Early Years: Teaching & Learning BA (Hons) top-up
- Education and teaching
- Undergraduate
Are you a professional working in Early Years looking to top-up your foundation degree and elevate your professional and theoretical knowledge of young children's learning and development? With this one year course, you can combine work-based learning with academic study to advance your practice.
This course is in Clearing.
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0800 0483 334
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Make a difference to your local community and the early years sector
Top up your foundation degree in Early Years (or equivalent) to gain a full BA (Hons) degree.
You might be a Childminder, Early Years Educator, Teaching Assistant or other professional who advocates for babies, children and families. With this Early Years: Teaching & Learning BA (Hons) top-up, you can advance your working practices and Early Years competencies by combining work-based learning with one twilight teaching session per week.
Teaching takes place at Kingston Hill campus, which features an outdoor learning environment where trainee teachers lead curriculum-linked natural sciences activities with children. It includes a specially built 'cubby-house', outdoor pond, beehive and nature trail, and offers Early Years students the opportunity to simulate teaching and learning with natural materials.
There are a number of teaching rooms set up to replicate actual classrooms. Each classroom is subject based – such as an art room and a science lab – and is equipped with all the relevant facilities you will need to practise your lessons before taking them into school.
Our library also has an excellent range of teaching resources to help you plan and teach your lessons. It includes a range of children's topic books, music and nursery rhymes on CD, as well as artefacts and kits that can be used to illustrate historical periods, different religions, science, mathematics and music.
Education and teaching at Kingston University
Our students are making big changes to small peoples' lives. Hear how you could develop the skills you need to play a pivotal role in the lives of children and young people.
Why choose this course
The Early Years: Teaching & Learning BA (Hons) top-up degree at Kingston is extremely valued by employers and will be a mark of your professional excellence and expertise.
The course has been developed to build upon your working practice through the examination of social, political and cultural aspects of early education. As part of this blended programme, you'll become an advocate for children and consider how creativity and play act as tools for children's learning.
You will position yourself as a leader of practice and learn how to make critical decisions that can transform practice. The course offers you an opportunity to explore multi-disciplinary working, deepen your knowledge and understanding of transitions that occur in childhood and examine current issues in early education.
Graduate Practitioner Competencies Pathway
The Graduate Practitioner Competencies (GPC) Pathway offers you the opportunity to be assessed in practice to demonstrate you meet the nine Graduate Practitioner Competencies required by the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN) as part of your Professional Practice in the Early Years module.
I have been challenged in the best ways, adding to the enriching experience.
Course content
The course covers the following areas:
- effective Early Years practice
- play-based pedagogies
- a range of transitional experiences
- current issues in education and multidisciplinary working
- inclusive practice and differentiated approaches
- creativity across the curriculum
- planning for critical issues
- research design and methodology
Modules
Core modules
International students: direct application
Are you an international student? Have you decided Kingston is the place for you? If so, you can apply for this course directly, rather than having to go through UCAS.
As a mature student, the specialised focus on Early Years Education within the BA top-up has been invaluable. It has allowed me to dive deep into the intricacies, so I can relate more with the children and their families I work with.
What career opportunities does this course offer?
Graduates from the Early Years: Teaching & Learning BA (Hons) top-up course can continue to postgraduate study and continuing professional development, including Qualified Teacher Status and/or a Master of Research (Education). Alternatively, they can take on many roles within the sector, such as:
- Early Years manager
- children's centre manager
- Early Years lead practitioner
- family outreach worker
- assessor/tutor
- play worker
- Early Years adviser
- Early Years group leader
- early youth educator
- higher level teaching assistant
Future Skills
Our Future Skills programme is embedded within all our undergraduate courses and throughout the whole Kingston experience. These skills will help you to become a future-proof graduate by equipping you with the skills most valued by employers, such as problem-solving, digital competency and adaptability.
As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills. You’ll also understand how to demonstrate and articulate to employers how these future skills give you the edge.
Teaching and assessment
Teaching includes a weekly taught twilight session, with occasional Saturday seminars. The sessions include lectures, work-based learning activities, tutorials, online learning, workshops and seminars. You will also be supported by a work-based professional advocate.
Fees and funding
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying this course at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
What our students and graduates say
Despite the challenges of juggling work, family life and studies, my degree has strengthened my determination as I continue to complete my Early Years PGCE and Masters. I am passionate and believe my continued study demonstrates my commitment to improving my practice and the lives of the young children and families I work with.
What are the facilities like?
When you join Kingston University, you will have access to a wide range of facilities and resources designed to support your studies. Use the virtual tour below to explore some of the facilities you will use as part of your course.
