Course in brief

The foundations for emotional, physical and intellectual development are built during the early years of infancy. The role adults have in supporting development are central in terms of the relationships we build with children and the environments we provide for them.

This course will give you an in-depth understanding of child development from birth to five – ideal if you want to gain a broad and flexible knowledge base.

You will explore a range of factors which impact on children’s development and learning, from a variety of theoretical perspectives, including education, sociology, psychology, health and social policy. You will also examine the roles of the family and wider institutions in supporting healthy development from infancy through to childhood.

A distinctive benefit of the course is the opportunity to spend time in early childhood settings, which allows you to explore potential career paths and build your CV. Your placement setting will depend on your career aspirations – previous students have completed placements in children’s centres, schools, playgroups, hospitals and clinics.

 

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code X310

Full-time 3 years

Book your open day place

Meet our students, see our accommodation and find out more about your course.

Applying for 2017

Places are available on this course for UK, other EU and international students.


Apply now with UCAS

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2017. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

A-level
BBC.

BTEC
DMM: individual assessment.

International Baccalaureate
28 points.

Access to HE Diploma
pass with 60 credits overall. Level 3 units in communication, numeracy and IT required. At least 45 credits at level 3.

GCSE (minimum grade 4 or grade C)
must include English language and maths.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country
 
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure 

Tutors and visiting speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds within early childhood fields will encourage and challenge your critical reflection and understanding through lectures and seminars. Self-directed independent study is also a large part of the course, and at other times you will learn in small groups and workshops. 

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. 

The practical element of the course is an opportunity to engage with observational study visits and go on placement within a range of settings, putting into practice what you have studied in the classroom.

education lecture

Year 1 

In the first year 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. You will also consider philosophical and theoretical perspectives around learning and childhood.

Modules

  • Learning in Higher Education
  • Perspectives on Learning and Development
  • Philosophy of Education and Early Childhood
  • Child Development: Physical, Social and Emotional Development
  • Families and Communities in Early Childhood Contexts
  • Policy and Legislation in Early Childhood Contexts
education library

Year 2 

In your second year you will focus again 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.

You will be introduced to research skills and guided in a small research project which is both manageable and ethical. You’ll also go on placement in your relevant area of interest.

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
children at nursery

Final year 

In your 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 revisit your learning to consider your journey whilst on the course and consider the range of transferrable skills you have acquired as well as your personal philosophy for each child. 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 Children's Learning and Development in Early Childhood
  • Reflection on Learning
  • Dissertation: Researching Early Childhood
secondary education

Placements

You will have the opportunity to put your education theory into practice during a placement. Placements are also an opportunity to critically evaluate your methods of supporting children’s learning and development.

Your placement setting will depend on your career aspirations and could include children’s centres, schools, playgroups, hospitals or clinics.

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 be supported by mentors and more experienced colleagues and they will help you to develop the skills and insights necessary to work capably and confidently with young children.

 

children at nursery

Facilities 

Curriculum Centre

Our specialist Curriculum Centre on the Falmer campus houses more than 25,000 teaching 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.

Primary education student in early years library

Careers and employability

The course will prepare you for a variety of careers and contexts in primary schools, children’s centres, healthcare, social work, the police and research.

You will gain a relevant qualification for the purpose of registration and regulation in an Early Years Setting. After graduation you will be eligible to apply for Early Years Initial Teacher Training or progress onto a PGCE.

Phoenix nursery children

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the 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- 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.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

i360 and ticket booth on the seafront  What to expect enriching experiences

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place


  

Maps

house Accommodation
campus University building

Falmer campus and Brighton and Sussex Medical School map

 

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the official university document for each course. They are updated each year, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

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Book your open day place

Meet our students, see our accommodation and find out more about your course.

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644
enquiries@brighton.ac.uk

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