your professional development and continues to prepare you to undertake early years professional practice in a key stage 1 classroom. You will enhance your knowledge and understanding of the ways in which teachers plan, teach, assess and manage an early years classroom, gaining a first-hand insight into the importance of assessment and evaluation practices. Your growing knowledge of effective practice in assessment will ensure you are increasingly able to reflect upon the needs of all children within a class and translate this into inclusive teaching and learning. A key focus of the module will be on your professional practice (developmental) reflections and their links to enquiry-based learning. You will continue to explore pedagogical approaches to key stage 1 and examine how these may vary between schools. You will also engage in further opportunities to set personal targets and pursue aspects of your own learning, with target setting being monitored and supported by your personal tutor and mentor.

Early Years Specialism: International Perspectives on Early Years Education examines the historical and international influences on early years teaching and learning. Developing the key skills of an early years specialist, you will gain an understanding of different models of teaching and learning as you gain insight into the varied influences on research, policy and practice in the early years around the world. The module will also enhance your knowledge of the principles relating to the rights of a child and how their knowledge and attitudes impact on their interpretation of theory, policy and practice.

Extending Understanding of Educational Values enhances your critical engagement with the underlying concepts and principles relating to values in educational theory, policy and practice. Through a central focus on the past, you will be able to track the genealogy and evolution of values and how they change over time, experience and perspective. This critical knowledge will lead to a more sophisticated and mobile engagement with values as they pertain to theory, policy and practice. The module will ultimately equip you with the knowledge and understanding required to continue the development of your professional and practitioner identities and toolkits to ever increasing levels of sophistication and complexity.

Pedagogy of the Early Years Teacher focuses on the next stage of the current curriculum beyond the early years foundation stage and examines the different pedagogical approaches that can be undertaken in a key stage 1 classroom. There are a variety of roles within the key stage 1 classroom and you will explore the policy direction that has influenced the creation of these positions. The module reinforces the importance of building professional relationships between adults in the classroom, exploring the specific needs and responsibilities of all those involved in ensuring the delivery of effective inclusive practice which is responsive to children’s individual needs.

The Creative Curriculum in Practice introduces you to creative approaches to subject domains in the current national curriculum. Recognising that effective teaching encompasses subject knowledge, curriculum knowledge and pedagogical knowledge, the module reflects the need to provide a broad and balanced curriculum and therefore focuses on both core and foundation subjects. You will have the opportunity to consider differing approaches to curriculum design and delivery and critically evaluate the structure and purpose of each element.

Advocating Educational Values focuses on hypothetical futures for educational theory, policy and practice. The module equips you with the knowledge, understanding, critical skills and self-awareness to develop convincing and complex critiques of where education appears to be heading and contract this with where you think it ought to be heading. You will develop high levels of criticality and gain a systematic understanding of values in education, transitioning into a practitioner who has sophisticated and robust opinions about how education ought to be practised and governed, opinions that are derived from engagement with the latest ideas pertaining to theory, policy and practice. This focus on the future will ensure that you graduate equipped to become an agent of change in your future career, equipped with the knowledge and intellectual and communicative skills needed to create movements for positive change.

Contemporary Debates in Early Childhood Education supports you in advancing your progress towards becoming an early years practitioner with the skills required to research, reflect on, analyse and identify quality provision for young children. You will engage in discussions about contemporary issues in early years education, from the ‘school readiness’ agenda to the ‘datafication’ of early years. The ultimate aim is for you to use your new new professional knowledge to identify how to become an advocate for play and young children’s learning.

Developing Specialism in Early Years Education enables you to choose your own focus and personalise your degree, focusing on a relevant area of early years education of particular interest. Your options might involve (but are not limited to) topics such as arts and creativity, physical development and health, mental health, working with 0-3 year olds, beach schools and subject leadership. The module promotes and advances independent thinking, enabling you to engineer your own learning trajectory and develop specialist expertise in your chosen area, enhancing your employability in that field.

Employing Studentship and Professional Identity enhances your understanding of all aspects of research methodology, providing you with the opportunity to develop critical and analytical skills in reviewing both literature and research methodology in education. You will conduct a piece of self-initiated research on a topic of your choice, demonstrating the ability to conceptualise, problematise, plan, organise and make ethical judgements in the creation of a research study set within a time frame. The module draws on a wide range of intellectual resources, theoretical and ethical perspectives and academic subjects to illuminate your understanding of education and the contexts within which it takes place. The module also aims to provide a solid foundation for your potential progression to postgraduate study in the future.

Mastering Reflective Practice prepares you for teaching as you return to an early years foundation stage setting for your final professional practice. You will have opportunities to fully assume the role of a teacher, taking responsibility for the planning, teaching, assessment and monitoring the progress of a whole class, while enhancing your profile in school,  developing resilience and managing your workload effectively. The module will also enhance your professional development by providing further opportunities for you to set personal targets and pursue aspects of your own learning.

Pedagogy of the Early Years Leader consolidates your knowledge of the early years curriculum and pedagogy and develops your understanding of leadership in early years education. Focusing on curriculum design and implementation, you will explore models of leadership and apply them to different aspects of the teaching role, such as leading and managing progression, managing behaviour for learning, leading subjects, leading phases, leading other adults (for example, support staff and parents/carers) and driving change. Key leadership strategies will be presented in both the context of early years settings and as an opportunity to make a difference to local communities and partnerships with parents.

Example offers updated to include the Education and Childcare T Level with an overall grade of Merit.

EYE1005 Exploring Studentship and Professional Identity (20 credits), EYE1006 Researching Values in Education (20 credits), EYE1007 Early Years Specialism: The Playful Curriculum (20 credits), EYE1008 Pedagogy of the Early Years Teacher (20 credits), EYE1009 Early Years Curriculum: Teaching and Learning (20 credits) and EYE1010 Understanding Reflective Practice (20 credits) replace EYE1000 Early Years Professional Practice Phase 1A (20 credits), EYE1001 Early Years Curriculum Teaching and Learning (40 credits), EYE1002 Early Years Developing Curriculum Teaching and Learning (40 credits) and EYE1003 Early Years Specialism (40 credits) as compulsory modules in Year 1.

EYE2005 Building Studentship and Professional Identity (20 credits), EYE2006 Extending Understanding of Educational Values (20 credits), EYE2007 The Creative Curriculum in Practice (20 credits), EYE2008 Pedagogy of the Early Years Teacher (20 credits), EYE2009 Early Years Specialism: International Perspectives on Early Years Education (20 credits) and EYE2010 Developing as Reflective Practitioners (20 credits) replace EYE2000 Early Years Professional Practice Phase 1B (20 credits), EYE2001 Early Years Curriculum Teaching and Learning (40 credits), EYE2002 Early Years Developing Curriculum Teaching and Learning (40 credits), EYE2003 Early Years Foundation Subjects (20 credits) and EYE2004 Early Years Specialism (20 credits) as compulsory modules in Year 2.

EYE3005 Employing Studentship and Professional Identity (20 credits), EYE3006 Advocating Educational Values (20 credits), EYE3007 Contemporary Debates in Early Childhood Education (20 credits), EYE3008 Developing Specialism in Early Years Education (20 credits), EYE3009 Pedagogy of the Early Years Leader (20 credits) and EYE3010 Mastering Reflective Practice (20 credits) replace EYE3000 Early Years Professional Practice Phase 2 (40 credits), EYE3001 Early Years Curriculum Teaching and Learning (40 credits), EYE3002 Early Years Developing Curriculum Teaching and Learning (40 credits) and EYE3003 Early Years Specialism (40 credits) as compulsory modules in Year 3.

The title of this programme has changed from BA (Hons) Early Years Education with QTS to BA (Hons) Primary Early Years Education with QTS.