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Early Childhood Education

Entry requirements


A level

E,E,E

Access to HE Diploma

P:45

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PPP

UCAS Tariff

48

Applicants should hold a full and relevant Level 3 qualification, such as a BTEC Extended Diploma, and have at least twelve months' experience in early childhood practice.

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About this course


Course option

2years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Early years education

The overarching aim of the programme is to produce well educated and highly skilled graduates who are able to work effectively within all contexts of Early Years Practice. It is a requirement of the programme that all participants will be working in an Early Years Setting or participate in a meaningful placement of not less than 16 hours per week, A proportion of the programme is work based with students completing modules at work with the support of college staff. This model of full time study and work allows students to remain in employment whilst completing their qualification.

The course aims to provide students with the opportunity to exit the programme with 240 credits and achieve a Foundation Degree. The Foundation Degree facilitates progression to a full honours degree as the students continue their vocational employment. Since the development of the full honours degree programme at Carshalton College students have been able to continue studying at the College and working in the early years sector to complete a BA (Honours) Degree. Those students who are successful in achieving 240 credits can apply to the final year and complete a further 120 Level 6 credits in order to achieve a full honours degree.

Modules

Students will study the following compulsory Level 4 modules:-

Introduction to Early Childhood Education (20 credits): This module aims to introduce students to academic skills and requirements for the successful completion of the FdA programme within the context of the taught syllabus.

Professional and Academic Development (40 credits): This module focuses on the importance of continuing professional and academic development contextualised within the statutory compulsory age range. In addition it will aim to develop the skills necessary for an education professional to work effectively and to improve their own performance.

Observing Children (20 credits): This module focuses on the role of observing children to inform early childhood education practice and planning for learning. The aim of the module is to gain an understanding of ethical considerations and knowledge of a range of methods of observation. In addition, the student will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the different observation methods and their purpose when assessing young children.

Early Childhood Pioneers (20 credits): This module introduces students to historical perspectives on early childhood education and the key principles of a range of early childhood education pioneers. Students will examine how these contribute to current theory and pedagogical approaches in early childhood education. It aims to promote students to connect theory and practice within an early childhood education environment.

Children and Childhoods (20 credits): This module focuses on the place of children in society and how childhood is defined by its social and cultural context. The aim of the module is to investigate a range of theoretical perspectives and how this impacts on early childhood practice and contemporary attitudes toward children and childhood.

Students will study the following compulsory Level 5 modules: -

Work Based Enquiry (40 credits) This module will build on the student’s research interest by conducting primary and secondary research into an appropriate area of professional practice. This module is designed to provide the student with the necessary skills to complete a piece of research in their chosen area. Personal and professional competence will be extended through the production of small scale, practice-related, research on a chosen subject.

Holistic Development of the Child (20 credits) This module allows students to examine and evaluate theories and principles of child development and its holistic nature. It aims to investigate factors that influence developmental outcomes; including theories of attachment and the role of parents and educators in supporting children’s holistic development.

Play in the 21st Century (20 credits) This module is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of how historical perspectives have influenced early years’ play in the 21st century. The theories and principles of how children play and the factors that affect learning will be explored. The role of the practitioner will be discussed and theories related to play and the beliefs and practices from other cultures considered.

Meeting the needs of the child (20 credits) This module is designed to develop knowledge of provision for children recognising and respecting diversity and difference in early years settings. The issue of assessing children against criteria which are normed on native-English speaking peers will be critically evaluated and the use of appropriate early intervention that will support their social and academic progression will be explored.

Safeguarding (20 credits) This module aims to support practitioners in carrying out their role with regard safeguarding by understanding the types of abuse that children can be subjected to. The module focuses on gaining an understanding of current child protection legislation and the professional role of the educator in the context of safeguarding children.

Assessment methods

The course provides opportunities to test understanding of the subject informally before completing the formal assessments that count towards the final mark. The formal assessment methods include a range of coursework tasks such as essays, reports, portfolios, presentations etc. The assessments are spread across the year to make the workload manageable.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£7,000
per year
EU
£7,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£7,000
per year
Scotland
£7,000
per year
Wales
£7,000
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Carshalton College

Department:

Carshalton Higher Education [CC]

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What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

100%
Early years education

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Education

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
95%
Staff are good at explaining things
95%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
95%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

95%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
95%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Education

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£25k

£25k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

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It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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