What happens during a child’s early years has a lasting impact on their future development so it is important that children have the best possible foundation. This course gives you a thorough grounding in child development and early education preparing you for the important task of working with children and their families.

Why Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)?

• You will have the option to be assessed against the nine Graduate Practitioner Competencies (GPC) of the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN). Successful demonstration of these competencies will mean you will be awarded Graduate Practitioner Status (GPS) alongside your degree. This could kick start your career in the education and care of young children.
• The course will give you the chance to explore the important issues that impact on children’s lives focusing on birth to seven years old. You’ll look at health and wellbeing, education and learning and development. We’ll also go on to take a wider view, focusing on topics such as safeguarding, society and environment.
• Work placements form a key part of the full-time course. Your placement will give you the chance to gain real, practical experience working in a professional environment. These practical experiences, combined with your academic studies, will help you develop the skills that employers are looking for.
• While you’re studying, you’ll be able to access our extensive professional and academic network, not to mention our excellent facilities and specialist equipment, including our mock Early Years classroom designed to help you prepare for the real world whilst you study.

Placements

Placement experience is highly regarded by employers and enables you to understand practice alongside experienced mentors and practitioners. Placements are a key part of the course and are managed and supported by an experienced team of tutors, who work closely with mentors in the placement settings.

In Year 1 you will undertake 240 hours work placement with children aged three to seven years, to gain experience in planning and observing children, learning how to enhance the environment to support children's development and learning. You will complete a detailed case study of an individual child.

The Year 2 placement involves 216 hours of placement working with children from birth to five years. You will identify and plan your own professional development alongside developing learning plans for the children.

The assessment for placements in the first two years is mapped to the Graduate Practitioner Competencies (GPC), alongside your outcomes in the two Professional Practice modules. If you successfully meet all criteria you will be given the opportunity to do a further placement in Year 3. This involves 125 hours working with children aged from birth to seven. Students who complete placements in all three years of the course will have the opportunity to evidence the assessed practice requirements for gaining Graduate Practitioner Status (GPS) alongside their degree.

Your Career

This course will enable you to consider a varied range of careers in the early years sector, primary teaching and wider children's services. Previous graduates have progressed as childcare workers, primary and early years teachers and teaching assistants, special needs support roles, play therapist and social support workers.**

*Percentage of graduates from this subject who are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 17/18, UK domiciled graduates).