Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 240 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.
The first few years of children’s lives are crucial to their development and opportunities in later life – and the adults who work with them are ideally placed to make a difference. If you’re looking to extend your expertise as an early years practitioner, this Foundation degree course will help you build on your knowledge and skills. It is suitable for experienced practitioners working with young children in a wide range of early years settings (such as nurseries, playgroups and children’s centres), including home-based carers and classroom/teaching assistants specialising in early years. It will build on your knowledge of children’s development and learning, as well as developing your understanding of policies and practice in early years settings. You’ll also learn professional and practical skills like planning, assessment and teamwork. The Foundation Degree in Early Years also prepares you to engage with further study, enquiry and practice.
This foundation degree course consists of 240 credits, 120 at undergraduate Level 1 and the remaining 120 at undergraduate Level 2 (level 5 on the FHEQ framework). A foundation degree is at the same level as the first two years of an honours degree.
The programme of study for this Foundation degree is also offered as the Diploma of Higher Education in Childhood Practice (E37). The Diploma of Higher Education might be of particular interest to those living and working in Scotland.
Planning your studies
Whether or not you’re new to study with the OU we recommend that you start with a module at Level 1 and that you complete your Level 1 study before going on to Level 2.
Entry requirements
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 accreditation of prior experiential learning (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 accreditation of prior experiential learning (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.
On completion of the Foundation Degree course there are several options available for you to top up to a bachelors degree. Careful choice of your study route after the Foundation Degree is needed to ensure you complete the correct modules for the required degree as there are different compulsory modules at Level 3. It is recommended that you discuss your intended study route and module choices with one of our advisers.
Option 1 – BA Early Years (B51)
If you follow this early years route you can achieve a degree in early years either with or without honours.
You can ‘top up’ your foundation degree to achieve the 300-credit BA Early Years (B51) degree by studying the compulsory 60-credit module Working together for children (KE312). This degree can provide the degree level requirement for entry to EYP Status pathways as mentioned above.
If you wish to achieve the 360-credit BA (Hons) Early Years (B51) honours degree then you will be able to ‘top up’ your foundation degree by completing a further 120 credits at Level 3. You will need to study the compulsory modules Working together for children (KE312) and Issues in research with children and young people (EK313).
Option 2 – BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies (B23)
You can choose to ‘top up’ your foundation degree by studying a further 120 credits at Level 3 from the named modules for the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies (B23). You should note that Childhood (E212) is a compulsory module at Level 2 for this degree. If you do not take it as one of the optional Level 2 modules in the foundation degree, then you will need to take it as part of your study for the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies, in addition to the 120 credits at Level 3.
Option 3 – BA or BSc (Hons) Open Degree (BD)
An alternative route you might choose to follow is to ‘top up’ your foundation degree to gain a BA or BSc (Hons) Open Degree (BD) by studying 120 credits from any other modules at Level 3.
General rules
There is a time limit for obtaining the required credits for this qualification. You will be required to have passed all the modules within seven years of starting the first module and by 31 December 2017. For students who have approved credit transfer of previous study into the FDEY, the seven-year time limit will start from either the completion date of the previous study for which credit has been awarded or the start-date of your first OU module counting to this qualification, whichever is the earliest. The minimum study time to complete this foundation degree is two years and eight months 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 80 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you. Before being awarded any intermediate qualifications, we advise you to check that you’ll have sufficient new credits to qualify for your foundation degree.
Career relevance and employability
The Foundation degree in Early Years has been developed in association with employers and professional associations. It is Sector endorsed and 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.
Scotland: the Scottish Social Services Council has included this foundation degree course in the list of approved qualifications for support workers and practitioners in day care of children services settings.
Northern Ireland: although the degree is not a recognised qualification for classroom assistants in Northern Ireland, it would enhance their work with Key Stage 1 children.
Europe: this degree is also appropriate if you are working in English-medium early years settings in Europe teaching a UK or ROI curriculum, and British Forces schools.
Further development
This Foundation Degree may be a step towards pathways that lead to becoming a specialist Early Years Teacher (to work with babies and children). On completing your studies, there are several options for topping up to a full BA degree – you’ll need to choose your route carefully and we recommend that you discuss your choices with one of our advisers. Further information about EYITT pathways and providers can be found on the Department for Education website.
This degree may also be helpful if you’re interested in further training as an Early Years Teacher with qualified teacher status. You’ll need to check with your training provider about their entry policy for ITE programmes – please note that the OU doesn’t offer teacher training for this age range. For more information see our careers advisory booklet Becoming a teacher and visit the Department for Education website in England; the Teach in Scotland website in Scotland; and the Teacher Training & Education in Wales website.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 240-credit foundation degree you require:
120 credits from the following compulsory modules:
| Level 1 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- The discontinued module EZL100
|
60 |
|
- The discontinued module E105
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations and time limit for this qualification, the discontinued modules E100, E115, E123, E124, 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 E230 and E243, E242, ED209, K204, K218, U212
* Compulsory module if you wish to progress to the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies but is not a compulsory module if you are working towards the BA Early Years
And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:
| Level 2 compulsory module |
Credits |
Next start |
- Extending professional practice in the early years (E210)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module E215
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.
On completion
On successful completion of the required modules you will be awarded a Sector-Endorsed Foundation Degree in Early Years and will be entitled to use the letters FD (Open) after your name.
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