Education Studies and Early Childhood (with Foundation Year) BA (Hons)

The University of Winchester

• Education Studies and Early Childhood achieved 93% overall satisfaction as rated by final-year undergraduate students in the 2019 National Student Survey
• Acquire a deep understanding of why early years education is so important
• Enjoy the freedom to follow up your own interests with a wide range of optional modules
• Voluntary work in your second year counts towards academic credit
• Focus on your employment prospects, whether you are looking to pursue a teaching career or other support roles in schools and early years settings
• Benefit from a dedicated and supportive programme team

Research shows that early childhood education plays a critical role in cognitive development and later life. The Education Studies (Early Childhood) degree is perfect if you want to analyse in-depth why those early learning processes are so vital.

Although some of the philosophical and pedagogical theories you study are the same as on the BA Education Studies degree at Winchester, the focus is always on how to apply them to the early years. Alongside core modules, you learn about how other factors influence early childhood learning, including race, gender, power, technology, culture, ecology and inclusion.

One factor that makes this such a fascinating area for study is the intense political disagreement about all aspects of early education. On our course, you assess a range of political ideas about family life and caring for the young that have had far-reaching effects on schooling and wider society.

A Foundation Year is the perfect way to boost your academic skills, build your confidence and develop your wider subject knowledge so you can succeed at Winchester. This course offers an extra year of study at the start (Year 0) which leads onto a full degree programme (Years 1, 2 and 3).

A Foundation Year is ideal if you are returning to education after a break; haven’t quite achieved the entry qualifications required; are wanting more support during the transition to studying at university; or are unsure about which subject you wish to pursue.

In Year 0, you will study a set of modules from across the Faculty of Education which are designed to develop your academic and practical skills. This broader focus in your first year introduces you to studying at university level and provides you with a better understanding of Education Studies and Early Childhood and related subjects.

In Year 1, you learn to familiarise yourself with the important names and terms in educational theory and you are encouraged to reflect on how your own educational experiences have influenced you.

In Years 2 and 3, you learn more about the impact of different social, political and cultural perspectives on early childhood learning. The course gives you a lot of flexibility to follow your interests. In Year 2, you can choose from a range of optional modules as diverse as What is a Child?, Play, or Progressive Education. In this second year, you can also choose to do volunteering for academic credit.

In Year 3, you write your dissertation on a topic of your choice – examples of 2017 dissertations include the role of the parent in the nature/nurture debate, the impact of life scripts in early childhood, and the relation between physical education and academic performance. You also pursue optional modules which may include the Loss of Childhood, Early Childhood in a Changing World, or Film in Education. By the end of the programme, you graduate as a well-rounded, critical thinker in early childhood theory.