School of Education

FD (Arts) Early Years Services

Award
FD (Arts)
Start date(s)
16 September 2024
UCAS Code
Course specifications
Course length
Part-time (3 years)
Campus location
The Bournemouth and Poole College,Sandwell College,City of Wolverhampton College,Telford College,London Early Years Foundation
School
School of Education
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

The Foundation Degree in Early Years Services is designed to help you to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in your studies with the University of Wolverhampton at degree level. The Foundation Degree in Early Years Services is part-time and designed for professionals currently working within early year’s workforce but who lack a qualification at degree level. The course is delivered by our partners at City of Wolverhampton College, Bournemouth and Poole College, London Early Years Foundation, Sandwell College and Telford College. As a student on this course, you will develop the skills and knowledge required to work with children from conception to eight years, their families and the services that support them. 

The Foundation Degree in Early Years Services is designed to help you to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in your studies with the University of Wolverhampton at degree level. The Foundation Degree in Early Years Services is part-time and designed for professionals currently working within early year’s workforce but who lack a qualification at degree level. The course is delivered by our partners at City of Wolverhampton College, Bournemouth and Poole College, London Early Years Foundation, Sandwell College and Telford College. As a student on this course, you will develop the skills and knowledge required to work with children from conception to eight years, their families and the services that support them. 

to working with babies and young children.  You will also develop the skills of critical reflection and appraisal which will enable you to understand and analyse ethical principles, health and wellbeing, child protection and safeguarding, health and wellbeing, multi-agency working and how children learn and communicate.

This degree sits within an exciting range of Childhood and Family Studies courses we offer within the School of Education.

 Sector Endorsed Foundation Degrees in Early Years Professional Association Logo

What happens on the course?

Throughout the course there is an emphasis on developing your personal and professional attributes.

At level 4 you will have opportunities to develop your knowledge and skills of early years theory and practice. 

At level 5 you will begin to develop your critical capabilities through the selection,analysis and combining of relevant perspectives and be able to justify different positions on matters relating to early childhood studies.  Modules in the second year (level 5) focus on the following topics:

At the University of Wolverhampton there are a range of teaching and learning activities to help you achieve successfully on your course. Your sessions will have formative learning opportunities and formative feedback from your tutors which will help you prepare for your final marked assessment (summative assessment). You will also be provided with feed forward written and/or oral feedback on your summative assessments that will help you develop your academic skills as you progress through your course.

All your modules will offer opportunities for you to interact and relate your learning to own practice through the application, exploration, critique, and analysis of theory.   In each of your modules you will be provided with a structure of scheduled learning and teaching activities (both on campus and online) combined with guided and independent learning, to enable you to fully engage to achieve specified learning outcomes. These include :

  • Active contribution to lectures, group activities, including critical debate and discussion in seminars
  • Additional online consolidation activities
  • Guided reading 
  • Asynchronous discussion forums
  • Non-timetabled one-to-one meetings with Module Leader / Module Team
  • Preparation for scheduled learning and teaching activities
  • Preparation/Completion of assessment tasks
  • Revision tasks
  • Non-synchronous webinars
  • Wider reading and research activity

We recognise that you will have a unique learning journey and we will maximise your potential through optional assessment choices such as presentations, written assessments, reflective journals, work related research, reports, and written plans. These variety of assessment types are used to support and test your learning and progress and to help you develop employability skills that are valued beyond your University studies and into your working life.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Successful completion of this course could lead to Early Years Teacher Status, primary teaching, social work, health education, early year’s management, children’s information services, play services and community family support work. You have progression to the final stages of an Honours degree at the University, such as the BA (Hons) in Childhood Studies. You will also develop and consolidate a range of employability skills, including sharing information, working with and in groups, presenting information, digital literacy and critical thinking skills.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

A range of employability skills is built into this programme in order that you develop and refine attributes that will be beneficial to you in the workplace, such as sharing information with others, working in groups, literacy and oral skills, leadership, using critical thinking, and becoming a reflective practitioner. 

Successful completion of this course can lead to progression onto the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies at level 6. Upon gaining your BA (Hons) you may also choose to apply for Graduate Employment Based Early Years Teacher Training with the University of Wolverhampton or undertake a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Primary Education. You could also choose to apply for a Master’s Degree in Social Work or Education or undertake a Post Graduate teaching Certificate in Adult Education or Post Compulsory Education.

There are also a range of potential careers opportunities:

  • Early year’s management
  • Early years practitioner
  • Children’s information services
  • Community family support worker 
  • Early Year’s consultant
  • Health play specialist
  • Learning mentor
  • Play therapist
  • Voluntary organisations such as NCB, NSPCC, Barnardo’s

  • You will be able to develop your knowledge of, and reflect upon, a range of early years ideas and principles and consider the way in which those principles have developed importance in relation to developing high quality early years practice to meet the needs of children and families.
  • You will be able to apply ideas and principles to the expected pattern of children’s development from conception, play, pedagogical approaches, creative planning of learning opportunities, the curriculum, the learning environment, assessment and the application of those principles in an employment context
  • Act as an advocate for children, families and communities including promoting children’s welfare, safety needs, rights, diversity, equity and inclusion in the UK and globally.  
  • Develop your knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the early years and the ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems
  • Become a reflective practitioner when questioning key theories, principles and issues of early year’s policy and to propose solutions 
  • Develop your written and oral communication skills so you can communicate clearly for a range of purposes including the ability to reflect on your own value systems.

  • Become digitally literate

  • Develop employability qualities and transferable skills in terms of personal responsibility and decision-making to be able to assume significant responsibility within organisations.

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Part-time £4160 per year# 2022-23
Home Part-time £4110 per year# 2022-23
Home Part-time £4110 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4110 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4110 per year# 2024-25

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

# Undergraduate part-time fees for 50% rate of study

You must be employed or have experience for one/two years  of working with children and families, or in a long term voluntary placement

Hold a level three qualification (NVQ level three, NNEB diploma, BTEC National Diploma, Diploma in Child Care and Education)

Usually be over 21 years of age

We also offer the opportunity to accredit prior certificated learning at level 4 through our APL system

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

Order a prospectus

How We Compare

Find out how our course is rated on Discover Uni, the official website for comparing UK higher education courses

Part-time Course

School of Education

FD (Arts) Early Years Services

Award
FD (Arts)
Start date(s)
16 September 2024
UCAS Code
Course specifications
Course length
Part-time (3 years)
Campus location
London Early Years Foundation,Telford College,City of Wolverhampton College,Sandwell College,The Bournemouth and Poole College
School
School of Education
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

This foundation degree is designed to offer you appropriate education and training as a professional currently working within early years workforce but who lack a qualification at degree level.

Throughout the course there is an emphasis on the development of practical, personal and professional attributes. This includes qualities such as knowledge of early years policy and practice, challenging assumptions, responding to different views in an enterprising way and adopting collaborative ways of working with children, parents and other professionals.

The blended teaching and learning approach adopted by this Foundation degree enables you to become digitally literate, share knowledge, reflect on practice and develop professionals who are enterprising with their ideas.

What happens on the course?

In Year 1, your study will explore how children and young people develop. This focused programme will also examine child health and safety, play and leisure, diversity issues and what it means to be growing up in the twenty-first century.

During your second year you will look at families and communities in context. You will also examine curricula frameworks and explore theoretical approaches to learning. As a research skill you will learn how to study children and young people.

There is also opportunity to engage in practical work based investigations that lead to quality improvement strategies and engage purposefully with reflective thinking.

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Successful completion of this course could lead to Early Years Teacher Status, primary teaching, social work, health education, early year’s management, children’s information services, play services and community family support work. You have progression to the final stages of an Honours degree at the University, such as the BA (Hons) in Childhood Studies. You will also develop and consolidate a range of employability skills, including sharing information, working with and in groups, presenting information, digital literacy and critical thinking skills.

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

This Foundation degree is taught on a flexible basis and allows you to undertake your studies around your working commitments.

You will also benefit from excellent learning resources and a blended learning approach which has been exemplified as good practice by our external examiner.

All the members of the teaching team are active researchers of Early Years, Childhood and Family Studies.

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the importance and challenges of inter-agency working when leading practice to meet the needs of children and families, including health and wellbeing.

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the expected pattern of children’s development from birth, including pedagogical approaches, creative planning of learning opportunities, the curriculum, the learning environment, assessment and methods of researching these.

To demonstrate knowledge and understanding of issues in relation to rights, diversity, equity and inclusion in relation to working with children and families in a global context.

To be aware of, analyse and make critical judgements in terms of impact and ethicality about key concepts, theories, new principles and issues of policy in a systematic way and evaluate the inter-relationship between work-based learning and quality improvement.

To be able to reflect on your own value system and evaluate your personal strengths and weaknesses for future learning and apply this to your academic study and professional practice.

To undertake enterprising work-based investigation and problem-solving and be able to communicate clearly a wide range of theoretical positions to a range of audiences using appropriate media and digital literacy skills.

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Part-time £4110 per year# 2023-24
Home Part-time £4110 per year# 2024-25

The University is committed to a transparent fee structure, with no hidden costs, to help you make an informed decision. This includes information on what is included in the fee and how fees are calculated and reviewed

# Undergraduate part-time fees for 50% rate of study

You must be employed or have experience for one/two years  of working with children and families, or in a long term voluntary placement

Hold a level three qualification (NVQ level three, NNEB diploma, BTEC National Diploma, Diploma in Child Care and Education)

Usually be over 21 years of age

We also offer the opportunity to accredit prior certificated learning at level 4 through our APL system

Tuition Fees Loan (Home Fee Status):

Most students will be able to apply for a loans to pay for these subject to eligibility. To find out more information please refer to the government Student Finance website.

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as having Overseas Fee status. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Self-funding:

If you don’t want to take out a loan to pay your fees or if you aren’t eligible to receive a loan, you might want to take advantage of the University’s scheme to pay by instalments: See How to pay.

For more information please contact the Gateway.


Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

If your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund.

for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Bursaries and Scholarships:

In addition the University also offers a range of Bursaries and Scholarships packages

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

Order a prospectus

How We Compare

Find out how our course is rated on Discover Uni, the official website for comparing UK higher education courses

Part-time Course