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Early Years (0-8) (Professional Practice)

Entry requirements


UCAS Tariff

32

A minimum of four GCSEs at Grade C/4 or above also required.

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

2years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

2 years | Distance learning (full-time) | 2024

2 years | Blended learning (full-time) | 2024

Subject

Early years education

**Overview**

The Early Years (0-8) Foundation Degree is a new and innovative course for people who are working, or who aspire to work, in the Early Years sector. It is designed to fit around your needs and if you find it difficult to attend regular classes, but would like to develop your skills, then this is the course for you.

Throughout the degree, you will be offered the opportunity to develop the appropriate professional attributes, knowledge and understanding required for the care and education of children within national and international contexts. This interconnected approach is reflected in a range of assignments designed to encourage you to consider a variety of perspectives and the development of critical skills in relation to theory applied to practice.

**Pathway options**

This foundation degree is designed to be flexible, dependent on your career aspirations and you are given a choice of pathways:

- Early Years (0-8) (Professional Practice) pathway. This pathway has 'Full and Relevant' status with the DfE and allows you to meet the Early Years Educator (EYE) standards and achieve 'Full and Relevant' status by the end of your course. This is important to employers as it lets them count you in EYFS staff:child ratios at level 3.

- Early Years (0-8) pathway. This is the best pathway for those who already have a 'Full and Relevant' level 3 qualification. It enables you to further develop your professional practice within early years or to progress to a teaching career.

**Key features**

- 96% of students in work or undertaking further study upon completion of their degree

- Enhancement of your academic and professional development whilst you work

- Provides theoretical insights on your professional practice and develop your leadership potential

- The professional practice pathway has 'Full and Relevant' status with the Department for Education

- Choose to study full or part-time at one of our partner colleges at a range of locations throughout the region

- Early Years conference in February

- Opportunity to progress to a BA Top-up degree and to Early Years Teaching

**Learn more about the course at our Open Days**

Visiting us is the best way to get a feel for student life at the University of Worcester. You'll find out more about the course, and have the opportunity speak to staff, students and recent graduates about what it’s really like to study at Worcester.

Book your place at www.worcester.ac.uk/open-days

**Why the University of Worcester?**

The University of Worcester is a close-knit and high-achieving community where students are supported to succeed at every level.

The University is a truly inclusive place where every person counts as an individual. From designing imaginative facilities to providing practical support and tailored learning, we strive to help people of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve their own rich potential. We work hard to break down barriers and provide opportunities for all.

**Recent University of Worcester achievements**
- Worcester rose to become the number one English university (excluding specialist institutions) for sustained employment, further study, or both, three and five years after graduation in the 2022 Government-published Longitudinal Educational Outcomes survey, having been in the top 10 in 2020 and 2021. 96% of our graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022).

- The University of Worcester has been ranked in the top 5 in the UK for Quality Education in the Times Higher Education’s University Impact Rankings every year since its inception in 2019. The University has also been ranked in the top 5 in the UK for Gender Equality in all years of the rankings and currently holds the number one spot (2023).

Modules

For a breakdown of the modules you'll study each year visit our course page. You can do this by scrolling to the bottom of this page and selecting 'Visit our course page'

Assessment methods

For detailed information about assessment, feedback, teaching and contact time visit our course page. You can do this by scrolling to the bottom of this page and selecting 'Visit our course page'

The Uni


Course locations:

University of Worcester

Somerset Centre for Integrated Learning

Halesowen College

Birmingham Metropolitan College (James Watt College)

Department:

Institute of Education

Read full university profile

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.

77%
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

93%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
98%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
93%
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

77%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
80%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

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

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
3%
Male students
97%
Female students
63%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section 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

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£14,500
low
Average annual salary
99%
med
Employed or in further education
62%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

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.

£20k

£20k

£24k

£24k

£26k

£26k

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 is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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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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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

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:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

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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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here