Year 1 - Level 4
Level 4 modules have been developed to encourage knowledge, understanding and professional development in the core childhood study concepts. Students are supported to understand the meaning of childhood and to develop knowledge, professional understanding and competency around child development, learning, safeguarding, and reflective practice. Throughout the modules students are expected to develop key academic and professional development skills.
Modules
- Understanding the Child and Childhood: This module aims to explore the discipline of the Sociology of Childhood as a lens through which to explore childhood and different dimensions of children’s lives. You will examine the concept of childhood as a social construction to understand how childhood changes over time, place and space, and the role of children as active participants who both shape and are shaped by their social worlds.
- Understanding Child Development and Learning: This module aims to explore the integrated nature of young children’s development. It will consider how cultural and social contexts impact on children’s development and learning. This will enable students to develop an awareness and understanding of how children learn and develop including a knowledge of key theorists and how their concepts inform understanding of behaviour, play, language and transitions within the early years.
- Learning and Development in Practice (Part 1): This module aims to identify the domains which constitute children’s learning and development and to analyse the range of resources, methods, activities to successfully support these areas within early childhood practice. It will consider the curriculum frameworks, legislation, guidance and policies as they apply to practice and the role of the practitioner in supporting children, parents and other practitioners in an effective environment.
- Safeguarding Children: This module aims to explore and examine the safeguarding system, including its impact on and involvement of children and families with reference to relevant literature, research and legislation.
- Academic Skills for Practitioners: This module aims to explore the essential academic study skills to succeed as a student of Higher Education. It will develop the skills of being an independent learner and completing a personal development plan. The module will also guide students through their assignments, especially when completing an assignment type for the first time. It will help students to understand the role of feedback and feedforward as a means to evaluate and improve their own work and that of others. It will also consider the ethics of working with children in an academic context and the value of being critical and analytical in academic work.
- Reflecting on Practice: This module aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the role of reflection in early childhood practice. It supports the practitioner to explore personal beliefs and values and how this will impact on the learning and practice of themselves and others. It will consider professional development frameworks as a means to develop competence in their own role and to facilitate and reflect on the role of others.
Year 2 - Level 5
Level 5 modules have been developed to enable students to challenge their own practice, concepts and values around working within the children’s workforce. Students are supported to explore leadership, communication, play and research skills alongside further exploration of child development and learning.
Modules
- Leadership in Practice: This module aims to explore the nature of leadership in early childhood practice and considers the key issues of leadership, teamwork and management in the early years. You will critically evaluate leadership theories and current perspectives on the distinctive features of leadership within early childhood practice including equal opportunities and children’s rights.
- Communication for Leadership: This module aims to explore the centrality of effective communication skills for practitioners working with children in the early years, and to develop an effective knowledge and understanding of the unique features of communication processes, systems and structures essential for leadership in working with children, parents/carers, key people, and a range of multi-disciplinary professionals. You will investigate and evaluate the concepts, values, and principles of communication in relation to best practice in the early years, and develop an understanding of how to monitor and evaluate your personal communication for leadership, your own communication style and performance, in supporting and maintaining professional relationships with others.
- The Playing Child: This module aims to explore the role of play in children’s lives considering historical and contemporary concepts of play and the playing child. You will investigate the foundations and principles of play practice to enable you to identify appropriate strategies and interventions to support the needs and preferences of children, to create spaces and places for children’s play, and develop an understanding of the management of children’s ‘risky’ play.
- Exploring Research Skills: This module aims to examine the role of research in childhood practice, including an understanding of its importance to innovation and future practice.
- Leading Safe Practice: The aim of this module is to allow the practitioner to understand and competently lead in aspects of health and safety within early childhood practice.
- Learning and Development in Practice (part 2): This module aims to take the practitioner further into an exploration of learning and development. It will consider the role of planning, observation, assessment and recording in relation to a curricular framework and also the role children and families should take within this process. The module will consider the role of play as a means to support children’s learning and development, specifically in relation to number and language skills. Finally, it will critically analyse the role of the environment in relation to a child’s health and well-being and the implications for practice.
As a guide students will be expected to spend around 9hours per week studying the online materials and a further 9 hours relating the course materials to practice within a setting. In addition, students will be expected to engage in reading around the subject they are currently studying and writing assignments at certain times of the year.
The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the programme that will take the form of either core or option modules. Modules are designated as core or option in accordance with professional body requirements and internal academic framework review, so may be subject to change.
FdA Early Childhood Practice (Early Years Practitioner)
UCAS Code: G3B3
Entry Requirements
The academic requirements for the course are a Level 3 qualification in a related subject or 48 UCAS tariff points at GCE A-level or equivalent - this includes relevant Access to Higher Education courses- and 5 GCSE passes at grade C or above including Mathematics, English/Welsh first language.
Prospective students should be in current employment (paid or unpaid) of at least 14 hours per week (350 hours per year) within the children's workforce for the duration of the course.
If you don’t have the standard entry qualifications, it may be possible to take this course if you have relevant work experience and are able to demonstrate evidence of the necessary knowledge and skills in other ways such as a NVQ level 3 and Key Skills qualifications. Candidates without standard entry requirements may be invited to interview.
Before commencing the course all students are invited to a Digital Literacy training course.
Part-time applicants should apply using this form.
The assessment tasks, set over the duration of the programme, are designed to develop and build upon a wide range of personal and professional skills, whilst strongly reinforcing links between theory and practical application. The assessment methods chosen have been designed to reflect the changing role of the professional, their ongoing academic achievement, as well as embracing the need for evaluation and reflection throughout.
Students on an accredited programme will also be visited and observed within their setting twice per year. This will be one of the methods used to support the student to gain evidence for their professional portfolio.
A key element of assessment at both level 4 and level 5 is the Professional Portfolio. The professional portfolio is designed to allow students to evidence they are meeting the performance criteria associated with each of the assessed National Occupational Standards. They work in partnership with the Areas of Knowledge to show the student’s overall competency in the work-place. The portfolio is assessed in the majority of modules with the exception of Academic Skills for Practitioners at level 4 and Exploring Research Skills at level 5.
The portfolio is a repository of evidence collected in relation to practice competencies and its completion provides a valuable learning tool throughout the programme. The portfolio is clearly structured with specific practice competencies allocated to the module in which they will be assessed.
High quality feedback and feedforward is provided to students studying online to enhance their overall achievement. Students will be provided with written feedback and/or feedforward for each piece of work and have an opportunity to discuss this with their peers and tutors. Feedback is presented in a way that allows students to see how their academic work is progressing throughout the year and to easily view the comments of all tutors in a single Moodle space. This allows students and tutors to track progress and engage in additional support where needed.
Teaching and learning
The FdA Early Childhood Practice (Early Years Practitioner) will be delivered online using Glyndŵr’s virtual learning environment – Moodle. This is an easy to use self-contained website which enables students to access the course materials, tutors and other students across their programme. We actively encourage communication and have a thriving community of students online who share their experiences of working with children in a variety of roles. We use a wide range of tools for keeping in touch including, online conferencing, chat rooms (forums), e-mails, messaging and telephone/Skype.
All programmes are designed to offer flexibility to fit study around family and work commitments, however students work within a course structure to encourage motivation and completion. The materials for each session are covered over a set period to enable students to develop their own study patterns i.e. daytime, evenings, weekends. Each session will engage students through a variety of tools from reading to video, podcasts, screencasts and exploring the web. Students will also be engaged in discussion around the session topics using a variety of chat forums, blogs and/or online conferencing.
The programme team recognises that face to face contact with students is important for some students to feel a sense of belonging to the University. Therefore all students are invited to attend three, one day Saturday study days throughout the year where they will be engaged in workshops (linked to module content) and have a chance to meet other students and members of staff. These study days are non-compulsory and content covered during the day is recorded as a video and shared with students online.
Wrexham Glyndŵr University is committed to supporting our students to maximise their academic potential.
We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments. Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.
This is a highly topical area of study as current policy and legislation is leading to demand for experts within the children’s workforce. The aim of this foundation degree is to develop you further as a professional in your own chosen field. Many of our students undertaking the foundation degree have moved up the career ladder both through promotion and into advisory, senior roles.
The Careers & Zone at Wrexham Glyndŵr University is there to help you make decisions and plan the next steps towards a bright future. From finding work or further study to working out your interests, skills and aspirations, they can provide you with the expert information, advice and guidance you need.
You do not have to pay your tuition fees upfront.
Wrexham Glyndŵr University’s tuition fees for 2019/20 for a full-time undergraduate degree course are £9000.
The fees you pay and the support available will depend on a number of different factors. Full information can be found on our fees & finance pages. You will also find information about what your fees include in the FAQs section of those pages.
You can see the full programme specification here.
