Early Childhood and Education

About us

You will look at the political and educational structures that are put in place to support children and young adults. You'll also look at childhood from a range of different critical perspectives and explore the factors that influence the childhood experience.

This course examines issues such as health, early-years legislation, global inequalities in childhood, a range of education policies and philosophies and the impact of issues of discrimination and inequality within these.

Our undergraduate courses prepare you to be a thoughtful and flexible practitioner, working with and for children and families in a range of professional roles and settings, giving you the knowledge to develop as an education practitioner, with the flexibility to specialise in the areas that interest you most.

Our facilities

Our libraries and learning services are at the very heart of the University. We have a superb range of resources and facilities to help you with your studies and we're committed to offering you a first-class student experience.

Our libraries

Our £14 million Stratford library is a state-of-the-art building which provides an inspirational environment for study and research.

Overlooking the Royal Docks, our modern Docklands library is another fantastic space for learning, offering a wide range of resources as well as group and silent study facilities. It's also home to the UEL Skillzone, where you can get extra help with your academic writing.

Open 24/7

Both our libraries are open 24/7 during term time, giving you maximum flexibility about when you choose to study.

As well as visiting our libraries in person, you can also take advantage of our growing collection of electronic resources, including e-books, e-journals and databases.

Student Support hubs

To ensure our students get the best possible support, we've opened brand-new Student Support hubs at our Docklands and Stratford campuses - at a cost of £3.1 million. These contain centralised helpdesks as well as comfortable areas to relax and socialise.

Helpdesks

The helpdesks provide a 'one-stop shop' for every possible need, from course-related enquiries to personal issues such as health and money matters. They're designed to be your first port of call if you have an enquiry or problem.

Why choose us?

Leading childhood

UEL is the largest provider of early childhood courses in London and our academic team have extensive experience in the field, which they bring into the classroom, it's not surprising that six months of completing the course, 94 per cent of UEL Primary PGCE trainees have secured a teaching post.

Internationally acclaimed research

Research is thriving at UEL, with 92 per cent of our overall research recognised as world-leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognised in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. We bring this specialist knowledge into our teaching to ensure your learning is fresh and up to date.

Increased employment opportunities

With relationships with practitioners, local schools, SEND organisations and loyal alumni, you'll have plenty of contact on the course with potential employers through meeting practitioners, work placements, mentoring, careers fairs, workshops and renowned guest speakers and lecturers.

Without a doubt, the best thing about my course at UEL is the dedicated and knowledgeable lecturers that I've been taught by. I'm well supported in my learning. I feel valued in the classroom and inspired to learn and progress further in my field."

James Bennett

Special Education, BA (Hons)

What we're researching

As specialists in early childhood, our academic team has a broad range of research interests including:

Dr Jennifer Robson

Dr Jennifer Robson, Programme Leader for the MA Early Childhood, is currently researching values education in early childhood education settings. Her research interests include child rights, social justice and equality in early childhood education.

Professor Penn

Professor Penn's work focuses on United Nations Educational, scientific and cultural organisation, and has analysed of the financing and regulation of childcare across the European Union and in the global South.

Professor Lloyd

Professor Lloyd, active in influencing and helping to develop central government policy in early childhood education and care focuses on UK and international policy developments. Professor Lloyd was awarded an Honorary OBE for services to education. Her research includes the piloting of free education for disadvantaged two year olds.

This helped pave the way for a government commitment to provide free education to 40 per cent of two year olds by 2014/15.

Tanya Cotier

Tanya Cotier teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes with particular interest in SEND. She is an Autism Education Trust trainer and has been an ELKLAN trainer. Tanya is researching independent teaching and learning strategies to support the independence of autistic children and young people. Tanya has supported the organisation and delivery of National award for SEN Co-ordination with the Essex cohort of the Eastern Partnership group for a number of years.

Silhouette Bushay

Silhouette Bushay is an Education Studies academic whose research interests is located on the intersection of social science and education and primarily concerned with raced and intersectional experiences of marginalised communities within both private and public spheres. Silhouette's current research project is investigating the Hip Hop and Grime Pedagogies and Praxis of Black British Girls.

Careers

Our dedicated Career Zone works closely with employers to provide up-to-date information about the skills and experience they're looking for. They will support you during your studies and after you graduate.

At UEL, you'll have access to:

Employability skills training such as interview techniques and CV writing.
Career Assessment, giving you the opportunity to learn about yourself and Career Coach will help you to discover career suggestions based on your interests.
UEL Skills Academy, where external professionals deliver sessions on the competencies most prized by graduate employers.
Internships, placements and volunteering opportunities from our work placements team.
Professional mentoring scheme, matching students with staff from major companies.
Networking opportunities and annual careers fair.
Support with setting up your own business.

Our staff

Find out more about our staff by visiting our School of Education and Communities.

Visit our School of Education and Communities

Our location

Our location in one of Europe's largest regeneration areas and our extensive links to local employers will also give you access to fantastic internships and placements. From heavy industry to high-tech, health and social care to the arts, there are so many opportunities right on our doorstep.

Career Coach

Our online Career Coach shows you the different career paths that your chosen subject area can lead you to. It gives you information on specific careers, job roles, potential wages and available jobs in the sector. You can also take a quick quiz to find a career to match your personality type!

Explore Career Coach

Study

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Our research

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Early Childhood and Education

Where futures are shaped

About us