BA (Hons) in Childhood Studies, Care and Education (Top up)

The BA (Hons) Childhood Studies, Care and Education is designed to support the continued development of learners’ personal attributes and qualities alongside the specialist knowledge and skills required to gain a senior role, enhancing practice within the wider childhood, education, and care sector. This programme focuses on advanced critical thinking, developing higher level skills in research and analysis. Reflective thinking is an essential element of the programme, with students exploring personal understanding of experiences, actions and processes and the impact on themselves, others, and the wider sector.

This course is available on both a full-time and a part-time basis and is taught in-person at our Yeovil College campus. The full-time course is studied over 1 academic year, and students are typically timetabled for either one day or two evenings per week. The part-time course is studied over 2 academic years, and students are typically timetabled for either half a day or one evening per week.

This course is designed to allow students who already hold a relevant Level 5 qualification, such as a FdA, to 'top-up' to BA (Hons) level. If you're looking at studying Childhood Studies, Care and Education at university level for the first time, you would need to look at studying another qualification first. At Yeovil College University Centre, we offer the FdA Childhood Studies, Care and Education course; successfully completing this would allow you to then apply to ‘top-up’ to a full BA (Hons) qualification.

It is strongly recommended that students studying this course are undertaking at least 15 hours per week of either paid or voluntary work in an Early Years, Education, or Family Support setting, working with children between 0-11 years. This will allow students the opportunity to successfully link the theories they are studying to their experiences in practice, as well as opening up opportunities for action research and observations of practice for the Research Project module.

BA (Hons) Degree in Childhood Studies, Care and Education, awarded by the University of Gloucestershire, and regulated by the Office for Students.

This course would prepare students well to work in a range of roles across early years and education. Previous students have progressed into a range of destinations upon completing this course; many have undertaken Primary PGCEs or other teaching qualifications to progress into careers in teaching. Alternatively, graduates can progress into a range of careers, including managerial and higher-level posts within the education and care professions.

Upon successful completion, students would also be eligible to apply for further study, for example a Master’s Degree in a related field.

You will study a range of units that will develop your specialist knowledge and skills. Modules currently offered include:

• Social and Cultural Concepts of Childhood (30 credits)
• Leadership and Change Management (30 credits)
• Qualitative Research Project (30 credits)
• Working in the Wider Community (30 credits)

Alongside developing a range of subject-specific skills, this course also gives you the opportunity to develop important transferable skills such as critical analysis, academic writing, time management, and communication.

Please be aware that modules studied may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, in response to student or stakeholder feedback, or as a result of regulatory body requirements. However, no significant changes to modules would be implemented without student consultation and feedback. Enrolled students can always find the most up-to-date information about their modules and who is teaching them in their course handbook.

The course is taught by well qualified lecturers who are dedicated to ensuring student success through effective curriculum delivery and high-quality pastoral support.?The team includes staff with relevant academic qualifications and sector expertise.

You are taught through a variety of teaching methods including lectures, visiting speakers and more practical activities.Learning will be achieved through a combination of class-based sessions, lectures, practical activities, and independent study.

A typical week for a full-time student has around 8 hours of contact time in taught sessions, plus additional 1:1 support available by student request. As with all higher education programmes, students are required to take ownership of their learning and development, and should therefore expect to spend time studying with independence outside of lectures. Time spent studying independently may include reading journal articles and relevant books, undertaking research, and completing assignments by set deadlines.

As a rough guide, between timetabled sessions and independent work a student should expect to spend around 10 hours studying for each credit they undertake. A full-time student will typically undertake 120 credits per academic year.

Part-time students should expect to spend a proportionately reduced amount of time in taught sessions and undertaking independent work, in line with their intensity of study.

Tuition Fees: Full information on tuition fees, including tuition fee lists, can be found on our Financial Support page. Please be aware that fee levels vary depending upon the year in which a student commences their studies. For more detailed information, see the YCUC HE Fees Policy, available in the Policies and Reports area of our website.

Additional Costs: There are no required additional costs for the programme. Whilst some students may choose to buy their own copies of certain key texts this isn't essential as relevant resources are available through the College's Learning Resources Centre.

An assessment schedule, outlining all assessments and deadlines, will be issued to you at the start of each academic year, and each module will have an assignment brief and module guide to support your summative assessment. You will be assessed using a range of methods which will reflect the requirements of the subject, including essays, reports, research projects, and presentations. Feedback will be provided to you in writing, along with information reflecting your performance and recommendations for improvement.

Entry Requirements: Typical entry requirements are 240 CATS points at Level 5 in a relevant field (for example, a Foundation Degree or HND in a relevant discipline). Grade 4 (C) or above in GCSE English is required. Grade 4 (C) or above in GCSE Maths (or equivalent) has advised students to consider holding GCSE Science (or equivalent) if they intend on pursuing a teaching career owing to current entry requirements for many teacher training programmes, however, applicants should always research entry requirements for future training or careers themselves.

Mature Applicants: We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over as of 1st September in the academic year of admission) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants. Mature students requesting contextual admission are required to provide details of their relevant prior work or study experience, and to also undertake a pre-entry admissions assessment to ensure there is suitable grounds to suggest they are academically ready to begin the programme and there is a reasonable expectation that they will succeed in their studies. Please email university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk to find out more.

International Applicants: International applicants will be required to evidence English language skills - this could be an IELTS score of 6.0, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component, a grade 4 in GCSE English (or equivalent), or having recently completed a Level 3 qualification taught and assessed in the English language. For more information, please get in touch via university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk or call 01935 845454.

Interviews: As part of the admissions process, applicants who meet the entry criteria for the course will be invited to attend an admissions interview with a member of staff from the course they are applying to. More information about the interview process can be found on the How to apply page.

Full-time: To apply for this course on a full-time basis, you will need to apply via UCAS (Campus name: Yeovil College University Centre; Institution code: Y25; Course code: 62X9). For more information on UCAS and how the application process works, see our How to apply page.

Part-time: To apply for this course on a part-time basis, you will need to submit an application form directly to the University Centre. You can find out more about this process and download a copy of the application form by visiting our How to apply page, or you can request a copy of the application form directly from the Yeovil College University Centre team via 01935 845454 or university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk.

If you have any questions, or want to know more about this course, please get in touch! You can contact us via email (university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk), phone (01935 845454), or you can fill out our Contact form.