This course is designed for those who are aspiring to a career working in a variety of Early Years settings. If you have a desire to inspire young children and have an impact on the future of the next generation, then this is the course for you. This course focuses on the educational, social and emotional development of children from birth to 8 years of age. You will gain an appreciation of how children think and learn and will identify the role of the adult in facilitating this learning through a range of strategies. Theoretical aspects of learning will be studied and you will gain an understanding of children's physical, intellectual, emotional, social and language development. A variety of learning and teaching techniques will be employed to enable you to develop your understanding of early years, including lectures, classroom-based seminars and input from visiting speakers. Classroom-based work will be supported by placement opportunities in a range of settings within the statutory, private and voluntary sector, allowing you to apply theoretical principles to real-life situations.

Early Childhood is a growing sector and the skills learned on this course will enable you to enter the children's workforce in a range of different roles. Some of our students seek a route into teaching through PGCE qualifications here at BG (see our Postgraduate Courses section for more information), whilst others enter other teacher training routes as well as working towards Early Years Professional Status. This will present you with opportunities to work in different early years environments, such as nursery schools and privately run nurseries, or even enter into management within Early Years settings. The diverse nature of this course will also enable you to go on to further study, seeking wider opportunities in many different fields, including health and social care, children's social work, play therapy and speech and language therapy.