Childhood Studies

Students will have the opportunity to address the study skills needed to work within a programme that will combine academic challenge and demanding, yet achievable expectations of practical competence. They will carry out activities considering the nature of evidence including electronic sources of information. Students will learn to reflect on their own development through self study.  Students will be introduced to needs analysis / self audit procedures in order to be able to set targets and use action planning to work towards updating their own knowledge and competencies.

This module explores social and emotional development as the bedrock for children’s development. An historical overview of theory is provided from this perspective before focusing on theories and concepts with particular contemporary significance. These will include attachment theory, sociocultural theories, ecological systems theory and ideas concerning the importance of ‘mindset’.  Students will be helped to think about topics from the child’s perspective and to reflect on the adult role in promoting children’s social and emotional development. The module draws on tutors’ research and knowledge exchange on these topics. 

This module introduces the student to the idea that there are multiple perspectives for viewing childhood, and each different view leads to different emphases. Historical views of childhood will be explored, as will approaches used by different disciplines today.

Students will be helped to relate the standpoints of different disciplines to situations they may encounter in their future professional lives. They will begin to develop an understanding of how an awareness of different viewpoints may enrich understanding of the child and holistic child development.

Legislation on children’s rights will be covered. Contemporary ideas on the importance of children’s views will be discussed, along with methods of working with children to obtain their views. The importance of listening to the voice of the child and children’s agency will be considered.

This module will introduce students to understanding how physical growth and learning develops in children aged 0-11 years. It will look at the historical development of knowledge and theoretical perspectives in this field, outlining both behaviourist and cognitive approaches.

It will look at the processes of learning across the age range: playing and exploring; active learning; and creating and thinking critically. Emphasis will be laid on what the adult can do to promote learning and this will include the creation of enabling environments.

 Students will engage in a range of creative workshops to explore the use of open ended materials and a range of learning contexts to support creativity in teaching and creativity in learning within the indoor and outdoor environment. Students will explore teaching strategies and resources used within other Early Years approaches such as Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Steiner, Forest School. The processes of learning will be examined. With regard to play, particular emphasis will be laid on Vygotsky’s ideas of imaginative play leading development in the young child. The links between imaginative play and both Theory of Mind and symbolic development will be outlined. Students will be encouraged to consider how these ideas are relevant to Early Years and Primary school aged children. The legislative frameworks for different age groups will be contrasted and the ways in which these promote or constrain learning through play and exploration will be discussed.

Good health is vital to the lives of children. It enables them to lead enjoyable and fulfilling lives and underpins achievements in early years, at school and in adult life. This module enables students to develop an understanding of the different dimensions of health and allows students to explore a holistic account of children’s development both in body and mind. This module will look at why health is an important theme for children’s wellbeing. Students will consider the socio-economic factors influencing child wellbeing. Students will be able to develop a deeper understanding of one specific health issue whilst considering theoretical models and health promotion approaches. Students will critique a chosen resource used to address these issues within a children’s setting.  This module enables students to consider recent research and government initiatives to address current health issues and ways of working with children to support their development of healthy lifestyles.

This module explores a range of early years contexts and settings. Students will become familiar with the requirements of the statutory framework to ensure high quality provision and the importance of effective team work towards securing good outcomes for young children.  Theoretical perspectives and research will be explored to underpin knowledge, skills and understanding of curriculum provision and the identification of next steps in teaching and learning. Placement attendance will enable students to develop their understanding of the role of the adult in observation, planning, delivery and assessment in order to meet the holistic needs of all children.

This module introduces models of need (e.g. medical/social/ educational) and key current legislation on equalities and inclusion. It begins to explore the implications for work with children and families.

Official achievement data for children will be examined so that students can identify groups of children who are achieving less well, examine factors thought to be behind this and initiatives designed to help.

The concept of implicit bias will be critically explored and research on the impact of teacher expectations presented.

Controversial cases that have been in the news recently will serve to help students begin to appreciate the evolving nature of ideas on equality and some of the tensions that may be involved. 

This module aims to help students develop an understanding of the importance of building partnerships with parents and carers and families and of effective strategies for doing so. Research evidence for the impact of family involvement on outcomes for children will be examined.  The diversity of families will be central to the module. Issues of cultural differences and inclusion will be considered.

 Benefits and challenges of partnership working will be discussed together with ways to work with families who are hard to engage with.

This module builds upon the Level 4 module Social and Emotional Development and focuses on understanding the role of organisations including settings and schools in promoting children’s wellbeing and mental health. Statistics and reports that raise concerns about the mental health of children and young people will be reviewed. The concept of resilience will be examined and critically evaluated. Students will consider how the concept of resilience might help adults support children across a range of challenging life experiences and events, such as bereavement, having a parent in prison or the multiple moves and stress that might result from being in a military family. Children’s voices will feature strongly in the module. Students will also reflect on implications of the module for understanding and building their own resilience.

This module will look at current key early years, primary and inclusion policy initiatives and examine a range of influences on policy and strategy formation and the impact of policy on provision. Students will be helped to understand policy within social, historical, political and economic frameworks.  The focus will be principally on policy and strategies relating to the United Kingdom and England in particular, but wider perspectives will be addressed through international research and case studies to encourage students to begin to adopt a global stance.

This placement module will enable students to undertake a range of core practice skills within an early years setting. Students will work in partnership with practitioners to develop their understanding and skills in working with young children. Through a process of observation and hands-on learning opportunities students will develop their skills in observing, planning and assessing children’s learning. By observing practitioners, they will gain a deeper understanding of the role of the adult towards curriculum provision, in addition to supporting and extending children’s learning.

They will extend their knowledge and application of the overarching principles of current statutory guidance, the importance of working in partnership with parents and developing their skills towards becoming a professional practitioner. Through a series of directed tasks, reflections and observations, submitted as part of the placement portfolio, they will demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding of the effective early years practitioner.

This module aims to cover a variety of complex issues relating to the safeguarding of children.  Students will explore the concept of child protection and what constitutes abuse.  They will look at the importance of multi-disciplinary team working and the practitioners’ role and responsibilities within the safeguarding process. Students will also explore methods, techniques and processes relating to how to deal with safeguarding issues, including skills of listening to and communicating with children that practitioners need. 

A number of complex and challenging topics will be critically discussed encompassing children’s rights. Students will develop an understanding of emerging challenges – including on-line safety - looking at ways to help parents to keep their children safe as well as helping the children themselves.

This module will provide a comprehensive understanding of Special Educational Needs and additional needs encountered within mainstream and specialist provision. It will highlight the importance of the role of the adult working in partnership with parents and the wider multi-disciplinary team to support the needs of the child and their family. Students will explore a range of practical and IT based strategies to support learning and development. Theoretical perspectives and research will ensure that students have a thorough understanding of the legislative duties towards equity, diversity and inclusion in the production and maintenance of statutory documentation and provision.

• Play and creativity 15 credits
• Enabling environments 15 credits

This module aims to help students develop an understanding of the importance of building partnerships with parents and carers and families and of effective strategies for doing so. Research evidence for the impact of family involvement on outcomes for children will be examined.  The diversity of families will be central to the module. Issues of cultural differences and inclusion will be considered.

 Benefits and challenges of partnership working will be discussed together with ways to work with families who are hard to engage with.

This module builds upon the Level 4 module Social and Emotional Development and focuses on understanding the role of organisations including settings and schools in promoting children’s wellbeing and mental health. Statistics and reports that raise concerns about the mental health of children and young people will be reviewed. The concept of resilience will be examined and critically evaluated. Students will consider how the concept of resilience might help adults support children across a range of challenging life experiences and events, such as bereavement, having a parent in prison or the multiple moves and stress that might result from being in a military family. Children’s voices will feature strongly in the module. Students will also reflect on implications of the module for understanding and building their own resilience.

This module will look at current key early years, primary and inclusion policy initiatives and examine a range of influences on policy and strategy formation and the impact of policy on provision. Students will be helped to understand policy within social, historical, political and economic frameworks.  The focus will be principally on policy and strategies relating to the United Kingdom and England in particular, but wider perspectives will be addressed through international research and case studies to encourage students to begin to adopt a global stance.

This placement module will enable students to undertake a range of core practice skills within an early years setting. Students will work in partnership with practitioners to develop their understanding and skills in working with young children. Through a process of observation and hands-on learning opportunities students will develop their skills in observing, planning and assessing children’s learning. By observing practitioners, they will gain a deeper understanding of the role of the adult towards curriculum provision, in addition to supporting and extending children’s learning.

They will extend their knowledge and application of the overarching principles of current statutory guidance, the importance of working in partnership with parents and developing their skills towards becoming a professional practitioner. Through a series of directed tasks, reflections and observations, submitted as part of the placement portfolio, they will demonstrate their knowledge, skills and understanding of the effective early years practitioner.

This module aims to cover a variety of complex issues relating to the safeguarding of children.  Students will explore the concept of child protection and what constitutes abuse.  They will look at the importance of multi-disciplinary team working and the practitioners’ role and responsibilities within the safeguarding process. Students will also explore methods, techniques and processes relating to how to deal with safeguarding issues, including skills of listening to and communicating with children that practitioners need. 

A number of complex and challenging topics will be critically discussed encompassing children’s rights. Students will develop an understanding of emerging challenges – including on-line safety - looking at ways to help parents to keep their children safe as well as helping the children themselves.

This module will provide a comprehensive understanding of Special Educational Needs and additional needs encountered within mainstream and specialist provision. It will highlight the importance of the role of the adult working in partnership with parents and the wider multi-disciplinary team to support the needs of the child and their family. Students will explore a range of practical and IT based strategies to support learning and development. Theoretical perspectives and research will ensure that students have a thorough understanding of the legislative duties towards equity, diversity and inclusion in the production and maintenance of statutory documentation and provision.

• Play and creativity 15 credits
• Enabling environments 15 credits

This module will enable students to further develop and demonstrate their skills and understanding of the EYFS towards the observation, assessment, planning and delivery of high quality learning experiences for young children within an early year’s setting. Students will undertake a placement which enables them to  work in partnership with experienced practitioners undertaking a series of practice based activities that will enable the application and exploration of theory and research into everyday practice. Students will experience the importance of effective team working towards securing good outcomes for children, parents and the wider community. This module will draw upon learning from previously studied modules and will support the identification of topics for the student’s research project.

The final year research project takes the form of an original independent empirical investigation into an aspect of childhood. A critically informed understanding of the process of research is a vital part of an Honours degree. Students will explore examples of qualitative and quantitative approaches and consider the nature of empirical research. Reference will be made to the issues one needs to consider when research is conducted with children. It is structured to provide students who work with children and families with the skills to undertake small-scale research projects. The module will develop knowledge of independent research through a series of: practical workshops, seminars, formative feedback sessions.

Behaviour is an issue of perennial concern to many involved in working with children and families. This module helps students broaden and deepen their understanding of children’s social and emotional development and make the links between this body of knowledge and positive behaviour management. It is a capstone module that draws on, and further develops, some topics that students will have encountered earlier in their studies: now they are helped to apply this knowledge and understanding in promoting positive behaviour. The emphasis is on the conditions and adult behaviours that help children to flourish.  Based on self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), behaviour is viewed through a ‘relatedness’ lens, a ‘competence’ lens and an ‘autonomy’ lens. Each lens offers a possible way of interpreting challenging behaviour and of generating constructive ways of addressing it. Required reading will include key journal articles related to the ‘lenses’.

In establishing quality provision for children in the early years effective deployment of professionals working together as a team with a shared vision is essential. There have been several important developments to the early childhood workforce in recent years including the reconfiguration of services around the child and family. The significant goals set by previous and current Governments has led to the development and changing face of working in multi-professional teams in early childhood settings and schools. This module focuses on the nature of collaborative work in early childhood settings. It also draws and reflects on the processes of effective team building, the leadership and management of practitioners from diverse professions.

In part one, key thinkers relevant to early childhood education (ECE) – for example, Max Weber, key psychoanalytic thinkers Susan Isaacs, John Bowlby and Donald Winnicott, and Michel Foucault – are examined. These theorists provide ideas for illuminating current policy trajectories, including the contemporary English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), aiding the construction of cogent analyses, critiques and alternatives. The structure and content of the revised EYFS Guidance (2011) and up-to-date policy developments in England also explored. In the second half of the module, the work of important writer-practitioners in post-Enlightenment European ECE – Froebel, Steiner, Montessori and Malaguzzi are explored. Each has developed ideals and approaches that can be used to interrogate the revised EYFS Curriculum. Themes common to these four educators are explored with the aim of supporting the development of students’ applying their work to the contemporary English policy-making landscape.

• Children under three - development and practice - 15 credits
• Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education - 15 Credits
• Towards a Graduate Career - 15 Credits
• Childhood in a Changing World - 15 Credits

This module will enable students to further develop and demonstrate their skills and understanding of the EYFS towards the observation, assessment, planning and delivery of high quality learning experiences for young children within an early year’s setting. Students will undertake a placement which enables them to  work in partnership with experienced practitioners undertaking a series of practice based activities that will enable the application and exploration of theory and research into everyday practice. Students will experience the importance of effective team working towards securing good outcomes for children, parents and the wider community. This module will draw upon learning from previously studied modules and will support the identification of topics for the student’s research project.

The final year research project takes the form of an original independent empirical investigation into an aspect of childhood. A critically informed understanding of the process of research is a vital part of an Honours degree. Students will explore examples of qualitative and quantitative approaches and consider the nature of empirical research. Reference will be made to the issues one needs to consider when research is conducted with children. It is structured to provide students who work with children and families with the skills to undertake small-scale research projects. The module will develop knowledge of independent research through a series of: practical workshops, seminars, formative feedback sessions.

Behaviour is an issue of perennial concern to many involved in working with children and families. This module helps students broaden and deepen their understanding of children’s social and emotional development and make the links between this body of knowledge and positive behaviour management. It is a capstone module that draws on, and further develops, some topics that students will have encountered earlier in their studies: now they are helped to apply this knowledge and understanding in promoting positive behaviour. The emphasis is on the conditions and adult behaviours that help children to flourish.  Based on self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), behaviour is viewed through a ‘relatedness’ lens, a ‘competence’ lens and an ‘autonomy’ lens. Each lens offers a possible way of interpreting challenging behaviour and of generating constructive ways of addressing it. Required reading will include key journal articles related to the ‘lenses’.

In establishing quality provision for children in the early years effective deployment of professionals working together as a team with a shared vision is essential. There have been several important developments to the early childhood workforce in recent years including the reconfiguration of services around the child and family. The significant goals set by previous and current Governments has led to the development and changing face of working in multi-professional teams in early childhood settings and schools. This module focuses on the nature of collaborative work in early childhood settings. It also draws and reflects on the processes of effective team building, the leadership and management of practitioners from diverse professions.

In part one, key thinkers relevant to early childhood education (ECE) – for example, Max Weber, key psychoanalytic thinkers Susan Isaacs, John Bowlby and Donald Winnicott, and Michel Foucault – are examined. These theorists provide ideas for illuminating current policy trajectories, including the contemporary English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), aiding the construction of cogent analyses, critiques and alternatives. The structure and content of the revised EYFS Guidance (2011) and up-to-date policy developments in England also explored. In the second half of the module, the work of important writer-practitioners in post-Enlightenment European ECE – Froebel, Steiner, Montessori and Malaguzzi are explored. Each has developed ideals and approaches that can be used to interrogate the revised EYFS Curriculum. Themes common to these four educators are explored with the aim of supporting the development of students’ applying their work to the contemporary English policy-making landscape.

• Children under three - development and practice - 15 credits
• Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education - 15 Credits
• Towards a Graduate Career - 15 Credits
• Childhood in a Changing World - 15 Credits