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University of Worcester · Undergraduate
FDA Early Years (Professional Practice) (Flexible and Distributed Learning Pathway) Foundation degree at the University of Worcester
FDA Early Years (Professional Practice) (Flexible and Distributed Learning Pathway) at University of Worcester. Established in 2005, the course is taught at the University of Worcester, a public university and awarded Silver for teaching quality by the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
FDA
Award
–
Years
Part-time
Study mode
95%
in work/study (15m)
About this course
At Worcester, you’ll gain the skills and knowledge needed to give children and their families the best possible start. From the provider’s course page.
FDA Early Years (Professional Practice) (Flexible and Distributed Learning Pathway) is a Foundation degree (FDA) at the University of Worcester. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For Education and teaching graduates from this provider, 95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 80% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £36,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
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.
9.0
/ 10
2 of 3 official measures
Graduate outcomes
In work or further study 15 months after graduating
Exceptional95
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 95% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Continuation
Students who continue past their first year
Excellent85
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.
Year 1 4 modules
- The Developing Child
- Health and Wellbeing
- Playful Pedagogy
- Introduction to Work-Based Learning
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 course develops the skills and knowledge to support children and families from the start. You'll usually begin with foundations in how children learn and develop cognitively, socially and emotionally from birth through adolescence, alongside early school experience through observation and supported placements. As you progress, you'll study curriculum design, pedagogy, and assessment across key areas, with sustained classroom practice building your responsibility. In your final stage, you'll typically choose specialisations such as primary teaching, early years, SEND and inclusion, or education policy, whilst developing professional practice against teaching standards. School placements run throughout, giving you hands-on experience in real classroom settings.
Who it's for
Most entrants hold a previous degree, 60% of accepted students came in with one in recent years. The flexible delivery model suits those balancing study with professional or personal responsibilities. If you're seeking formal qualification in early years practice without full-time commitment, this pathway may suit you.
University & format
This Foundation degree is delivered part-time at the University of Worcester, a public university. The course is taught in English and is designed for flexible and distributed learning. As a recognised UK degree-awarding body, the qualification is nationally recognised. The University of Worcester holds a Silver award for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. Most recent entrants held a previous degree.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
2027 entry deadlineApply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
Open daysOpen Days
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
2026 entryLive availability check
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
Most entrants held a previous degree60% of accepted students came in with a previous degree (entrants over recent years).
Entry requirements are set by the universityGrades, subjects and contextual offers vary. Check the University of Worcester's official course page for the current offer.
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 | 60% |
| another higher-education qualification | 20% |
| A-levels or equivalent | 15% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Offer-based entry
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.
Apply byApply directly to the providerfor this course
UCAS codeX312quote this on your application
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code X312). 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.
💡 Many universities make a contextual (reduced-grade) offer, for example based on your school’s results, time in care, or where you live. Ask University of Worcester whether you’re eligible before you apply; it can lower the grades you need.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Homeup to £9,790 / yr
International£17,200 / yr
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Worcester →For students who normally live in England
illustrative Maintenance Loan per year
Check providertuition used per year, no published course home fee, total not estimated
total borrowing, course length not published
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.
Funding matched to this course
All University of Worcester funding →Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
Named awards published by the university. Compare the eligibility and application route before budgeting for one.
National funding for this subject
- Teacher-training bursaries: Postgraduate bursaries and scholarships are available for selected shortage subjects. Official guidance
Amounts, exclusions and deadlines can change. An award is not guaranteed unless the university confirms it.
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Career quizApplication walkthroughSalary & CV check
Careers & earnings
What Education & Teaching graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £36,000 | £27,000 – £45,000 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £21,000 | £15,000 – £28,000 | 60 |
| 5 years after | £21,500 | £13,500 – £33,000 | 50 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
95%
in work or further study 15 months on
80%
in highly skilled work or study
85%
continue past their first year
100%
find their work meaningful
90%
say work fits their future plans
- 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
Starting (15 months) HESA GO
£36,000
£22,000 – £30,000After 3 years LEO
£21,000
£17,850 – £25,200After 5 years LEO
£21,500
£21,250 – £30,000national rangethis course’s medianaxis £16,500 – £37,500
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.
95 of 100
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
65% working25% working and studying5% in further study80% in highly skilled work or study
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Education & Teaching courses at the same study level.
This course £21,500Peer median £25,000Middle 50% £22,500–£30,000
18th percentile
Compared with 515 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Teaching ProfessionalsSOC 2020 231 · 50% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,660
- Teaching and Childcare Support OccupationDiscover Uni category · 15% of published destinations
- Other Educational ProfessionalsSOC 2020 232 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £47,130
- Welfare and housing associate professionalsSOC 2020 322 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,937
- Teaching and Childcare Associate ProfessionalsSOC 2020 323 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £20,261
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 45; response rate: 60%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Education & Teaching graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
90%
in work or further study 15 months after graduating, across Education & Teaching courses nationally.
Graduate Outcomes70%
of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study.
highly skilled85%
of students continue past their first year (still enrolled or completed).
continuationHow 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 AssetsLive from the StudySmarter job board · as of 2026-08-01.See all matching jobs
Is 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.
📈
Where graduates go
95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £36,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
⭐
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.0 out of 10: in work or study 95% · continued 85%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of Worcester
All students8,755
International15.1%
Aged 25+33.5%
Education and teaching across the UK
Students109,885
Aged 25+51.8%
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around University of Worcester
784 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Violent Crime 334Shoplifting 84Criminal Damage Arson 59Public Order 57Burglary 54
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 University of Worcester from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £17,200 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). 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 University of Worcester’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 University of Worcester and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Worcester
UWBA (Hons) Early Childhood (Social Pedagogy)BA (Hons) · University of WorcesterUWBA (Hons) Education StudiesBA (Hons) · University of WorcesterUWBA (Hons) Primary Education With Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Early Years (3-7 years)BA (Hons) · University of WorcesterUWBA (Hons) Primary Education With Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Later Years (5-11 years)BA (Hons) · University of Worcester
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
Set by the University of Worcester. Most accepted students held a previous degree. Check the university's course page for the exact offer.
What do graduates go on to do?
For Education and teaching graduates from this provider, 95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 80% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £36,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
What will it cost me?
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. See Fees & funding on this page to work out your numbers.
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