FdA Early Years Childhood Studies
Course Overview
If you work with young children in early years education or are taking on a substantial voluntary role in the sector, our Foundation Degree in Early Years Childhood Studies could be just what you're looking for. You can develop essential knowledge and understanding of early years and childhood studies while experiencing life at our supportive, student-focused, multicultural campus and gaining practical on-the-job experience.Our expert team will help you to gain a solid foundation in early years education and integrate this knowledge with your real-life experiences in the workplace. You'll be able to apply what you learn to practical situations in your working life. You can then reflect on these ideas and experiences to consider how to improve the services you provide to the children in your care and their families.
During your studies, we'll support you in developing your leadership skills and broadening your practical and theoretical early years knowledge. At the end of the course, we hope you'll emerge with the confidence and skills to take on additional responsibilities at work. You may also consider the possibility of further studies, such as our BA (Hons) Early Years and Childhood Studies (top-up) degree course.
Highlights
- Our Childhood and Youth Studies courses are top in the UK for student satisfaction, according to The Complete University Guide 2024.
- The work-based course puts children and their parents at the heart of your learning and allows you to apply your newly acquired knowledge in your work environment without delay.
- You'll have the opportunity to develop leadership skills and broaden your practical and theoretical early years knowledge.
- After successfully completing this course, you could continue your studies at the honours degree level with our BA (Hons) Early Years Childhood Studies (top-up) course.
- Our teaching staff are professionals who have worked in the early years sector and have substantial knowledge and experience in the field.
- We offer evening teaching sessions where possible to help you fit your studies around your work commitments. Timetables vary depending on the modules you study and our staff commitments, so please get in touch with the programme leader for more information.
Key Features
- Workplace experience is an integral part of the programme. To ensure you have opportunities to develop the essential transferable skills for working in childcare and other key sectors, we recommend that you attend a work-based placement for two days per week during term time for the duration of the course.
- We'll encourage and support you to develop a critical awareness of current issues in the childcare sector.
- Early years employers are involved with monitoring and evaluation of the programme, both as workplace mentors and as students on the course.
- The course has been developed with the possibility of flexible delivery to meet the needs of both you and your employer.
Entry Requirements
- You must be employed/secure employment relevant to the early years and childcare sector (paid or voluntary) for a minimum of two days a week.
- You should hold a relevant childcare-related Level 3 vocational qualification.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English and Mathematics.
- This course involves working unsupervised with children and/or vulnerable young people and adults and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
- We'd love to have an informal chat with you about this course, either over the phone or in person. Please get in touch with the programme leader to arrange a mutually convenient time if you wish to meet in person. Our open days are a perfect time to visit and learn more. (While we reserve the right to interview you or ask you to undergo other forms of assessment to determine your suitability for study, it's not our usual practice for this course.)
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The University of Bolton's Foundation Degree in Early Years Childhood Studies offers you a strong foundation in the theories underpinning all fields of the early years sector, including play, care, health and education.
This qualification aims to develop your skills in communication, time management, teamwork, critical analysis, negotiation, problem-solving and dealing with difficult situations. We'll support you in building your skills as a reflective practitioner and leader in the work setting or advancing your existing career in the early years' sector.
What can I do with this qualification?
As a graduate of this course, you can undertake a variety of careers, including working in children's centres, nurseries and primary schools, and other early childhood care and education settings. Typical roles include nursery nurse, family support worker, learning mentor, and teaching assistant.
You may choose to specialise in a particular area, such as special educational needs, or progress to our BA (Hons) Early Years Childhood Studies (top-up) course.
Alternative career options
Foundation Degree graduates can also use this qualification to step into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possible careers include the following:
- Play therapy
- Counselling
- Child psychotherapy
- School liaison
- Sports and outdoor education
- Student welfare
- Nursing
- Educational psychology
- Speech and language therapy
- Community development
- Consultancy and research
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £6,000 for the academic year 2024/25.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
International Applicants
International applications are not possible for this course
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Partner Organisation Applicants
University of Bolton Group Partners
Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton
For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.
By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.
When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.
If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.
Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.
If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.
Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:
Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role
Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!
Teaching & Assessment
Each module begins with classes that introduce the course content. We then explore how to apply these concepts in workplace scenarios. In this way, we help you learn to apply your new knowledge in practice. Tutorials form part of each module, and you'll receive support for your independent work. In addition, the Practice Trainer will develop your professional practice through observations in the workplace, feedback and one-to-one discussions.
Various assessment methods are used throughout the course, including essays, presentations, case studies, activity plans, reflective accounts, and critical evaluations. During your final module, you'll undertake an independent study related to an area of your practice.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Creating Positive Learning Experiences for Children
- Study Skills and Personal Development Planning
- The Developing Child
- Facilitating Children's Learning
- Inclusive Practice
- Social Policy for Early Years
- Learning in the Digital Age
- Developing Reflective Practice
- Safeguarding Children
- Research Perspectives
- Independent Research Project
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 90% Practical exams 10% |
| Level 2 | Coursework 85% Practical exams 15% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 67% Placement/study abroad 8% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 25% |
| Level 2 | Guided independent study 77% Placement/study abroad 8% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 15% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
