• Undergraduate

Early Childhood Studies BA (Hons)

Overview

Overview

Why study at UWL? 
  • In the top 30% of universities nationwide - The Guardian University Guide 2024
  • University of the Year for Social Inclusion - Daily Mail University Guide 2024
  • Best university for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
  • Number 1 London university (non-specialist) - National Student Survey 2023**
Why study this course?

Our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree* will give you the knowledge and skills that you need to work in a range of roles in the early years sector, including early years settings, primary schools, family support, social work, charities and healthcare settings:

  • Successfully completing the course and placements will qualify you as a Level 3 early years practitioner, enhancing your appeal to employers. This recognition by the Department for Education is contingent on holding suitable literacy and numeracy qualifications.
  • you will be well prepared for further graduate study (essential if you wish to pursue a career in teaching). 
  • you will learn through interactive lectures and seminars, as well as a placement in which you will gain hands-on experience. 
  • we encourage you to further develop your experience of working with children through part-time or voluntary work, and our excellent Student Support services are here to help you secure these opportunities. 
  • a focus on understanding children’s language development and supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is a unique feature of our degree. 
  • another unique aspect of the degree is our focus on nutrition, health and wellbeing in the context of children and their environment, bringing attention to sustainability in the natural world.  This specialist knowledge will stand you in good stead with employers. 
  • you will also learn how to support young children’s learning and development, understand early childhood policy and what this means for your practice, and undertake a research project on a topic of your choice.

Additionally, you will gain valuable experience through placement opportunities whilst applying academic learning to practice. In the final year, you will have the opportunity to carry out independent research which can lead to published work.

A multi-disciplinary and experienced academic team who will support you throughout to reach your full potential and consider successful careers in education, health and social care.

This course is guided by current policy and legislation including the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (2012), Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). University of West London is a member of the Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN).

Early Childhood Studies

Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:

Study options:
We support flexible study by offering some of our courses part-time or via distance learning. To give you real world experience before you graduate, we also offer some courses with a placement or internship. All available options are listed here. Your choices may affect some details of your course, such as the duration and cost per year. Please re-check the details on this page if you change your selection.

Start date:

If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.

Why study Early Childhood Studies with us?

Why study Early Childhood Studies with us?

What our students say…

With engaging, supportive lecturers and modules that focus on vital aspects of studying education, this course helped me understand the importance of childhood development and the challenges educators face on a day to day basis. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to explore not just early years settings, but education in any sense.

Christopher Craig
Next
Benefits of this course include integrated work experience
statistic announcing this course has been ranked 23rd overall in the UK by the Guardian University Guide
Industry focused teaching
Lifelong careers support from the UWL Careers Service.
Course detail & modules

Course detail & modules

This rewarding course in early childhood studies is designed for future professionals working in a multicultural society.

You will examine ways to work with families and communities so that young children can thrive, as well as covering the basics of child development and assessment for children. Transferable skills and employability are strongly woven throughout the Early Years Education degree.

The course prepares you for a wide range of graduate careers including teaching and social work and has a strong focus on linking theory to practice. Current theories and issues that affect childhood education today are ongoing themes of the course.

From the start, you will look at issues of child development, the rights of children, inclusion and equality and learning in multicultural contexts. You will also develop essential research skills for professionals in education. These skills will help you not only to write your final-year dissertation but also in your future career.

You will complete an integral work experience module, during which you will see how the principles you are studying are applied in the real world. In addition, you will develop your skills in assessment and evaluation. Further modules will cover the effect of society on childhood, and Early Years literacies.

Finally, you will examine policy and leadership, along with special needs in childhood education. Your dissertation will be your opportunity to use your enhanced research skills to explore an area of interest in the field and produce an independent piece of work based on your research.

The University of West London is a member of the  Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN).

Compulsory modules

  • Understanding Education

    This module is designed to enable you to gain an understanding of how Education and Early years provision in the UK have developed since the 19th Century. 

    You will explore philosophical questions about the role of education and consider the aims/purpose of education. 

    You will be introduced to key concepts such as ‘marketisation’, ‘social mobility’ and ‘meritocracy’ and explore ways in which inequalities related to ‘race’, ‘class’, gender and ‘disability’ are reproduced within the education system.

  • The Philosophy of Inclusion

    Understanding inclusion and equality is integral to a successful study of education and professional practice. 

    This module looks at key ideas and debates in inclusion and equality, examining factors contributing to inequalities in educational outcomes, including the areas of social class, special educational needs and disability (SEND). 

    You will develop your understanding of barriers to equality in education and explore best practices in education settings through engaging with practically oriented research and evidence.

  • Facilitating learning: How children and young people learn

    This module will enable you to critically reflect upon your own education values and how these serve as a reference point for your own practice. 

    A sound knowledge and understanding of key learning theories and how they can be applied to practice in ‘real-world’ settings is essential for professionals working in education and this module will give you the foundation blocks on which to build a broader theoretical knowledge.

  • Understanding the Rights of Children in Early Education

    This module will introduce you to issues concerning young children’s rights both in the United Kingdom and from a global perspective. It will explore the rights of the child from the perspective of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and how this has impacted upon the rights of young children growing up in the 21st Century. This module sits alongside other modules, specifically developed for this course, that collectively meet the standard for the early years educator requirements as set out by the Department for Education.

  • Promoting the Development of Children and Young People

    Child development is multifaceted. This module will provide you with knowledge of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and language development, and you will learn how these domains of development are interrelated. You will also learn about key milestones from early childhood to the end of adolescence. 

    Crucially, you will develop an understanding of how to support children with different aspects of development and how to recognise when a child’s development is not as expected. 

    These are key skills for any education practitioner working with children and will stand you in good stead for the placement at Level 5 and beyond in the workplace.

  • Building Positive Learning Communities

    This module focuses on the experience of the classroom from both teacher and pupil perspectives. Drawing upon the more theoretical approach of the other L4 core modules, this module extends your thinking to specific examples of the impact of learning theory and educational policy in a real-world context. 

    An important part of this module will be your development of impactful learning practices not least because the classroom plays a key role in developing innovation and creativity, but also because it is key when fostering belonging and community.

Compulsory modules

  • Using play to support learning and development in the early years

    This module is designed to provide you with an understanding of how play can be used to support children's learning and development in the early years, with a specific focus on observation, assessment, and planning. It will also cover the use of statutory early years documents in planning for play-based learning experiences.

  • Communication, Language and Literacy in the Early Years

    This module will introduce you to the issues related to communication and literacy in the early years. You will explore different theoretical approaches to language and communication development and learn about the importance of listening to and communicating verbally and non-verbally with children. 

    You will consider the development of speech, auditory processing abilities and early reading and writing skills as well as demonstrate a deeper understanding of the skills required to support children with English as an additional language and/or with special education needs.

  • Children, Culture and Society

    The aim of this module is to develop your awareness of the social construction of childhood from past to contemporary understandings drawing on different conceptual frameworks and looking at different national and international social contexts. 

    You will examine the development of legislative framework and social policy in relation to children and their families. You will explore how current theories approach the concept of childhood in the context of late modernity (19th century and onwards), and consider it in relation to social problems and policy.

  • Research in Practice

    The aim of this module is to develop your knowledge and understanding of research methods in education. This module is intended to expose you to primary research and the conceptual frameworks in which knowledge is created. The knowledge and skills about research practice and processes you acquire in this module are intended to help you develop a research proposal for your final project and assist you in becoming a reflective professional.

  • Preparing for Professional Practice in Early Years Education

    This module aims to provide you with a secure understanding of the early years workforce including the statutory requirements, key policies, procedures, and practice. You will have the opportunity to gain essential practical experience, knowledge, and skills in delivering early years education and caregiving through the support of an early years placement setting. 

    This module aims to afford you the opportunity to examine and critically evaluate the relationship between educational concepts and theories, and their application in early years settings. You will apply, within an early years workplace setting, the theoretical knowledge and skills gained over the course of your studies.

  • Professional Practice in Early Years Education

    This module aims to provide you with a secure understanding of the early years workforce including the statutory requirements, key policies, procedures, and practice. You will have the opportunity to gain essential practical experience, knowledge, and skills in delivering early years education and caregiving through the support of an early years placement setting. 

    This module gives you the opportunity to examine and critically evaluate the relationship between educational concepts and theories, and their application in early years settings. You will apply, within an early years workplace setting, the theoretical knowledge and skills gained over the course of your studies.

  • Evidenced Based Practice

Compulsory modules

  • Policy and Practice for Early Childhood

    Early years education and care is guided by policy at local, national, and, increasingly, global levels. This module will help you to understand how and why policy is made, the impact upon practice and their role in policy as an educator, and the role that politics, ideology, society, and the economy play in early years policy.

  • Leadership to Support Children, Families and Practitioners

    Leadership has a significant impact upon the teaching and learning outcomes, and overall ethos and culture, in any educational setting. 

    In this module, you will begin by examining the difference between leadership and management, terms that are often used interchangeably yet have differing definitions. You will then explore different theories of leadership, before examining the impact that different leadership styles have upon teaching and learning in schools and how leadership differs in early years settings. 

    The module then introduces some of the challenges that leaders face, including managing conflict, leading through change and dealing with gender stereotypes in leadership. Finally, you will learn the theories and skills to help you become a reflective leader, to build an effective team, to support new leaders and to coach, mentor and supervise other practitioners.

  • Special Educational Needs and Disabilities - Inclusion in Practice

    This module is about examining perspectives and challenging our thinking around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The module will critically engage with both SEND theory and practice, so that you can inform it, challenge it, implement it and re-shape it.

    This module will provide the opportunity for you to examine and explore the personal, social, psycho-motor, and emotional needs of children with special needs.

  • Children, Food and Environment

    The module aims to address the importance of food and sustainability and nutrition within the early years setting with the aim to connect children, staff and families to more environmentally friendly habits and to nurture a sustainable food culture. This fits within the context of a programme that endeavours to work with families and communities to ensure young people thrive. 

    The module considers the sociocultural and environmental context of early education and the challenges in addressing the diverse needs to young people. It will consider current debates related to food, children and education such as food poverty, educational achievement, health behaviours and decision-making.

  • Dissertation in Childhood Studies

    This module builds on from Level 5 research methodology module and enables you to undertake an individual enquiry-based study related to a relevant topic of your choice within the area of Early Childhood Studies. This may be an empirically based investigation, a thematic literature review or a library-based piece of research.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

112 UCAS points required from level 3 qualifications

These can include:

  • A Levels at grade B, B and C, or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma with Distinction, Merit, Merit
  • Access to HE Diploma
  • T Levels

Mature applicants (aged 21+): If you do not hold the qualifications listed above but have relevant work experience, you are strongly encouraged to apply. Your application will be considered on an individual basis.

You also need GCSE English and Maths (grade 9 – 4 / A* - C) or Level 2 equivalents. If you do not meet this requirement, find out more about our free English and Maths courses.

Upon course completion, if you intend to apply for PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) to attain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you will need grade 4 (C) or above in GCSE Maths, English and a Science subject (for Primary), or approved equivalents.

Looking for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Foundation Year?

View Foundation Year course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
You will also need a satisfactory enhanced DBS and you will have to sign up to the online update system so that your details are regularly updated: Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
 
Level 4 (year 1) entry - To directly enter the first year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have Level 3 qualifications and/or relevant work experience.
 
Level 5 (year 2) entry - To directly enter the second year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 120 undergraduate credits at Level 4 or a CertHE in a related subject area.
 
Level 6 (year 3) entry - To directly enter the third year of this course you need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 240 undergraduate credits (at Levels 4 and 5), a DipHE, Foundation Degree or HND in a related subject area.

Looking for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Foundation Year?

View Foundation Year course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
6.0 IELTS or above

You need to meet our English language requirement - a minimum of IELTS 5.5 for each of the 4 individual components (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening). Visit our English language requirements page for information on other English language tests we accept. 

You also need academic qualifications at the same level as UK applicants. In some countries where teaching is in English, we may accept local qualifications. Check for local equivalents

We offer pre-sessional English language courses if you do not meet these requirements.

Find out more about our English Language courses.

Looking for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Foundation Year?

View Foundation Year course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
You will also need a satisfactory enhanced DBS and you will have to sign up to the online update system so that your details are regularly updated: Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
 
Level 4 (year 1) entry - To directly enter the first year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have Level 3 qualifications and/or relevant work experience.
 
Level 5 (year 2) entry - To directly enter the second year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 120 undergraduate credits at Level 4 or a CertHE in a related subject area.
 
Level 6 (year 3) entry - To directly enter the third year of this course you need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 240 undergraduate credits (at Levels 4 and 5), a DipHE, Foundation Degree or HND in a related subject area.

Looking for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies with Foundation Year?

View Foundation Year course
Whether you are changing career or don't have the exact subjects and grades required for this course, you might want to choose this course with a foundation year. This will give you an extra year's study to prepare you for the standard degree programme, where you can go on to graduate with a full Honours degree. Follow the link to see full details of the course with foundation year.
Fees & funding

Fees & funding

{{ formatCurrencyValue(currentVariantData.field_p_cv_uk_eu_main_fee.name) }} per year

The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

Funding your studies

You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.

We offer generous bursaries and scholarships to make sure your aspirations are your only limit. In recent years, hundreds of students have received our Full-time Undergraduate Student Bursary. 

View full details, including conditions and eligibility.

{{ formatCurrencyValue(currentVariantData.field_p_cv_int_main_fee.name) }} per year

The fee above is the cost per year of your course.

If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.

Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.

If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.

International students - funding your studies

We offer scholarships for international students including International Ambassador Scholarships. 

Further information about funding and financial support for international students is available from the UK Council for International Student Affairs.

 

Teaching staff

Teaching staff

Viktoria Magne

Dr Viktoria Magne

Viktoria Magne is an Associate Professor of Education Studies and Early Childhood at the University of West London. She started her teaching career as an ESOL teacher working mainly in higher education. Viktoria completed a PhD in Education from the Université de Sherbrooke.

Her main research interests are in the area of critical applied linguistics with a particular focus on sociolinguistic aspects of second language speech. Viktoria has also collaborated on projects related to second language acquisition, psycholinguistic and student assessment.

Viktoria has published articles in a number of journals including Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, TESOL Quarterly, Studies in Second Language Acquisition and Applied Psycholinguistics. Viktoria is a member of the London Second Language Acquisition Research Forum (L-SLARF) and the London TESOL Research Forum.

Viktoria Magne is an Associate Professor of Education Studies and Early Childhood at the University of West London. She started her teaching career as an ESOL teacher working mainly in higher education. Viktoria completed a PhD in Education from the Université de Sherbrooke.

Her main research interests are in the area of critical applied linguistics with a particular focus on sociolinguistic aspects of second language speech. Viktoria has also collaborated on projects related to second language acquisition, psycholinguistic and student assessment.

Viktoria has published articles in a number of journals including Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, TESOL Quarterly, Studies in Second Language Acquisition and Applied Psycholinguistics. Viktoria is a member of the London Second Language Acquisition Research Forum (L-SLARF) and the London TESOL Research Forum.

Study & career progression

Study & career progression

A female teacher looking over primary school students on tablets

An array of potential jobs and career fields await early childhood studies degree graduates, including:

  • teaching*
  • education planning or policy 
  • higher or further education 
  • nurseries and primary schools**
  • international kindergartens
  • early help or social care roles
  • youth or community education
  • charities or voluntary organisations
  • social mobility and social justice organisations
  • personal development
  • residential support.

*further post-graduate training, such as PGCE, is required

**further qualifications/certifications may be required

Additionally, you could choose to continue your studies, specialising in an area of interest or exploring something new. See our postgraduate courses.

How to apply

How to apply

Important notes for applicants

Disclaimer

*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.

**The National Student Survey 2022 and 2023 - Based on an average of all 27 questions. Excludes specialist institutions.

Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.

Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.

Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.

Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.