Early Childhood Education (Graduate Practitioner) Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Our education courses rank in the UK top 5 overall in their subject field (The Guardian University Guide, 2026).

If your dream is to work with young children, this course gives you a deep understanding of early years education, preparing you for a wide range of careers or for further study to become a teacher. You will develop an inter-disciplinary knowledge of how children develop in learning and thinking in their early years (0-7 years).

The course has been mapped to Graduate Practitioner Competencies and is classed as 'full and relevant' by the Department for Education. This means that, provided you successfully complete a total of 80 hours of practical experience and meet all the required competencies, you will have the status of Graduate Practitioner. To meet the requirements for practical experience, you undertake 80 days of University-organised placements over the course of the degree in settings across the age range (birth to 7 years).

Course accreditation/industry endorsement

The course gives you a DfE-recognised (Department for Education) Graduate Practitioner qualification alongside your degree. It is also endorsed by the Early Childhood Degree Studies Network.

Facilities and specialist equipment

* Mock classrooms including a specialist, resourced early-years classroom leading to our Forest School and garden space

* Forest School where you can deepen your understanding of the long-term educational benefits of outdoor learning

* Specialist sensory centre for practise in teaching SEND and early years pupils

* Multimedia space for webinars and podcasting

* A wide range of sports facilities including a sports arena, multi-use games areas and playing fields

Career-powered links

As one of the largest providers of teacher education in the eastern region, we have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other education organisations, including lead training partnership agreements for closer collaborations. We also benefit from regular, on-going collaboration with the local education authorities for Bedford and Central Bedfordshire. This network puts us ahead when it comes to national priorities, issues and developments in educational practice.

We are able to offer placements in over 40 early-years settings.

Your student experience

Learn the latest innovative practices in early childhood education and care, with the support of a highly experienced academic team, actively involved in research in their fields.

Participate in practical workshops on campus and in early years settings, and benefit from university-organised placements (80 days over three years) in a variety of early childhood settings.

Benefit from the support of your own personal tutor, a subject and/or placement mentor, a unit and course coordinator, and the additional support of our experienced library staff.

Our lead training partners have regular, on-going involvement including contributing to placement, course delivery, and on-campus visits, talks and masterclasses.

In primary education, specialists from the National Association of Primary Educators (NAPE) visit the campus to offer teaching talks and workshops.

Expand your learning further through the involvement of relevant organisations such as Central Bedfordshire and other borough councils; academic and postgraduate networks; local museums; professional associations; charities; examination boards; curriculum agencies; and learned societies.

We work with Trauma-Informed Schools UK to ensure you are trained in creating settings where people feel safe, understood and are able to thrive.