Childhood Practice (BA)
A new high-quaility part-time degree programme aimed at those wishing to mix study with work.
What is the BA in Childhood Practice?
The new high-quality BA Childhood Practice part-time degree programme at the University of Edinburgh is aimed at those wishing to mix study with work. It has been designed to meet the new Standard in Childhood Practice and students who successfully achieve the BACP are able to apply for registration as a manager/lead practitioner with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The programme will build on the students' previous work and study experience. Students carry out three years of part-time/evening study in order to gain a BA in Childhood Practice.
Students will have the opportunity to study in the following areas:
- Education Studies (e.g. curriculum development, social justice and equity in education)
- Child and Family Health Education (e.g. health care, child development, health and illness and play)
- Child/Family Development and Social Policy (e.g. care, nurturing, play development, supporting parents and children, child and family legislation, child protection, child and family rights):
- Management and Organisational Behaviour (Professions and professionalism. Organisational structures and cultures. Managing change and conflict within organisations.)
- Childhood Studies (e.g. child psychology, disability studies, ethnicity studies, gender studies and the sociology of childhood). Should children have the same rights as adults? How do you talk to a seven year old? How do you protect children? How effective are services for children and their families? Are children's rights just a Western luxury?
Entry requirements
Students will meet the general requirements for the University.
In considering applications for the programme the recognition of prior learning (RPL), and experience will be taken into account.
Applicants should have suitable qualifications at Scottish Credit and Qualification (SCQF) level 7 as well as a minimum of 5 years working / volunteering experience in an appropriate childcare / early years environment. Evidence of having achieved appropriate HNC, and / or SVQ4, and /or Professional Development Award is expected.
Entrants may demonstrate their experience by way of paid or voluntary work experience in nurseries, children and family centres, youth clubs, sports clubs, after school care, etc
Applicants will have to demonstrate that they have the qualities required of a childcare professional.
The study of childhood
The study of 'childhood' has expanded rapidly over the past decade, bringing together subjects as diverse as law, psychology and sociology. The BACP is both theoretically-rich and useful for policy and practice.
How might a Childhood Practice degree benefit you?
It could help you to:
- gain promotion in your present workplace
- build on your skills as a child care practitioner
- equip yourself with transferable skills for future career choices
It could equip you to:
- apply for postgraduate initial training as a teacher, social worker or health promotion worker
- progress to the MSc in Childhood Studies
"... The good things about the programme are learning in more detail about things I already was aware of and understood and often used in my everyday work, building upon my own knowledge base and accessing reading material, listening to people who have researched both at home and abroad, and putting theory, practice, policy and law into a contemporary context."
Further information
For further academic information, contact:
- Dr Kristina Konstantoni
- Programme Director: BA Childhood Practice
- The Moray House School of Education(Institute for Education, Community & Society)
- The University of Edinburgh
- St John's Land
- Holyrood Road
- Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
For admissions enquiries, please contact:
- Undergraduate Admissions Office (Education)
- College of Humanities and Social Science
- The University of Edinburgh
- David Hume Tower
- George Square
- Edinburgh EH8 9JX
- Work: +44 (0)131 650 3565
- Email:
- hssug@ed.ac.uk
MSc/Diploma in Childhood Studies
Exit routes for the BA Childhood Practice degree include advanced entry to the Masters in Childhood Studies and the opportunity to apply for entry to social work or teacher training.
The University also offers a MSc/Diploma in Childhood Studies at postgraduate level.
For academic information on the MSc/Diploma, contact:
Dr Kay Tisdall, Programme Director, School of Social & Political Studies, Tel: 0131 650 3930 or Email: K.Tisdall@ed.ac.uk
The MSc in Childhood Studies could lead you to a PhD in 3 years, having already completed your initial research training.
For MSc/Diploma in Childhood Studies admissions enquiries, contact:
The Graduate School of Social and Political Science, Postgraduate Admissions Team, Chrystal Macmillan Building, 15a George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD
Tel: +44 (0)131 651 3009/3064 or Email:
You can also obtain information about the postgraduate programme on the University Prospectus:
This article was published on Sep 5, 2011