BA Single Honours Early Childhood Studies

Since the late 1990’s, Early Childhood has been identified as an area of special interest for successive governments who have identified this period of a child’s life as providing an opportunity to have a significant impact on their progress in education, care and general well-being as well as presenting the opportunity to tackle child poverty, social exclusion and safeguarding issues. In light of this Early Childhood has seen an unprecedented level of social policy reform and developments in the way in which practitioners engage with children. This module will therefore begin to explore the nature of these developments in terms of the underlying philosophies and political ideas which have helped to shape the Early Childhood context in the UK. It will also seek to locate this approach to engaging with children in Early Childhood in a broader international context in order to encourage students to begin to understand and locate their own position in terms of the underlying philosophical and political values. It will begin to locate the significance of public and private values in terms of services for children and families. This module will provide a foundation for future modules where students will be expected to consider their own position in respect of working with children and families in Early Childhood.

This module will develop students’ knowledge and understanding of babies and young children’s development, learning and care. The module will focus on physical, cognitive, brain, language, social and emotional aspects of development. Students will also consider the importance of holistic development and care with reference to the work of Bronfenbrenner. The students will explore a variety of theories of learning and development and consider the implications of these for educational practice and care in relation to the current Early Years Curriculum. Key theorists explored include: Piaget, Bronfenbrenner, Bruner, Vygotsky, Skinner, Chomsky and Wood among others. We will also investigate individual factors that impact on child development such as culture, health, transition, attachment and environmental factors. It will consider the idea of learning as a social process. The role of the Early Years practitioner will be discussed in relation to observing, supporting and caring for the developing child.

This module supports the transition to study in a Higher Education environment. Generic key transferable skills, such as communication, information technology, problem solving, working with others and improving one’s own learning, will be assessed and developed. Links will also be made to other modules being studied in semester one, namely, Child Development and Constructs of Childhood in order to provide an early childhood context to the module. The nature and demand of becoming a successful university student will be analysed with reference to the role played by directed and self-directed study on a university course, with care of self being emphasised, using seminal theory to support individual perspectives. Students will audit their own skills, identify aspects that need improving and devise plans for self-development in those areas.

This module will encourage students to explore and celebrate the diversity of children and families encountered within society. It will consider the role of policy within parent partnership and its influence on wider family life in the UK. Students will be encouraged to consider different types of family structures, their needs and lived experiences. This module will allow students to become familiar with identifying risk and protective factors when working with a family, especially through times of typical key transitions. Students will reflect on the role of the early years’ practitioner in supporting the children and families they connect with in their professional practice and their role in implementing strategies for support.

This module provides an introduction to thinking about play. Play is a contested concept for which there is no one agreed definition. Many theorists are able to discuss what some of the features of play are or are not. In this module we will look to consider what constitutes play and why it is key to early learning. We will investigate what constitutes a play environment and how it can be used as a vehicle for learning, curriculum and assessment. It will provide an introduction to some of the key theorists and pioneers and their influence and the role of the adult will be explored in play in terms of fostering caring and supportive relationships, planning, facilitating and assessing. Students will also undertake a setting visit to explore how play supports children’s learning in practice.

Childhood is defined largely through the attitudes, beliefs and values of particular societies at particular times. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, this module will promote an understanding of how childhood has changed or is different and continues to be socially constructed. This leads to a number of contested discourses for example: Romantic, Puritan, Utilitarian and Developmental which continue to influence policy and practice in the Early Childhood context. This module will also make reference to students’ own experiences of childhood and will explore how this, alongside other constructs, are influenced and represented through a variety of means such as media imagery, children’s literature and artefacts from a range of sources. Students will be encouraged to consider the potential implications for their practice in Early Childhood in respect of dominant discourses around childhood for example the emphasis on children’s ‘care and protection’ in the dominant romantic discourse.

The issue of safeguarding children has come into sharp focus as a result of high profile public inquiries detailing significant failings and as such recent governments have sought to reassure the public that they have the capacity to address these issues. As a consequence, policy reforms have broadened the responsibility for safeguarding children in terms of both prevention and protection to incorporate the whole children’s workforce with an emphasis on the importance of collaborative working. There have also been on-going debates in respect of the role of state intervention and the privacy of the family. This module focuses on the care of children and protecting them from harm and the responsibilities of Early Childhood practitioners in safeguarding children’s welfare. It aims to explore some of the complex issues involved in safeguarding children and the interventions designed to drive this agenda. It will provide students with an exploration of the historical and political context that has served to shape current policy and practice. Specific attention will be given to exploring the social and cultural notions of neglect and abuse, and the impact that abuse can have on the lives of children and their families. Key child abuse inquiries will be examined to analyse common themes and issues in respect of the failure of child protection systems, policies and practices to safeguard children and young people. Students will explore current policy and legislation and its implications for practice for all those working with the children and their families. A clearer understanding will be gained of the different roles and responsibilities of those working in the area of safeguarding children.

This double module provides students with an opportunity to explore the concept of quality practice with the content being framed around the standards for the Early Years Educator (NCTL, 2023) and the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (DfE, 2023). The module also requires students to work alongside professional practitioners in Early Years settings/schools/organisations to further develop their knowledge, skills and competence of working in practice with children, families and other professionals. Students will be required to identify and attend an appropriate setting/school/organisation locally, agreed in negotiation with the student, the tutor and the setting, in order to experience, participate in and develop competence in a range of tasks associated with education and care in an Early Years setting/school/organisation. Alongside the practical experience, students also attend taught sessions around aspects of Quality Practice in Early Childhood Education and Care. Settings are provided with information in the form of an Employer Handbook which provides information on all aspects of the Placement including the aims of the placement, the role of the setting in supporting the students, information as to what students need to undertake whilst on placement and contact details of tutors. Students also have access to a handbook which includes information as to the purpose of placement, their role in terms of professional conduct and an overview of the taught sessions and the assessment.

This module will enable students to explore research in education in the context of social, political economic and historical influences. The module begins with an exploration of current and past research in education to help students understand the difference between different methodological approaches and their broad philosophical and ideological standpoints, and where social science research is now positioned. Students will also be introduced to the knowledge and understanding necessary for the design of a presentation of a research plan, demonstrating awareness of differing approaches to methodology, the importance of literature review, research planning and research governance including ethical processes. Students will be introduced to a range of research methods including understanding of data and information collection techniques of observation, interviews, focus groups, survey design and use of secondary data.

Children, parents and educators have the right to good quality care and education which is free from any form of overt and covert, individual and structural discrimination on the grounds of their protected characteristics (Equality Act, 2010) multilingual skills. This module recognises the importance of Early Years education in building a strong foundation that fosters positive awareness of diversity which can then be built on throughout the rest of the education system. A range of key policy and legislation will be drawn on whilst exploring critical theoretical perspectives around children’s rights (UNCRC) and to challenge dominate thinking of key principles such as dignity, fairness, equality, respect, power and autonomy drawing upon critical theory, feminism, critical race theory, queer theory, intersectionality.

This module will further examine the tools and strategies that support the inclusion and care of children within practice and society who have a wide range of disabilities or further needs. This will be explored through the context of research, policy and legislation. Implications for the Early Years Practitioner working with children, families and multi-agency teams will be critically examined.

This module will support students to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of supporting individual children’s learning, health and wellbeing. There will be a health focus, where students will explore an historical overview of the NHS and Child Health policy in the UK. Students will critique and debate theoretical and ethical issues of topics such as mental health, healthy eating and health promotion. It will also explore a variety of learning theories, including learning as a social process, and the policy requirements of the Early Years Curriculum. They will then explore a variety of strategies to support and care for children with specific health or learning issues. The role of the adult will be a key element within this module in terms of reflecting on strategies used by practitioners in practice. It will also consider the interplay between care and learning. Students will have the opportunity evaluate a specific intervention used in practice to support children’s learning and development.