Thinking of studying the Early Years Foundation Degree (FDA)
The Early Years Foundation Degree course is about recognising practitioners own experiences and knowledge. It is a great pathway route into gaining a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies. There are other possible routes such as the Early Years Teacher Status (0-5), Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or an MA in Social Work.
The course covers theoretical and practice related knowledge. It is made up of both classroom study and work based tasks of which students will use their knowledge learnt from college and their practice knowledge and combine these into their working practice assessment tasks.
The Early Years Foundation Degree is a part time course; students are released from their workplace to attend a college or University. The course is delivered over one day for two years, causing minimal disruptions from work. The length of the course may vary depending on whether you choose the part time or the full time route.
On completion of the course it allows students the opportunity to top up their degree to a BA (Hons). There are different BA (Hons) courses available.
What qualification will students gain?
FdA Early Years
How will students be assessed?
Majority of the work is about gathering evidence from the workplace that is applicable to the students current job role. All tasks and assignments are assessed and graded. The assignments will be based on a range of early year’s topics
What are the entry requirements?
- Level 3 childcare qualification
- Employed in an early years setting
- Appropriate levels in numeracy and literacy
- One A level and 4 GCSE’s; or BTEC National Diploma; or NOCN Kite marked Access Certificate.
- Some colleges/University requires 4 GCSEs at Grade C or above. GCSE English Language at C or above (or recognized equivalency). Maths GCSE at Grade C or above (or recognized equivalency) is desirable.
These entry requirements may vary at different colleges and University’s so check the requirements before applying.