The Childhood Studies (Youthwork Pathway) Foundation Degree is designed for students working or volunteering with children and young people in youth work, informal education, and related services, including local authority and voluntary-sector youth services, community organisations, schools, outreach, and targeted support.
The programme combines academic study with practical, work-based learning to prepare students for professional youth work practice. Throughout the course, you will explore childhood, adolescence, and youth in contemporary social, cultural, and policy contexts. Students will gain a strong understanding of core youth work principles, ethics, and informal education approaches, including rights-based and participatory practice.
Key topics include safeguarding, inclusivity, SEND, youth engagement, advocacy, culture and identity, and social justice.
The programme emphasises applying theory to practice and practice to theory, developing reflective, ethical, and inclusive practitioners. Students also build essential skills in communication, collaboration, relationship-based practice, and critical reflection, alongside academic, digital, and information literacy. Graduates are equipped for careers in youth services, community organisations, schools, and outreach programmes, supporting children and young people in a range of contexts.
The course also provides a pathway to Level 6 study through the BA (Hons) Childhood Studies Top-Up, enabling further professional development and career progression.
Start Date
September 2026
Progression
On successful completion of the Foundation Degree, students may progress to BA (Hons) Childhood Studies (Top-Up), selecting the aligned pathway (including Youthwork).
The programme also supports progression within employment into roles with increased responsibility, subject to employer requirements and sector expectations.
Career Opportunities:
Youth Worker, Community Outreach Worker, Youth Engagement Officer, Equality Support Worker
To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:
The following entry points are available for this course:
Applicants are expected to be in relevant employment or structured volunteering (normally at least 12 hours per week) in a youth work / informal education / children and young people’s service context for the duration of the programme, to support work-related learning and assessment.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
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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.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Email:admissions@calderdale.ac.uk
Phone:01422 399316
Email:admissions@calderdale.ac.uk
Phone:01422 399316
Fax: 01422 399320
Francis Street
Halifax
HX1 3UZ
At University Centre Calderdale College
