FDA Early Years Services Foundation degree at Wolverhampton
FDA Early Years Services at Wolverhampton is nationally recognised and accredited as a UK degree-awarding qualification. You'll study core theory, research and methods, applied practice, specialist options, an independent project, and professional skills.
About this course
FDA Early Years Services is a Foundation degree (FDA) at Wolverhampton, based in The London Early Years Foundation,Sandwell College,City of Wolverhampton College,Telford College. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Education & Teaching, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 85% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
- Introduction to LEYF Pedagogy
- Play-Centred Pedagogy: Theory, Practice, and Professional Reflection
- Safeguarding and Multi-Agency Perspectives
- Succeeding at University
- The Reflective Practitioner
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This Foundation degree focuses on early years and educational practice. You'll usually begin with foundations of education and child development, covering how children learn from birth through adolescence and how schooling is organised. From the first year, you'll undertake school placements and observations alongside taught modules. As you progress, you'll study curriculum design, teaching and assessment across core areas, and inclusion and special educational needs support. In later stages, you'll typically choose specialist options such as early years, primary teaching, SEND and inclusion, education policy, or QTS routes, culminating in a sustained final placement. The course integrates theory with classroom practice throughout.
Who it's for
Most entrants hold a previous degree; 90% of accepted students came in with one over recent years. This part-time course suits those balancing study with work or other commitments in the early years sector.
University & format
This Foundation degree (FDA) is delivered part-time in English by the University of Wolverhampton across multiple locations: the London Early Years Foundation, Sandwell College, City of Wolverhampton College, and Telford College. The University of Wolverhampton, founded in 1992, is a nationally recognised degree-awarding body. The course attracts students with prior qualifications; 90% of recent entrants held a previous degree. The university holds Bronze for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Opened 2 July 2026; last choice 19 October 2026. Check vacancies now. A cached page never claims a place is still available.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| a previous degree | 90% |
| another higher-education qualification | 5% |
| A-levels or equivalent | 5% |
| an Access course | 5% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by Apply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at Wolverhampton →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
National funding for this subject
- Teacher-training bursaries: Postgraduate bursaries and scholarships are available for selected shortage subjects. Official guidance
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Education & Teaching graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in education & teaching · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Education & Teaching nationally
National figures for Education & Teaching graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
continued or completed
continued into the next year or completed their qualification
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Published threshold met. Sample size is not included in this snapshot. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Job market & outlook
How Education & Teaching graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Education & Teaching graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Schools & academy trusts
- Local authorities
- Education charities
- Tutoring providers
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Education & Teaching graduates.
Education SEN MentorMacIntyreEducation Recruitment ConsultantAcademicsEducation Delivery Consultant - Fast Paced, Dynamic Organisation - WorcestershireAP EducationEducation Trustee - Lead Youth Careers & Outdoor LearningRacing to SchoolEducation Recruitment Consultant - Build Futures & Earn UncappedProtocol EducationEducation Recruitment Consultant: Grow Your Desk & ImpactEducation AssetsIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.5 out of 10: continued 85%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Wolverhampton
Education and teaching across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around The London Early Years Foundation
5,482 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Around Sandwell College
1,382 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Education & Teaching right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Wolverhampton from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Wolverhampton; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Wolverhampton’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Wolverhampton and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Wolverhampton
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates earn?
What will it cost me?
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