Early Years Education and Care

Make a real difference to the lives of young children and their families. Understand the steps children take on their learning and developmental journey and learn how to support them along the way.

This new degree focuses on the holistic development of infants and young children - from conception to the age of eight - developing knowledge of professional practice within the early years. This programme enables progression to a career in the early years' sector through a variety of roles in education, health and social work. On completion, graduates could choose to undertake a PGCE or relevant teaching qualification.

This award is validated by The Open University.

About the course

The programme is designed for those who want to develop their career working with younger children, and gain skills and knowledge around early childhood. You'll learn how to support child development and education, preparing for a career working with young children in many sectors including education, health and the community.

Year 1 (Level 4) modules

-The Developing Child
-The Professional Practitioner
-Methods of Enquiry
-Safeguarding Children

Year 2 (Level 5) modules

-Play, Learning and the Early Years Curriculum
-Inclusive Practice
-Parents and Professional Relationships
-Children's Health and Wellbeing

Year 3 (Level 6) modules

-Management and Leadership in Early Years Settings
-Dissertation/Primary Research Project

The final-year dissertation/research project allows students to complete an independent body of research on a related topic of their choice. This requires students to demonstrate their ability to conduct original research, analyse data, and present their findings in a clear and concise manner. Students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme to a real-world early years issue.

Basford campus

From September 2025, the Education department will be based at the college's new Basford campus. This features state of the art teaching and learning facilities, with a cafe and library. This relocation enables close collaboration with our Supported Learning Faculty next door at The Gateway, providing even greater real-life learning experience. .

Assessments

A mixture of traditional and innovative assessment methods will be used, including individual and group presentations, discussions, report writing, case studies, presentations, research and project work, reflective journals and work-based projects.

Qualification awarded:

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Years Education and Care - awarded by The Open University.

Bursaries

We want our courses to be accessible to students from any background, so we’ve put together a cash support package in the form of non-repayable bursaries to provide financial help where it’s really needed. Details for 2025-26 will be advertised once approved by the university regulator – the Office for Students (OfS). Please check our website - www.nottinghamcollege.ac.uk - for more information.

Your career and progression

Graduates will be well-placed for careers in a wide range of educational settings in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Graduates will possess key transferable skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, critical analysis, negotiation, problem-solving, and the ability to deal with challenging situations.

This degree is an excellent springboard to roles such as teacher and teaching assistant, nursery practitioner and manager, learning mentor, special educational needs teacher, out-of-school worker, family support worker, social worker and youth worker. Some of these roles require postgraduate study or relevant experience.

Please note: this programme does not qualify you as a teacher. However, the qualification is an excellent route towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) via a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or other postgraduate study.