FdA Early Years and Education
Introduction
With a focus on current issues within the education sector, our foundation course will give you up-to-date knowledge and skills to start or advance a rewarding career working with young children, or move on to further qualifications, including teaching degrees.
Study at an award-winning university
We're the Times Higher Education (THE) University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.
As an FdA Early Years and Education student at ARU, you’ll learn about the education sector, child development, play, safeguarding and equality, focusing on current issues that are affecting early years and education services, to ensure your knowledge will be up-to-date and relevant to your future career.
The course encourages you to adopt an approach to understanding your own work context through investigating aspects of your practice.
Join a course that ranked 13th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2025, and scored 100% for “Communication of mental well-being support”, 90% for “Assessment and feedback” and “Student Union representation” in the National Student Survey 2024.
Course options
Key facts
Entry requirements
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Fees and paying for university
Lecturers
Stacy Randall
Senior Lecturer
Ka Lee Carrie Ho
Senior Lecturer
Careers
As an FdA Early Years and Education graduate, you’ll have an advantage when applying for roles in early years and school support. As well as an up-to-date understanding of child/young person development, the issues affecting the education sector and an appreciation of your own role within it, you’ll also develop many important transferable skills, including critical and creative thinking, team and independent work, verbal and written communication, and increased self-confidence.
You might also choose to go on to further study, and use your credits to top up to a full honours degree, such as our BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies.
Symone
"Having an opportunity to study in a different setting will give me a chance to learn new skills and meet new people."
SymoneFdA Early Years and Education student
Want to talk to someone?
Do you have a question that we haven't answered so far? Talk to our application experts. You can also ask our Student Ambassadors about life at ARU.
We're here Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm (please note we close at 3.30pm on the first and third Thursday of the month for staff training), and Friday 9am-4.30pm.
Studying at home
Living at home doesn’t mean you have to miss out on student life. There’s loads of opportunities to have fun, make friends, and get involved.
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