Early Childhood Education and Care, BA Hons
Why choose Norland
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education and Care and Norland Diploma - 2023 entry (subject to validation)
Please note, this degree and diploma programme is for students enrolling from September 2023 and is subject to validation.
- Our world-famous training blends academic theory with practice to ensure you graduate fully qualified with extensive early years knowledge, practical skills and a wealth of hands-on experience.
- You’ll study two distinct and fully integrated qualifications that are unique to Norland: a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care and the prestigious Norland Diploma.
- Almost 50% of your time will be spent gaining practical experience on placement (1,216 hours) in a minimum of six different early years settings.
- In your fourth year, you will spend 12 months as a probationary nanny in paid full-time employment that we find for you in order to complete the Norland Diploma.
- You’ll receive employability focused training. We were recently named the top UK university for enhanced graduate outcomes (Whatuni, 2021) in recognition of our focus on graduate employment.
- As a fully qualified graduate, you’ll gain access to your own dedicated employment agency offering 100% guaranteed employability, lifelong careers support and training.
Course details
Duration
3 years full-time
Plus 1 year in full-time salaried employment as a Newly Qualified Nanny to complete the Norland Diploma
Tuition fees
£16,055 (2023/24) — UK students
£18,165 (2023/24) — International students
Start date
September 2023
Course level
Undergraduate
Qualifications
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education and Care (subject to validation) and Norland Diploma
UCAS institution code
N52
UCAS course code
X310
UCAS points
96
What will I study?
This course provides an unrivalled opportunity to develop your skills, knowledge and understanding of the early years.
Our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education and Care degree is a three-year full-time undergraduate degree course. Our lecturers have a passion for this subject area and considerable professional and academic experience in education and working with families. Their teaching draws on many disciplines including psychology, neuroscience, child health, philosophy, social sciences and education. Guest speakers are regularly invited to Norland to give you an opportunity to listen to experts already working in the field.
Running alongside the degree and for a fourth year following completion of the degree is the prestigious Norland diploma. This qualification will prepare you for all the practical aspects of the care and development of young children as well as critical professional and life skills.
The final module of the diploma is the Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) year, a 12-month probationary nanny post in paid full-time employment that we find for you and support you throughout.
How is the course structured?
Each of the three years is divided into three trimesters with your time split between campus-based training and placements. You will undertake at least six placements over the three years.
In the third and final year of the degree, you will also be required to complete a work-based project on an early years topic of your choice. During the summer trimester of the third year, we focus on teaching you skills which will be relevant to your future employment. Among others, this includes first aid training, baby massage, employment contract advice, interview techniques, driving in arduous conditions and security training delivered by former military intelligence officers.
There are a number of different assessment methods for the degree and diploma courses at Norland. These include essays, presentations, viva, portfolios, displays and a work-based project.
BA (Hons) Early Childhood Education and Care course map
| Year 1, Level 4 modules | Credits (CATS) | Trimester |
|---|---|---|
| 4201: The Developing Practitioner (Core) | 20 | 1 |
| 4202: Practice in the Early Years 1: The Setting (Core) | 30 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 4203: Keeping Children Safe: Safeguarding and Child Protection (Core) | 10 | 1 |
| 4204: Learning, Development and Pedagogical Theory (Core) | 20 | 2 |
| 4205: Principles of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (Core) | 10 | 2 |
| 4206: The Child’s Holistic Wellbeing (Core) | 20 | 2 |
| 4207: A Focus on Music, Drama and Theatre (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 4208: A Focus on Practical Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 4209: A Focus on Children’s Literature and Phonics (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 4210: A Focus on Nature Play (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
Students will choose one option in trimester 1 and one option in trimester 2.
| Year 2, Level 5 modules | Credits (CATS) | Trimester |
|---|---|---|
| 5201: Working Professionally with Parents and Carers (Core) | 20 | 1 |
| 5202: Practice in the Early Years 2: The Home (Core) | 30 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 5203: The Baby: Conception to One Year, Growth, Learning and Development (Core) | 20 | 2 |
| 5204: The Explorer and Inventor: Playful Pedagogical Philosophies in Early Childhood (Core) | 10 | 1 |
| 5205: Promoting Inclusion in Practice (Core) | 10 | 1 |
| 5206: Making Sense of Children’s Behaviour (Core) | 20 | 1 |
| 5207: A Focus on Supporting Schooling (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 5208: A Focus on Therapeutic Play (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 5209: A focus on Cultivating Creativity (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 5210: A Focus on Supporting Loss (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
Students will choose one option in trimester 1 and one option in trimester 2.
| Year 3, Level 6 modules | Credits (CATS) | Trimester |
|---|---|---|
| 6201: Developing Your Nanny Philosophy (Core) | 10 | 1 |
| 6202: Practice in the Early Years 3: Supporting Families through Leadership (Core) | 20 | 1, 2, 3 |
| 6203: Children’s Worlds Today (Core) | 20 | 1 |
| 6204: Work Based Project (Core) | 50 | 1, 2 |
| 6205: Promoting Health and Respecting Families (Core) | 10 | 2 |
| 6206: A Focus on Management and Leadership Skills in a Formal Household (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 6207: A Focus on Travelling with Children (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 6208: A Focus on Entrepreneurship for Nannies (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
| 6209: A Focus on Nanny Hacks: Making the Ordinary Extraordinary (Optional) | 5 | 1 or 2 |
Students will choose one option in trimester 1 and one option in trimester 2.
Programme aims
- Equip students with the necessary professional leadership, management and practical skills to work in a variety of early childhood contexts, with a specialism in home-based childcare.
- Facilitate the application of in-depth and current knowledge to allow students to work effectively, confidently and ethically in a child-centred way with babies, infants and children; drawing on the latest multidisciplinary research and contemporary practice.
- Instil in students a respect for and an appreciation of the importance of diversity, inclusion, society and culture in relation to the growth and development of babies, infants and children.
- Facilitate the application of theoretical knowledge to real-world experiences, providing high quality early childhood education and care for babies and young children and support for their families with an ethos of mutual respect and understanding, and the loving pedagogy.
- Support students to become reflective practitioners with a critical understanding of the diverse worlds of babies and young children, and an awareness of how early childhood experiences shape their lives.
- Support students to reflect critically on and develop their own education and childcare pedagogies, theory and leadership capacities, by engaging with debate and discourse with reference to multidisciplinary research, legislation, policy and international perspectives.
- Equip students with the skills to manage the wellbeing of both themselves and the babies and young children in their care, and the tools to support young children to co- and self-regulate across the many transitions which babies, children and their families experience.
- Equip students with an awareness of sustainability and ecological practices in early childhood and education contexts, both for themselves and the babies, young children and families with whom they work.
Programme learning outcomes
A1. Have good knowledge and critical understanding of child developmental theories and trajectories and the fundamental importance of play.
A2. Have the necessary knowledge and practical skills for leading and managing in a variety of early childhood education and care contexts, promoting sustainability and creating an innovative and entrepreneurial working environment.
A3. Understand the importance of co- and self-regulation in underpinning a child’s sense of themselves and the world, and how they act and interact within it.
B1. Have a critical understanding of the complexities of working with families, agencies and other professionals, and develop appropriate skills ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion.
B2. Be able to critically approach and carry out work-based research projects to inform their practice.
C1. Develop their own pedagogical approach and practice attuned to contextual factors and the voices of children, to work confidently and safely in a variety of early childhood education and care contexts.
C2. Gain deep and critical understanding of professional and research ethics and be able to apply them in early childhood education and care contexts.
D1. Have deep and critical understanding of observational and reflective practice and acquire the skills to apply them.
D2. Acquire general critical and transferable skills to be able to work in variety of roles in relevant sectors.
What is different about the new degree and diploma programme?
At Norland, we are continually reviewing and updating our curriculum in line with the latest evidence-based research and industry developments and practices. We do this to ensure that our training remains at the forefront of academic early childhood training and the highest practice standards demanded of an excellent Norland Nanny, as our fully qualified graduates are known.
We are excited to be offering this brand new degree and diploma programme for new students starting in September 2023, subject to validation. The new programme will lead to the award of a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care, which replaces our current BA (Hons) Early Years Development and Learning degree.
The new degree will still be fully integrated with our diploma and the successful completion of both degree and diploma will still lead to a professional career as a Norland Nanny. With a recognised early years degree behind them, many Norlanders also progress into other professions that involve working with children including teaching, nursing, consultancy and further studies.
The new programme is in its final stages of development and will shortly undergo a rigorous academic approval process, known as validation.
What does subject to validation mean?
All new higher education courses go through a rigorous academic approval stage before they are finalised as a programme of study – this process is known as validation. Validation ensures that a new programme is academically viable, that academic standards have been appropriately defined and that all students are offered the best opportunities to learn. ‘Subject to validation’ means that the programme is in the last stage of the validation process and is awaiting final approval by the validation panel, which includes external academic experts in the early years, and our Academic Board.
As an approved higher education provider, Norland adheres to strict regulations set by the Office for Students and the UK Quality Code for Higher Education so you can be assured that our new degree programme complies with the highest academic standards set for all UK higher education.
World-famous exceptional early years training
Comprehensive training and extensive learning opportunities
Benefit from comprehensive training, small class sizes and a range of learning techniques designed to help you succeed.
View teaching methodsA welcoming, close-knit and nurturing environment in Bath
You’ll experience exceptional teaching and support, small class sizes and a top university student experience.
View supportA wealth of placement experience in multiple settings
Experience the real world with hands-on placements with families and at hospitals, schools and nurseries.
View placements100% guaranteed employment opportunities
As a Norlander, you'll benefit from 100% guaranteed employment opportunities and lifelong support through the Norland Agency.
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