BA (Hons) Childhood and Education Studies…

Key Details

Available at:
Rhos-on-Sea
Study Mode:
Part-time, Full-time
Course Length:
Full-time: 1 year or part-time: 2 years. Also available on a modular basis.
Tuesday & Thursday, 4 - 9pm
UCAS Codes:
L510

BA (Hons) Childhood and Education Studies (Top-up)

Degrees (Higher Education)

Please contact us for further information about applying for this course.

Course Description

Are you currently working with or looking to work with children, and looking to develop your skills and knowledge? Could a degree in Childhood Studies help you to advance your career?

If you have already completed a Foundation Degree in Childhood and Learning Support Studies (or equivalent), this course allows you to progress onto Level 6 and gain a full honours degree.

The course is suitable for those who work or want to work with children in a wide range of roles. The programme is particularly suitable for those adults who are currently working or looking to work in an early years setting or at Key Stages 1, 2 or 3 in local schools.

Modules include:

Additional Learning Needs: Theories and Debates (20 credits)
Arts in Education (10 credits)
Children, Families and Communities (20 credits)
Critical Debates in Childhood (20 credits)
Employability and Practitioner Development (10 credits)
Final Year Research Project - Dissertation (40 credits)

Additional information

More detailed information on modules is to be found in the ‘Additional Campus/Course Information’ section.

Entry Criteria

Academic requirements:

The candidate will be asked to attend an interview to ensure both parties understand the commitment required, level of study and suitability for the programme.

Direct entry onto level 6 will be direct for those progressing students from the GLlM FdA Childhood and Education Studies to the GLlM BA (Hons) Childhood and Education Studies after successful attainment of 240 subject specific credits: 120 credits at HE level 4 and 120 credits at HE level 5 in the relevant subject area.

Where students take a break from their studies following completion of their Foundation Degree, applications for direct entry should be made via the Credit Transfer process.

Other entry onto level 6 will be considered on an individual basis in line with GLlM credit transfer policy, based on previous successful study of 120 credits per level in a compatible qualification (within the time frame outlined in the policy). Or by supporting their application with the submission of a portfolio for accreditation of prior learning (APL/APEL/RPEL), in accordance with GLlM regulations and policy.

Teacher Training Applications: Those intending to use the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies as a route into teaching will need to have, or will need to achieve, the relevant GCSE’s.

Language requirements:

Any degrees, diplomas or certificates eligible above should have been taught and assessed in Welsh/English
For overseas applicants, for entry onto Levels 5 or above: IELTS 6.0 or higher (with no sub-part less than 5.5).

If your qualifications do not meet the entry requirements listed above, we would still encourage you to apply for the course you're interested in, as many of our courses will consider learners based on their previous work and skills experience rather than their qualifications.

Delivery

The course is delivered through a blend of the following:

Lectures
Tutorials
Guest speakers
Group discussion
Independent research
Student centred learning
Virtual learning environment (MOODLE)

Timetable

This course provides a blended delivery format that typically involves alternating between online and on-campus sessions bi-weekly, with equal weightage given to both.

Full-time: 1 year, 2 late afternoons into evenings per week (typically 4.00 pm – 9.00 pm)
Part-time: 2 years, 1 late afternoon into evening per week (typically 4.00 pm – 9.00 pm)

Fees

Visit our course fees page for information on full and part-time degree course fees.

Financial Support

Visit our financial support page for information on the range of support available.

Additional costs

Additional costs may be associated with the following:

DBS requirement

More detailed information on other costs associated with your course and work placements/work experience (if applicable) will be outlined in the programme validation document and explained to you at your interview.

Start date

September

Contact:

For specific course enquiries, please contact:

Sarah Harris (Programme Leader): harris2s@gllm.ac.uk

Celine Rea (Administration): rea1c@gllm.ac.uk

For general enquiries about our degrees, please contact: degrees@gllm.ac.uk

Assessment

The course is assessed through a blend of the following:

Essays
Skills portfolio
Dissertation
Poster presentations
Individual oral presentations
Reflections
Case study analysis

Feedback

Where relevant, assessments will be marked and returned to students with constructive and developmental feedback. Effective feedback combines information which enables students to understand the strengths and limitations of their past performance, and information which enables them to recognise how future performance can be improved. Students will be provided with feedback in a timely manner and this feedback will justify how the grade has been awarded. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on the feedback given and identify their strengths, things they found challenging and areas for development that they will feed forward to their next assessment. Feedback will include linking evidence to assessment criteria to demonstrate how the student will have met the learning outcomes.

Progression

Completion of this course provides opportunities for career enhancement in a variety of childhood and learning support areas. You will be prepared for promotion, more responsibility in your current job or a change in career.

Teaching (primary, secondary and Further Education) - this programme does not lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) but may provide an opportunity for graduates to proceed to QTS via Postgraduate Certificate in Education or other QTS awarding route.

Campus Information Rhos-on-Sea

This course allows you to build upon your experience and qualifications within the area of Childhood Studies. This program, includes a dissertation on a specialised topic and leads to achieving an Honours degree.

It is anticipated that most students on the programme will be working in practice and the programme is structured and timetabled to allow ease of access for those working either FT or PT alongside personal and professional commitments.

This qualification puts the student in a unique position to gain both undergraduate level knowledge and understanding together with consolidating employability skills. This facilitates the student best meet the Welsh Government’s requirement for a graduate workforce and therefore enhances their level of employability. Completion of this course may also allow students to progress onto further professional or postgraduate study.

Unit Information

For every 10 credits, students should engage with around 100 notional hours of learning. This will be approximately 30% direct learning contact and 70% independent student learning.

The course consists of the following modules:

Level 6:

Comparative Studies of Early Childhood Care and Education (20 credits, compulsory)

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the rationale behind making international comparisons and the context that it provides for reflection on our own system, as well as the methods of making international comparisons and the analytical frameworks employed. It also covers practice and policy implementation in a variety of countries and how it compares with that in Wales and the rest of the UK. (Essay 60%, Controlled assessment 40%).

Dissertation (40 credits, compulsory)

This module prepares and supports students to undertake an extended piece of independent writing around a topic of their choice related to their area of professional practice supported by an experienced supervisor.

It will allow students to demonstrate depth and breadth of knowledge in a particular subject area of professional interest. The dissertation will be a mark of the student’s overall academic ability. Students can either engage in primary or secondary research and will be supervised and guided. (Dissertation 75%, Record keeping 5%, Poster presentation 20%).

Family and Professional Partnerships (10 credits, compulsory)

All practitioners working with children, young people and their families are expected to work jointly with other professionals both within and across disciplines. In Wales, there is a particular emphasis on joint and partnership working within strategies such as Flying Start and Families First and at the centre of Welsh Government strategies to tackle child-poverty. This module interprets joint working in children's services at a policy and strategic level. To include an appreciation of issues surrounding learning disability and mental health when working with the family and professional partnerships. (Case study 100%).

Inequality, Child Poverty and Social Exclusion (20 credits, compulsory)

This module provides students with knowledge of the debates about the definition, causation, incidence, and effects of child poverty and social exclusion in the UK, and supports students to analyse policy initiatives currently employed to address the problem. It will justify the explanations for, variations in, and the experience of, child poverty and the impact that it has on children’s life chances. (Essay 100%).

Employability and Practitioner Development (10 credits, compulsory)

This module synthesises skills from previous and current learning, and prepares the student for career development and postgraduate study. The module includes opportunities to enhance and consolidate the skills of critical reflection and evaluation through evidence-based approach to personal and professional development. Students will be supported to work independently towards identifying potential opportunities in the chosen job sector, and prepare a CV and related content, prior to participating in a mock interview.(Portfolio 100%)

Supporting Additional Learning Needs (20 credits, compulsory)

The Additional Learning Needs and Educational Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 introduces a wider concept of Additional Learning Needs (ALN) and moves to establish a more modern approach to Special Educational Needs. Building on students’ existing knowledge of typical development in childhood, this module seeks to establish knowledge of high incidence SEN/ALN conditions and explore the legislative underpinnings of, and research evidence for, common educational interventions, provisions and support. The implications for inclusion and the role of support staff are examined and students’ understanding is evidenced by application of a support strategy to a case study. (Case study 40%, Oral presentation 40%, Reflection 20%)

Career Opportunities