Why study this course
Earn while you learn on this work-based programme
National Student Survey for 2021 showed 91% overall satisfaction with the Professional Studies programme
Study with the support from a research active academic team who have relevant practice experience.
Course summary
If you have completed a Foundation Degree or diploma in Childhood, Youth & Families or similar, and you are ready to take the logical next step towards gaining a full honours degree whilst continuing in employment, then the BA (Hons) Childhood, Youth & Families in Practice is designed for you. The learning opportunities you’ll receive will be unique as you study alongside others working or volunteering in a variety of children’s services.
Key facts
|
Award |
BA (Hons) |
|---|---|
|
UCAS code |
L596 |
|
Duration |
1 year |
|
Mode of study |
Full-time |
|
Start date |
September |
|
Awarding institution |
Bishop Grosseteste University |
|
Institution code |
B38 |
About this course
Having already completed a related Foundation Degree or Higher Education Diploma in Childhood, Youth and Families, the BA (Hons) work-based degree programme is a combination of practice-based learning and campus-based teaching sessions that take place once a week, allowing you to continue working or volunteering throughout the course.
Throughout the one-year programme, you will integrate your previous experience of working with children, young people and families into your studies. Whilst studying on this course you will have the opportunity to critically evaluate practice through a detailed analysis of the systems, procedures and changes that contribute to your field of study.
The course will promote your professional formation as a reflective practitioner, and modules will cover topics such as leading people and teams, health/well-being, anti-oppressive practice and, and critical issues (such as current political and social trends). In addition, the undertaking of an independent research study will support your continuing development toward becoming a leading practitioner within the children and young people’s workforce.
The programme increases knowledge and understanding of how children and young people learn and mature. You will explore new ways of working and challenge existing assumptions. You will be able to collaborate with students from other related courses who work in a variety of contexts such as early childhood and formal education to broaden your perspectives on working with children and young people.
Our BA (Hons) Professional Studies in Childhood, Youth and Families in Practice is a flexible qualification covering the broad range of settings and contexts in which services are provided for 9– 24-year-olds. Whilst studying for this course you will remain in employment, or as a volunteer, throughout the duration of the course. This course is suitable for staff working in various local authority roles such as Early Help, schools, alternative education, the NHS, youth worker, voluntary and third sector, particularly those working with children, young people and adults often identified as hard to reach.
Entry requirements
Applicants will typically have 240 HE credits from a Foundation degree or a HE Diploma in a relevant field of study.
Applicants are expected have a current (or prospective) voluntary or paid employment in a relevant setting for a minimum of 360 hours per academic year equating to 12 hours per week of study.
Typically, applicants are expected to have three years of experience in a voluntary or paid role working with children.
Students must complete and submit a workplace agreement that sets out the tripartite partnership between the student, the setting and the BGU and clearly identifies the student holds a current DBS as a condition of enrolment.
Applicants with alternative qualifications can contact our Admissions team for advice as BGU is committed to widening access and participation and adheres to a strict policy of non-discrimination.
Further information
In accordance with University conditions, students are entitled to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning, RP(C)L, based on relevant credit at another HE institution or credit Awarded for Experiential Learning, (RP(E)L). If you’ve recently completed or studied a particular module as part of a previous qualification, this may mean that you’re not required to undertake a particular module of your BGU course. However, this must be agreed in writing and you must apply for this.
How you will be taught
This course allows you to study and continue to work. It is a flexible qualification covering the broad range of settings and contexts in which services are provided for 9 – 24-year-olds. Students undertaking the course remain in employment, or as volunteers, over the academic year in the same manner as the Foundation Degree.
The Top Up Degree offers opportunities to critically evaluate practice through a detailed analysis of the systems, procedures and changes that contribute to your field of study. This course will promote your professional formation as a reflective practitioner and modules will cover topics such as leading people and teams, promoting quality, new models of practice and contemporary issues such as current political and social trends.
In addition, the undertaking of an independent research study will support your continuing development as a leading practitioner within the children’s workforce.
Assessment
A variety of assessment methods are used including presentations, discussions, debates, poster presentations, essays, portfolios of work, case studies and reflections. All assessments allow you to reflect on your practice and theory as you evidence your learning, building on your personal strengths to develop clear communication skills to share your knowledge and understanding.
Careers & Further study
Many of our graduates take on higher level roles specialising in areas such as family liaison, special education needs, managing settings in youth work, mentoring or roles in the wider community and with local authorities.
What Our Students Say
Discover what life is like at Bishop Grosseteste University from our students.
Support
Studying at BGU is a student-centred experience. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere as part of an intimate campus community. You will know every member of staff personally and feel confident approaching them for help and advice, and staff members will recognise you, not just by sight, but as an individual with unique talents and interests.
We will be there to support you, personally and academically, from induction to graduation.
Fees & Finance
A lot of student finance information is available from numerous sources, but it is sometimes confusing and contradictory. That’s why at BGU we try to give you all the information and support we can to help to throughout the process. Our Student Advice team are experts in helping you sort out the funding arrangements for your studies, offering a range of services to guide you through all aspects of student finance step by step.
Undergraduate course applicants must apply via UCAS using the relevant UCAS code. For 2023 entry, the application fee is £27, and you can make a maximum of 6 choices. For 2024 entry the application fee is £27.50.
For all applicants, there are full instructions at UCAS to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in your online application, plus help text where appropriate.
Ethical considerations of doctoral methodologies Podcast
Dr Nyree Nicholson is a Programme Leader on our work-based Foundation Degree programmes. The title of her doctoral research was “Supporting children with identified speech, language and communication needs at two-years-old: voices of early years practitioners”. Nyree utilised a narrative hermeneutic methodology with conversational interviews to explore the lived experiences of fifteen early years practitioners.
Samantha Hoyes is a senior lecturer in Early Childhood Studies and is currently part way through her PhD. Her focus is on working motherhood in the 21st Century and how working mothers make sense of their identities. Applying a post-structuralist feminist approach, Sam has utilised photo elicitation interviews to explore working mothers lived experiences. Sam's sample will consist of 10-15 working mothers living in Lincolnshire with a child/ children aged 0-5 years at the time of data collection. She is currently around halfway through her initial data collection.
In this podcast, Nyree and Sam discuss the methodological approaches taken in the research process and share the ethical considerations they encountered throughout the research process.
For any more question or queries please contact Samantha.hoyes@bishopg.ac.uk and nyree-anne.nicholson@bishopg.ac.uk
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