Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 300 or 360 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
Do you work with young children? Do you want to boost your career and develop your practice? This degree course provides a solid, practical grounding for practitioners working in a wide range of early years settings – including home-based carers and classroom/teaching assistants specialising in early years. You’ll develop your critical understanding of early years practice and frameworks from ethical, social, legal, and political perspectives; and gain the knowledge and skills needed to work collaboratively and equitably within an integrated, interdisciplinary workforce. The BA (Hons) Early Years is considered ‘full and relevant’ for the purposes of registration and regulation – which means you’ll count in the qualified ratio of staff at Level 3. It also prepares you for further research, study, enquiry and practice.
This degree consists of 300 credits for an unclassified degree or 360 credits for an honours degree. Both degrees require 120 credits at undergraduate Level 1 and 120 at undergraduate Level 2 (FHEQ level 5). The unclassified degree requires a further 60 credits of study at Level 3 (FHEQ level 6), and the honours degree requires a total of 120 credits of study at Level 3.
If you already have a Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree in Early Years (or equivalent), you can top up your foundation degree to a BA Early Years, with the option to continue to the BA (Hons) Early Years. See our Top-up BA Early Years (B60) for details.
Planning your studies
You must be:
- a current practitioner (paid or voluntary) with at least six months full-time or 12 months part-time experience of working with young children in a registered early years setting (or an experienced practitioner with at least three years full-time or five years part-time experience in a registered early years setting if you are following the APEL route)
- over the age of 18 years at the date on which you begin studying for this qualification (or over 21 years old if you are following the APEL route)
- working in a setting following a UK or Republic of Ireland curriculum and which uses English as the language of tuition.
While studying the core modules, you must be:
- working in a registered early years setting with young children aged from birth to seven years (Foundation Stage or Key Stage 1 or equivalent) in either a paid or voluntary capacity
- directly involved in activities to support young children’s care and learning for a minimum of five hours a week
- able to work with groups of three or more children on a regular basis.
You must have the agreement and support of your employer/supervisor before registering for this qualification.
Your employer must confirm their support for your study, verify your experience and whether you meet the pre-requisites to study the core modules by completing a Permission Agreement Form.
You and your employer are responsible for ensuring that:
- you meet the ‘fit person’ criteria required for the setting and country you are working in ( If you are in doubt about your eligibility, contact the relevant agency in your country for more information.)
- you obtain the necessary criminal record clearance.
If you are a Nanny/Foster Carer working with a child (birth to six years), you must be able to undertake 3–5 hours paid or voluntary work each week in a registered early years setting where you have access to groups of children and support from experienced professional colleagues. The home of a parent/foster carer or nanny is not – on its own – an acceptable setting.
If you meet these entry requirements and wish to apply for this qualification please contact us.
There is a time limit for obtaining the required credits for this qualification. You must have passed all the modules within nine years of starting the first module for both the unclassified and honours degrees. For students who have approved credit transfer of previous study into the BA and BA (Hons) Early Years, the nine-year time limit will start from the completion date of the previous study for which credit has been awarded. The minimum study time to complete the BA in Early Years is three years, which would be the equivalent to full-time study and would require exceptional commitment to studying.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 120 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you (with the exception of an undergraduate-level qualification of less than 120 credits). Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications on the way to your OU honours degree, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your degree.
Career relevance and employability
Early years professionals work in many roles in group settings (such as nurseries and children's centres) and as home-based carers – playing a central role in children’s development from birth to five years. They also lead practice and support other practitioners. This BA (Hons) Early Years is designed to contribute to the development of a highly skilled and effective workforce across the UK – and to integrated, coherent services for children. Outside the UK, this degree course is relevant to anyone working in British Forces schools, or in English-medium early years settings in Europe teaching a UK or ROI curriculum.
This degree course may be helpful if you’re interested in further training as an Early Years Teacher. However, since the OU doesn’t offer teacher training for this age range, we cannot guarantee automatic progression to ITE training programmes. Check with your local ITE training provider about their entry policy. For up-to-date information see the Department for Education website in England; the Teach in Scotland website in Scotland; and the Teacher Training & Education in Wales website. More information can also be found about routes to entering teaching by downloading our Becoming a teacher booklet.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 300-credit unclassified degree or 360-credit honours degree you require:
120 credits from the following compulsory modules:
| Level 1 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module E100 or APEL version EZL100
|
60 |
|
- The discontinued module E105
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations and the time limit for this qualification, the discontinued modules E115, E123, E124, E660, EYC660 (30 credits for this qualification), EZL123, EZL124
And 60 credits from the following optional modules:
| Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Childhood (E212)
|
60 |
|
- Equality, participation and inclusion: learning from each other (E214)
|
60 |
|
- Subject knowledge and professional practice in primary schools (E207)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations and the time limit for this qualification, the discontinued modules E242, E230 and E243, ED209, K204, K218, U212
And 120 credits from the following compulsory modules (successful completion of these modules will entitle you to claim the 300-credit BA Early Years):
| Level 2 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Extending professional practice in the early years (E210)
|
60 |
|
| Level 3 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Working together for children (KE312)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, at Level 2 the discontinued module E215
To ‘top up’ to the BA (Hons) Early Years (360-credit honours degree) – 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
| Level 3 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Issues in research with children and young people (EK313)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module EK311
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of modules so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Classification of your degree
On successful completion of the required modules you will be awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Early Years degree or Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Early Years degree depending on the modules studied at Level 3.
Your honours degree will be classified as first-class honours,, upper second-class honours, lower second-class honours or third-class honours.
You will have the opportunity to attend one degree ceremony. Please note that you can not attend a ceremony for both the unclassified and the honours versions of this qualification.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of
our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the
module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module.
During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification