Early Childhood and Primary Education Studies BA (Hons)

Buckinghamshire New University

Have you always been fascinated by how children learn and experience childhood? Are you passionate about their emotional wellbeing, development and rights?

If so, our BA (Hons) Early Childhood and Primary Education Studies course could be for you. You’ll develop into a thoughtful and flexible practitioner, acting as an amazing advocate for young children. You’ll benefit from practical work placements, smaller classroom sizes and one on one support.

Why study this subject? How children learn and experience childhood has never been more important in education, together with a whole host of other areas including emotional wellbeing, safeguarding and the rights of the child.

Our Early Childhood and Primary Education Studies course could lead you into primary age teacher training via School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), Early Years Initial Teacher Training, or Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). You could also choose to progress into a leadership role in early years, social work, special needs, play therapy, special needs, charities and international development work.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University? By studying with us, you'll develop the deep insight and knowledge you need to become a valued and trusted support for the children and families you work with in your future career.

It’s important to us that we provide you with not only the academic theory but also the practical experience you’ll need to step into your future confidently.

Our lecturers are experts and have rich experiences to share that will make your learning come to life. They're all former practitioners themselves meaning they can tell you all about the realities of working with children in different settings. It also means that what you learn in the classroom will always be linked to real-life practice.

Our intimate student community and friendly teaching team on this course makes studying at BNU unique. You’ll always have someone there to talk to and share your experiences with.

Best of all, you’ll have the opportunity to meet and work with front-line professionals who will understand exactly what you’re going through. They can help prepare you to feel confident and resilient for whatever path you choose beyond graduation.

What will I study? This course is designed to prepare you to become a confident and impactful member of the Early Years and Primary workforce.

We'll work hard to develop your knowledge and understanding of how young children learn and develop in areas like play, school-based learning, emotional wellbeing, and importantly their place within family and society.

The mental health and wellbeing of children is a core theme within this course and is where we’ll cover the difficult but important topic of supporting them through loss and grief.

At BNU, your future career is always at the heart of everything we do. This programme will give you the opportunity to develop important employability and transferable skills, so you'll feel well prepared for the world of work.

How will I be taught and assessed? You’ll be taught through classroom learning, lectures, group discussions and seminars. These teaching formats will enable you to learn from your tutors and reflect on your experiences with your course mates. This sharing of experiences is seen as an important part of your development in this course to prepare you for becoming a reflective practitioner in your future career.

We assess your work in a number of different ways to reflect the different learning styles our students have. You’ll work on essays, literature reviews, reports and reflective assignments, and be given the opportunity to show your creative side through collages, storyboards and poster presentations.