Foundation Degree: Professional Studies in Early Years

General information

Professional Studies in Early Years is a foundation degree course accredited by Canterbury Christ Church University, but lessons will take place at our Bromley Campus. It provides an opportunity for people who are working with babies, toddlers or young children within the children’s workforce to develop their professional understanding, knowledge and skills whilst still working. It is intended to encourage professional and academic development and will also provide a path to higher level qualifications for those who wish to study further, perhaps for a full honours degree or a PGCE. It is a useful stepping stone on the path to becoming a teacher or senior practitioner in a nursery or pre-school setting.

Course content

Year 1 will include the following modules:

• Planning for Personal Development
• Introduction to Child Development
• Quality Learning and Teaching in the Early Years
• Working with Parents, Carers and Families
• Language, Speech and Communication Birth to Five
• SEN and the Wider Context

Teaching and assessment

Each module is delivered one day per week during term time (usually a total of five days per school half-term). The taught day will include enrichment activities and occasional Saturday workshops which you will be expected to attend. Six modules will be studied per year, each being assessed using a variety of methods such as short presentations, reflections on observations or tasks carried out in your work place, short essays etc. You will be given tutorial support.

Entry requirements

Applicants must normally:

• Be employed or working in a voluntary capacity for 15 hours per week working with babies, toddlers or young children
• GCSE at Grade C (or above) in English
• Work (either paid or voluntary) for at least two years prior to entry, working within early years or with young children (for those school-leavers who do not have the two years experience, you will need to have completed a Level 3 qualification in a childcare subject which has included some placement experience)
• The support of your employer who must sign the application form and the learning agreement

Additional course costs

Learners may wish to purchase some of the recommended text books but this is not compulsory and there is an excellent range of Early Years books available through the Bromley Campus Learning Resource Centre. Learning resources and programme materials will be available on the Canterbury Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which learners will be able to access.

Progression

Foundation Degrees are stand-alone degrees but learners who complete the Foundation Degree may wish to progress onto full Honours Degrees at Canterbury Christ Church University, which can lead to PGCE courses.

Dates and times

This course will begin in January 2013. This course runs each Wednesday during school term times from 9.30am to 8.00pm over a 30 week period.