Foundation Degree in Early Years
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Foundation Degree
- Code
- G01
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Made up of
- 240 credit points
Description
This degree is recognised as meeting the requirements for a Children’s Workforce Development Council Sector-Endorsed Foundation Degree. It is suitable for experienced practitioners working directly with young children (aged between birth and seven years (Early Years Foundation Stage and KS1 in England) in a range of early years settings including home-based carers, and for teaching assistants specialising in early years. It will provide knowledge and skills required for working with children in these settings and engaging with a multi-agency workforce. It also prepares students to engage with further study, enquiry and practice where a knowledge of early years is required.
This foundation degree consists of 240 points, 120 at undergraduate Level 1 and the remaining 120 at undergraduate Level 2 (I level on the FHEQ framework). A foundation degree lasts two years full time, or its part-time equivalent, and is at the same level as the first two years of an honours degree. The minimum study time to complete the Open University’s Foundation Degree in Early Years is two years and 8 months which would be the equivalent to full-time study and would require exceptional commitment to studying.
This foundation degree is offered as the Diploma of Higher Education in Early Years (E37) for students living in Scotland.
Planning your studies
The degree includes a specialist vocational component, which is underpinned by broad-based academic learning. You must be a current practitioner in the field with at least two years experience and you should be able to verify your experience, skills and knowledge. During your studies, you will need to be working directly with young children aged between birth and seven years, for a minimum of five hours a week in an early years setting, in either a paid or voluntary capacity in order to complete the work-related and work-based assignments within this foundation degree. Confirmation of this will need to be provided. If your work setting is unable to provide appropriate support you will not be able to undertake the whole programme. For further information about the work-based element of the degree see the frequently asked questions and the course descriptions for Personal professional development: early years settings (E115) and Extending personal professional development (E215).
Anyone working in an early years setting will need to meet the ‘fit person’ criteria for doing so, as required for the setting and country in which they are working, including obtaining the necessary criminal record clearance. It is the responsibility of you and your employer to ensure that you meet these requirements, rather than the OU. You should contact the relevant agency in your country for more information if you are in doubt about your eligibility. For information about who to contact in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales about criminal record clearance visit our Childhood and Youth website.
A range of assessment methods will be used including written assignments, end-of-course examinations, evidence-based portfolios, and work-based project files.
You must complete E100* (or E123 (or E660/EYC660 or EZL123) and E124 (or EZL124)) before you start E115 and complete the compulsory Level 1 study before starting E215, the last course for this foundation degree.
Our strongly recommended route is to study the compulsory Level 1 courses, followed by the Level 2 option course(s), with E215 as your final course. Although it is possible to study the Level 2 option course(s) at the same time as E215 this will require a significant commitment to study. If you choose to study the Level 2 option course(s) at the same time as E215 then you must register for the course(s) when registering for E215.
From 1 January 2011 all students wishing to claim the Foundation Degree in Early Years (FDEY) will be required to have passed all the courses within 7 years of starting the first course.
If you are planning to claiming the FDEY prior to 31 December 2010 you will not be subject to this time limit. This will enable those who have studied courses towards the FDEY prior to notification of the introduction of this time limit to have time to complete the award. From 1 January 2011 the time limit will apply to all students.
Career relevance and employability
This degree is Sector endorsed and recognised by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC). Foundation degrees are level 5 qualifications and the CWDC website states 'a foundation degree at Level 5 in early years, childcare or playwork will be considered full and relevant for the purposes of registration and regulation, which means that anyone holding this qualification can count in the qualified ratio of staff at Level 3.'
This foundation degree offers direct access to the Long Pathway - offered by the Open University (OU) in partnership with the National Day Nurseries Association - towards achieving the graduate Early Years Professional Status (EYPS). For further information about EYP Status see the Children's Workforce Development Council . For more information about the pathways offered by the OU and NDNA see the NDNA website.
In Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council has included the Open University Foundation Degree in Early Years in the list of approved qualifications for managers/lead practitioners in early education and care.
In Northern Ireland the Foundation Degree is not a recognised qualification for classroom assistants, although it would enhance the work of classroom assistants of Key Stage 1 children.
This foundation degree may also be helpful if you want to continue to study and train to be an early years or primary teacher. You must check with your training provider about their entry policy for ITT programmes. Please note that The Open University does not offer courses for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the primary age range. For more information see our booklet Becoming a Teacher which has been prepared to help those who are considering teaching as a career. For up-to-date information see the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) website.
This degree is also appropriate if you are working in English medium early years settings in Europe and British Forces schools.
On completion of the Foundation Degree 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 courses for the required degree as there are different compulsory courses at Level 3. It is recommended that you discuss your intended study route and course choices with one of our advisers.
For planning your next career steps, visit the OU Careers Advisory Service.
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-point BA Early Years (B51) degree by studying the compulsory 60-point course 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-point BA Early Years (B51) honours degree then you will be able to ‘top up’ your foundation degree by completing a further 120 points at Level 3. You will need to study the compulsory courses Working together for children (KE312) and Early years focus on research with children and young people (EK311).
Option 2 – BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies (B23)
You can choose to ‘top up’ your foundation degree by studying a further 120 points at Level 3 from the named courses for the BA (Honours) Childhood and Youth Studies (B23). You should note that Childhood (U212) is a compulsory course at Level 2 for this degree. If you do not take it as one of the optional Level 2 courses 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 points 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/BSc Open degree (BD) by studying 120 points from any other courses at Level 3.
Courses
For this 240-point foundation degree you require:
60 points from the following optional courses:
| Level 1 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Oct 2010 |
| or | ||
|
30 | |
|
30 |
Or, subject the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued courses E660 or EYC660 (30 points for this award)
* This course is a replacement for the two 30-point courses E123 and E124. If you have successfully studied one of these courses and wish to study the other, there is an opportunity to do so. E123 and E124 will be presented for the last time in October 2011. Please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service for further advice.
And 60 points from the following compulsory course:
| Level 1 compulsory course | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 |
And 60 points from the following optional courses:
| Level 2 optional courses | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Feb 2010 |
|
60 | Jan 2010 |
|
60 | Feb 2010 FINAL |
| or | ||
|
30 | Feb 2010 FINAL |
|
30 | Feb 2010 |
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued course E242
** Compulsory course if you wish to progress to the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies but is not a compulsory course if you are working towards the BA Early Years
And 60 points from the following compulsory course:
| Level 2 compulsory course | Points | Next start |
|---|---|---|
|
60 | Oct 2010 FINAL |
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 courses so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
Credit transfer details for this qualification:
On completion
On successful completion of the required courses 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 Award Regulations and the Student Regulations.
Award Regulations
Student Regulations
The Student Regulations (including the Code of Practice for Student Assessment and the Code of Practice for Student Discipline) are available on our Policy Documents for Students website.
How to register
To register 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 course you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that course.
About this page
An undergraduate qualification in Childhood and Youth, Education and Health and Social Care.
Study explained
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