Teaching - Primary - BA(Hons) Early Years Education

Why study with us?

If you’re passionate about working with young children, this course is an excellent choice. As a teacher, you will have the opportunity to shape future generations by making a positive contribution to the lives of young children.

Early Years Education prepares you to work as a teacher with children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 (3–7 years old). You will also be able to teach at upper primary level. The course will help you develop your teaching and professional skills so that the children you work with will enjoy and achieve in their learning, feel safe and healthy and learn the life skills they need to play a positive and active part in their communities.

The University of Cumbria is one of the largest trainers of school teachers in the country and has a reputation for being one of the best, so you can rest assured that you will receive all the tools needed for a fulfilling career as an early years or nursery school teacher.

What can this course lead to?

This course can lead to a successful career as an early years teacher in a modern nursery, primary school or children’s centre. You can also use it to become an upper primary teacher. Wherever you live, there is work for teachers who have knowledge of the youngest children. You are also encouraged to become a lifelong learner and engage with additional qualifications that are available to graduates who work with children.

Resources and facilities

We have an excellent partnership with over 1000 early years and primary schools and settings across the country, allowing you the opportunity to gain diverse, high-quality school experience in a wide variety of environments – from small rural schools in Cumbria and north Lancashire to large, urban schools in Barrow, Blackburn, Carlisle, Lancaster, London or Preston. Many have long established relationships with us and place large numbers of students. Students also have the opportunity to do an enrichment placement in an alternative setting, which can be home or abroad.

Have a look at our learning resources for Early Years Education.

Entry requirements 280 UCAS tariff points.

Grade C or above in GCSE English Language, Mathematics and Science at point of application.

Applicants must have a total of five national curriculum GCSEs demonstrating a broad spread of knowledge.

Successful completion of the TA Skills Test.

Successful clearance for Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) and Occupational Health.

Credit and UCAS requirements UCAS code: X310 UCAS points: 280 Selection criteria

You should be able to provide evidence of successful work experience or voluntary work in a primary school. You will need five days of experience in a mainstream primary school at the point of application, but you are expected to have two weeks by the start of the course. Places are conditional on successful interview.

Costs

Click the links below to view information on your study type and residence status. If you are unsure of your status, please see the UKCISA website for more information.

Home students

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,000.

As a full-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which you only start to pay back when you are earning over £21,000 (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU students

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,000.

As a full-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 a year (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

International students

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year is £10,200.

Fees are billed annually and may be paid by the student or a sponsor. 75 percent of the annual tuition fees must be paid before or at registration. For students requiring a Tier 4 Student Visa, a deposit of £3,500 is expected as a minimum before a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will be issued. For more information, visit our international student finance page.

Early payment discount

If you are paying your own fees, you may be eligible for an early payment discount of £1,000. This discount is awarded to students who pay in full before registration.

Additional financial support

Our money doctors will be on hand throughout the year to help you manage your money while you’re in the UK. However, if you do happen to run into financial difficulty during your time here, you may be able to access a small emergency support fund.

UCAS Link

Visit UCAS

Modules

For detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course.

Course summary

This intensive course has three key elements.

Element one focuses on child development and young children’s learning from three to seven years old, including how and what to teach children in this age group. You will learn the importance to the child of family, school and community; develop a global perspective and explore different countries’ education of young children; and study inclusive education and effective teaching to support children with special needs or English as an additional language.

Element two enables you to explore teamwork and creativity in modules that help you explore skills at your own adult level. You are also given the opportunity to explore themes and areas of interest in greater detail, to develop your thinking and research in an area of teaching that is important to you.

Element three provides you with valuable school and work-based experience through structured placements in schools. You learn by working with other professionals in providing for the needs of young children and their families. A key feature of the course is a creative approach to learning experiences in and out of the classroom.

Case studies

"A visit to the local children’s centre helped me to see the links between theory and practice."

“Knowledge, availability and dedication of the staff is outstanding."