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Early Years Care and Education at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

Course options

Course summary

Overview If you currently work with young children in an educational setting, have a level 3 qualification (such as a relevant Early Years NVQ), and you're looking to develop your career to university-level, this Foundation degree (FdA) in Early Years Care and Education will give you the professional recognition you need. You’ll work with early years professionals to gain skills and knowledge that’ll serve you in helping young children realise their potential through fun, excitement and play. You’ll be a student of the University of Portsmouth, so you’ll have access to all of our facilities and support. After the course, you'll be ready to take the next step in your career as an early years professional. You could also go on to do a Bachelor's degree such as our BA (Hons) Education Studies or use your Foundation degree to do training that leads to Qualified Teacher Status such as Early Years Teacher Training.

  • Build your expertise as an early years professional by exploring theories and contemporary issues within education, such as curriculum planning, safeguarding and cognitive and language development
  • Learn in supportive study groups, alongside other early years professionals from different backgrounds, and discover practical ways to put your new knowledge and skills to work
  • Be taught by expert staff with extensive experience, using dynamic and relevant teaching methods to help you get the most out of your studies
  • Study full-time at Isle of Wight College
  • Have the option to begin the course in year 2 if you already have sufficient experience or qualifications (assessed on an individual basis)
Endorsed by: The Foundation Degree in Early Years Care and Education has been validated by SEFDEY (Sector Endorsed Foundation Degrees in Early Years Professional Association) as meeting the criteria for Sector-Endorsement. Careers and opportunities This Early Years Care and Education Foundation degree (FdA) will enable you to progress in your existing career as an early years practitioner, opening up opportunities across the education sector that help shape children's younger formative years or to go on to further study, such as teacher training. What can you do with an early years care and education foundation degree? Once you graduate, you'll be ready to take on roles in areas such as:
  • teaching assistance
  • learning support assistance
  • nursery management
  • childcare development
You could also progress to a relevant Bachelor's top-up degree, such as BA (Hons) Education Studies (Top-Up). Following this top-up course, you could go on to do teacher training through PGCE, SCITT or Early Years Initial Teacher Training programmes.

Modules

Year 1 Core modules in this year include:

  • Curriculum Planning and Legislation (20 credits)
  • Inclusive Practice in the Early Years (20 credits)
  • Practice and Pedagogy (40 credits)
  • Safeguarding Children (20 credits)
  • Working with Families (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 2 Core modules in this year include:
  • Cognitive and Language Development (20 credits)
  • ICT - Early Years and Development (20 credits)
  • Practitioner Based Enquiry 1 (20 credits)
  • Practitioner Based Enquiry 2 (20 credits)
  • Social, Emotional and Mental Health Development (20 credits)
  • Use of Information in Decision Making (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Assessment method

You’ll be assessed through: case studies reflective reports essays presentations group work You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
X310
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
Isle of Wight College
Campus code:
W

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

This course is available to EU and International applicants who do not require a Student Route Visa

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

A minimum of one Level 3 qualification, for example a relevant Early Years NVQ. Applicants are to be working in either a voluntary or paid relevant educational setting for a minimum equivalence of one day a week. All applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

Additional entry requirements

Interview

All shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview in support of their application.


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
PTE Academic54An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
55%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
100%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £6165 Year 1
Northern Ireland £6165 Year 1
Scotland £6165 Year 1
Wales £6165 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation. For more information about fees, go to: https://www.port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Early Years Care and Education at University of Portsmouth - UCAS