/ Undergraduate /

Early Childhood Studies (BA)

BA (Single Honours)

Start date:

September 2024

You'll need:

112 UCAS points (or equivalent)

Foundation Year entry: 64 UCAS points (or equivalent)

UCAS Codes:

X310

If choosing Foundation Year: X110

Discover the holistic development of young children, the shaping of their future wellbeing and their learning outcomes. Get the specialist skills you need to tackle issues facing young children with teaching informed by the works of Friedrich Froebel.*

Did you know?

Achieve a level 6 in Graduate Practitioner Competencies by completing an assessed work placement in your final year.

This course was rated above 90% for satisfaction with teaching and learning by students in the last NSS.

This course is also available with a foundation year (September entry only)

Find out more about our Foundation Year

Foundation Scholarship available (home students enrolling on degrees with foundation years)

Modules

Year 1 Year 2 Placement Year Year 3 Foundation

This course offers all students the option of a one-year paid work placement, to boost your employability even further. If you choose this route, you will take the placement following year two of your course, and then return to complete your degree.

Why take a placement?

A placement year is the perfect opportunity to gain valuable work experience, to build on the career skills we will teach you on this degree. The connections you make on the placement will improve your career prospects further, and equip you with the skills you need to secure graduate-level employment.

How we support you

The University's Placement and Work Experience Team are experts at helping you to secure a placement. They will work closely with you from the start, helping you research potential employers, discover placement opportunities, create and pitch your CV, and will coach you to perform well in interviews. We aren't able to guarantee a placement, but our sector-leading advisors will give you the best possible chance of securing one.

Find out more about how we'll support you

We understand that your plans might change once you start your programme. If you decide not to do a placement, you will have the option of completing the three year version of your programme.

Whatever your choice, you will have access to many opportunities for work experience through our Placement and Work Experience Team, and access to face-to-face and 24/7 online careers support.

This course is offered as a degree with foundation year – a four-year programme which provides an additional foundation year at the beginning of the degree, that will give you academic and practical experience, as well as the skills you need to ensure you are equipped to successfully complete your chosen degree.

£2,000 Foundation Scholarships for all home students

Find out more about our degrees with a foundation year

Skills

Make a difference to young children's lives with a degree in Early Childhood Studies.

This course gives you the knowledge and skills to carve out a sustainable career in the education sector and working with young children.

On our BA Early Childhood Studies, our priority is ensuring that you graduate with a professional skillset. This incorporates;

Developing knowledge, skills, and confidence to act as an advocate for babies, young children, their families and communities.
Understanding policy and practice and learning to engage in critical inquiry and problem solving around key issues in the field.
Graduate Practitioner Competencies – You will have the opportunity to gain a level 6 certificate through undertaking an assessed placement.

Transferable skills

You’ll also develop the attributes you need to succeed in the workplace, including:

Written and spoken communication
Problem-solving
Teamwork
Attention to detail.

Your employability is our priority from day one. An optional paid work placement gives you the opportunity to gain professional experience, or study abroad between Years 2 and 3.

Learning

Experience a dynamic, contemporary curriculum working with leading experts.

Working in both small groups and individually, you’ll enjoy a mix of lectures and seminars as you work through progressive modules, including:

Babies and Toddlers: Investigate the period from conception through birth to three in the development of human growth
Froebelian Perspectives: Learn about the work of Friederich Froebel and his principles
Contemporary Issues: Analyse a range of current issues and debates in early childhood and education

In Year 3, you’ll have the chance to shape your own studies by conducting research on a self-selected topic. This enables you to explore and develop current knowledge in a chosen area of early childhood studies before you graduate.

Throughout the course, you’ll be supported by a dedicated and passionate team of lecturers and sector professionals.

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Facilities in the School of Education

Enjoy a personal and practical approach to your studies. You’ll work in exceptional learning facilities, including:

The world-class University of Roehampton Library, which is staffed by friendly and dedicated staff who are here to help you. As soon as you join us, you will be able to enjoy all the benefits of our state-of-the-art resources.
Access to the Froebel Archive, containing rare books, toys, and photos, collected over the past 200 years.

*Froebelian approach

Distinctive Froebelian approach:

Roehampton is internationally renowned for its work in early childhood studies. This course takes a distinctive Froebelian approach to the study of early years, grounded in the following principles:

A holistic view of babies, young children, their families and the communities they are part of, making links with past, present and future.
The centrality of play and (outdoor) environments for wellbeing and learning.
Inclusion and connectedness, and a commitment to social justice in the field of early childhood.
A commitment to recognising and responding to the individual experiences and understandings of children.
Continued development of understanding of professionalism and professional reflection and action, linking theory, research and practice.

Your tutors

Dr Penny Lawrence Dr Fengling Tang Sigrid Brogaard-Clausen Dr Evelyn Corrado Sue Smedley Megan Loveys

Dr Penny Lawrence

I'm Penny Lawrence and my main research interest is in agency and digital learning, particularly in non-verbal, multi-modal interactions and including the more-than-human. My background as a specialist documentary maker (BBC Producer in Broadcast Features and Documentaries) and as an early years teacher meet in expertise in observation, documentation and analysis of children’s learning experiences for research and for practice. I have worked extensively in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and with children and families in Pen Green in the UK.

Dr Fengling Tang

I'm Fengling and I am a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies. I am Programme Convenor for the Froebel Professional Certificate Course in Early Childhood, and my teaching covers the BA, MA and Froebel Certificate courses. My research interests include young children’s identities, children’s rights and participation, Froebelian perspectives, professionalism in early childhood, play and creativity, early childhood pedagogy and policy, technology with young children, and ethnographic research with young children.

Sigrid Brogaard-Clausen

I am a senior lecturer on the Early Childhood Studies programme. My Danish Education as a Social Pedagogue forms the platform for my work, influencing both my role as a lecturer/ tutor and my research with a particular interest in promoting democratic participation and wellbeing of young children and early childhood professionals.
My research and teaching focus on advocacy and professionalism is based on democratic principles and critical consideration of the context of curricula and professional education in England and abroad, with specific knowledge of the Danish context. A democratic and comparative angle has been the foundation for my research while exploring young children’s experiences of wellbeing, the identity formation of the professional, and professional and parental understandings of young children’s wellbeing, as well as comparative curricula policy studies.

Dr Evelyn Corrado

I'm Evelyn and i use multidiscplinary appraoch in my teaching and research. My study background is Psychology (MSc and BSc) and Sociology of Education. My Ph.D. research explored dialogic pedagogies in Kenya to enhance teaching and learning. I grew up in Kenya and have a tremendous social-cultural understanding of the African context, which informs my work. Previously, I worked in UK Mental Health Sector for almost ten years and later as an academic tutor at Middlesex University for four years (in the BA Education program).

Sue Smedley

I am Sue Smedley and I am Programme Leader for BA Early Childhood Studies. I am also Head of Academic Studies in Education, in the School of Education. I teach a variety of undergraduate courses in education and early childhood studies, including the dissertation module in early childhood studies students’ final year. My main interests are in early years and primary teachers’ professional identities and in the place of Froebelian principles. Prior to joining the university, I worked as a primary school teacher in South East London. My research interests are in these two main areas: the experiences of men who train to become primary school teachers; the opportunities to protect and extend Froebelian principles in practice.

Megan Loveys

I am a Lecturer in the School of Education. My PhD research explored the context of one special-mainstream partnership in Further Education. I am very interested in how we can create more collaborative partnerships in education that embody inclusion to better support all students and specifically, students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. My other research interests include transitions throughout education, the use of technology to enhance learning and wellbeing, and the relationship between children and young people's mental health and learning outcomes.

Assessment

Push yourself further with real-world assignments.

Throughout the course, you’ll experience a wide range of assessments that enhance your understanding and practical skills, while giving you a taste practices within the workplace. These include:

Online tests
Presentations
Essays
Practical assessments

You’ll leave Roehampton with an in-depth understanding of both the theory and the hands-on applications of working with young children, ready to take the next step.

Your modules

In School of Education, we prepare our students for enriching careers within the modern education system. We have a rich 183-year history and have been providing higher education to women for longer than any other university in the country.

In year 3, you will have the opportunity to complete a placement module and gain a level 6 Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competency:

Studying Young Children; Building Relationships. Placement.

Observing young children is a key element in developing an understanding of their growth, development, and learning. This module is designed to offer you the opportunity to develop confidence and strength in your knowledge of young children, through study within the university and observations in settings for young children.

At this level 4 module, you will need to undertake a minimum of 25 days mentored experience (Placement) in a relevant early years setting to gain your first-year experience to meet the requirement of the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies.

Career

Shape the future of the education sector.

Many graduates take on roles in the education sector including:

Education professional in primary and nursery care (teaching, administration or management)*
A special needs professional in schools, children centres and the community
A children’s charity undertaking policy and research, in community support, welfare or housing
An NGO or central or local government department

*This is an academic degree – further study may be needed to gain professional qualifications.

With our BA Early Childhood Studies degree, you can also continue to postgraduate study – researching topics including SEN, disability and inclusion and more. Or taking courses that prepare you for teaching professions.

If you’re ready to learn, we’ll help you gain the confidence and opportunities to achieve.

Our Careers team is on hand to help from the start of your studies until after you graduate. Under their guidance you’ll benefit from a wide range of support, including:

CV building
Interview preparation
Mentoring
Industry connections
Work experience
Volunteering opportunities
Job fairs
Introductions to future employers

How our careers service supports you

Our careers team is available to support you from the start of your studies until after you graduate. We will help you build your CV, prepare for interviews, and meet and learn from successful graduates working at the top of their careers. You’ll also have opportunities to work with our partners across London and beyond, and to attend a Roehampton jobs fair where you can find out about graduate opportunities and meet employers.

Open days

Get a real taste of our campus, community and what it’s like to study at Roehampton

Applying

UK Students International Students

Full-time UK undergraduate students apply through UCAS.

How to apply

Apply via UCAS

Entry requirements

Entry tariff

112 UCAS points (or equivalent)

Foundation Year entry: 64 UCAS points (or equivalent)

We welcome applications from students studying T Levels.

For all courses we also accept a wide range of other qualifications and experience. Contact us to find out more.

When we consider applications to study with us, we form a complete view of your achievements to date, and future potential, and can offer flexibility in entry requirements. Find out more about our Contextual Offer scheme.

Specific entry requirements

Career prospects are greatly enhanced by having GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4 or above on this course.

General entry requirements

UK students

Tuition fees and funding

September 2024 entry tuition fees

Year one fees

UK: £9,250
Placement year: £998

We offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries. See our 2024 financial support pages for UK students.

We also provide other ways to support the cost of living, including free buses and on-campus car parking, hardship support and some of the most affordable student accommodation and catering in London. Find out more about how we can support you.

International undergraduate students apply through our direct application system.

How to apply

Apply directly

Entry requirements