Early Childhood Education and Care BA(Hons)

Course structure 

We have a balanced approach to teaching and learning, employing a combination of theory and practical skills, which you will experience through seminars, workshops, placements, research, and independent study.

Learning and teaching approaches

The course will provide you with a challenging, inclusive and creative environment including:

• personal and group tutorial support
• group work, discussion and debate
• independent and enquiry based learning
• seminars, workshops and lectures
• Observational study visits

During the first and second year of study you will engage in a number of observational study visits. These are closely linked to modules and include the observation of children in appropriate settings.

Although education has a significant focus within the course, you will also explore multi-agency working and other early childhood contexts, according to your individual interests and career goals.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through Student View.

Year 1 

You will learn how babies and toddlers start to make sense of the world around them, along with key theories surrounding children’s physical, emotional and social health. You will consider the role of wider systems on a child’s development including family and community, and policy and legislation.

Modules

• Knowing and Learning in Higher Education

  This module will help you to make the most of your studies in higher education. You'll improve your self-confidence as a learner and develop your capacity to meet the academic requirements and expectations of the programme.

• How Children and Young People Learn

  This module explores major theoretical traditions and more contemporary ideas relating to learning and development, including the degree to which children and young people’s diverse cultural and social contexts have been considered. To understand the theory-practice relationship students will critically evaluate learning theories by demonstrating awareness of relevant academic debates, and apply chosen perspectives to examples of educational practice across diverse educational settings (early childhood, primary, secondary, and youth and community). 

• Philosophy of Education and Early Childhood

  In this module you will develop your understanding of key influential theorists in education and early childhood. You will be introduced to philosophical thinking, reading and writing and will be supported to consider ways in which different philosophies have influenced education and the development of early childhood education and care.

• Child Development: Physical, Social and Emotional Development

  This module is the first of three modules designed to support your understanding of child development within an ecological context. The focus of this module is physical, social and emotional development. The module will explore the role of early attachment relationships and the affect of this on learning, development, health and wellbeing. Perspectives from health, social care and education will be included.

• Families and Communities in Early Childhood Contexts

  In this module you will develop your understanding of ecological contexts and the ways in which working with families enhances children’s learning and development. The module will support your understanding of theory and research related to effective parent partnerships. You will also explore the factors affecting children’s outcomes, including poverty and issues of inequality.

• Policy and Legislation in Early Childhood Contexts

  This module will promote your knowledge and understanding of policy and legislation as it applies to early childhood education and care. You will develop an understanding the role policy and legislation has on curriculum development and safeguarding practices.

The Child Development, Physical, Social and Emotional Development module, and the Families and communities in Early Childhood Contexts include 12 hours of observational study visits to early years settings

Year 2 

You will focus on child development to consider the role of play and children’s developing communication, language and literacy. You will delve further into wider societal influences on children’s lives when you consider equalities and inclusion in early childhood and how policy and legislation influence and reflect children and families’ experiences.

Modules

• Child Development: Play for Learning and Development in Early Childhood*
• Research Methods
• Equalities and Inclusion in Early Childhood Contexts
• Child Development: Communication, Language and Literacy in Early Childhood
• Placement: Understanding Young Children and Young Children's Services*

*These modules include your five-week placement in an early year setting.

Final year 

You will draw on placement experiences to explore the complexities of multi-agency and interdisciplinary working as well as how childhood is interpreted across the globe. You will also consider the ways that different agencies approach the assessment of children’s learning and development needs.

You will also have the opportunity to research in depth the areas of early childhood that most interest you.

Modules

• Teamwork, Collaboration and Leadership
• International Perspectives on Childhood
• Assessing Learning and Development in Early Childhood
• Reflection on Learning
• Dissertation: Researching Early Childhood

Meet the team

Dr Lesleann Whiteman - course leader

"At the School of Education, University of Brighton, my goals for the early childhood degree course focuses on student engagement, customer service, and academic rigour, supported by diverse flexible and multidisciplinary teaching and learning experiences for students.

"I have worked for 31 years in early childhood development teacher education with diverse organisations in the United Kingdom, Asia, North America, and the Caribbean to ensure that Early Childhood Teacher Education Programmes use a holistic curriculum approach in training early childhood educators.

"My work speaks to that of designing professional development programmes for early childhood educators and developing parent education programmes with a strengths-based approach, in addition to advocating for relevant early childhood policies for the development of early childhood care and education."

Read Lesleann's full profile.

Other members of the team:

• Julie Canavan
• Eve Lumb
• Dr Jools Page
• Annie Richardson
• Dr Jodi Roffey-Barentsen
• Jacqueline Webb

Placements

In your second year you will spend 120 hours in practice over a five to ten week period in a setting of interest as part of the placement module.

Our teaching staff will ensure that you are well prepared for your placement and that you have all the support and guidance you need to make the most of the opportunity. You will also have a pre-placement briefing and attend a pre-placement preparation day

You will also keep a reflective journal for the duration of the placement as a focus for your reflections and engage in group forum discussions to enhance your work-based learning.

Facilities 

Curriculum Centre
Our specialist Curriculum Centre on the Falmer campus houses more than 30,000 specialist resources, spanning all the subjects in the national curriculum. The collection includes games, DVDs, CD-ROMs, pictures, charts, education packs and an extensive collection of children’s books.

Falmer library
The Falmer library houses an extensive array of literature and resources related to early childhood education and care.

Click the image to view a virtual tour of the curriculum centre.

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2023–24.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Local area

Maps

Support and wellbeing

Sport at Brighton