Play Your Part in Developing the Learners of the Future

There’s something quite special about studying for your degree in early years and childhood studies at the University of Bolton. We’ve worked hard to create a friendly and supportive learning environment and this is something that you’ll spend time thinking about during your early years study. The educational space around early years and childhood study has changed dramatically in the last six decades and it’s an area that is still evolving. It’s an exciting and dynamic discipline that will help you to make a great difference to young lives.

As a university with a strong focus on creating a supportive and nurturing learning environment, our course ranks 1^st for students who are ‘Satisfied with Course’ in the North West* - it’s the perfect environment for developing your own skills in education.

Open Up the World of Early Years

As a qualified early years and childhood practitioner, you will be able to use your knowledge and education across many settings, from working as an early years or primary school teacher or teaching assistant to a more specialist role, such as a SENCO, healthy play specialist or family support worker. As well as roles that are based within one institution, there are also many opportunities to work across academy trusts or learning partnerships. You’ll be able to develop a healthy working knowledge of current educational management.

There are many opportunities beyond the school setting, with early years study an important step towards a career as a psychotherapist or educational psychologist.

Making a Difference with Childhood Studies

Understanding how children learn and develop within their most formative years can help to measure a child’s development. While this is critical to unlocking a child’s true potential, the impact can be more profound when it comes to levelling the playing field for children who may be at a disadvantage. While for some children, you might be observing them as they hit their key milestones, you’ll also be developing your understanding of what to do with children who don’t seem to be able to engage as openly with the world around them. Our early childhood studies will help you to assess and identify factors that might be impacting a child’s development, from physical and educational issues to psychological and sociological problems.

As part of your early years and childhood studies degree, you will be able to gain a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding and the legal parameters surrounding it. You’ll learn what steps to take, when and develop your knowledge around what measures you may need to take to support a child or put an intervention into place.

The Power of Play

One of the key areas of study is the importance of play in child development – through developing your understanding of play you will expand your experience of how play helps children to attain skills and knowledge, but that it is also core to how children develop emotionally.

Self-Development in a Nurturing Environment

Feeling comfortable and empowered to learn can make all the difference to progress. This is why we’re dedicated to creating a supportive and engaging community for you. You’ll be able to experience, first-hand, the difference that a friendly and inclusive community will make to your degree and see how powerful it can be in education. We’re Top10 in the UK for Teaching Quality** which helps you to better inform your own progress and development. We’ll help you to take your first steps in a rewarding career that will help make a real difference to children and families.   

Research our courses here.

*Guardian University Guide 2022

** The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021