Course Essentials
Hello and welcome to the BA Childhood, Youth & Communities degree. My name is Dr Katie Brown and I am the Course Director for the programme. We are very much looking forward to seeing you during our Welcome Weekend on September 12th 10am - 1pm on the Canterbury Campus, where you will have the opportunity to meet staff, fellow students, and learn more about what to expect from your studies over the coming year.
Dr Katie Brown
Course Director
Your Teaching Timetable
Teaching for your course will begin w.c 14 September 2026.
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
Canterbury Cohort - View your first semester teaching timetable.
Medway Cohort - View your first semester teaching timetable.
On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.
If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.
Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.
| Your Semester 1 Modules |
| Influencing Positive Change |
| Ethical Research with Children and Young People |
| Engaging and Building Communities |
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Initial Teacher Education Semesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome
Our Welcome Saturday on 12 September is an important opportunity for you to prepare for the final stage of your degree and gain an understanding of the expectations of Level 6 study.
Attendance is strongly encouraged, as the sessions are designed to help you feel confident and prepared before teaching begins.
During the Welcome Saturday, you will receive information about your timetable, assessments, dissertation expectations, university support services, and online learning platforms. You will also have opportunities to ask questions and meet other students undertaking the programme.
As part of the course, you will continue to be supported by a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), who will provide academic guidance and support throughout the year.
We recognise that many of our students continue to balance study alongside work and family commitments, and we are committed to supporting you throughout your studies
Getting started
The BA Top-Up programme is designed to build upon your existing professional knowledge and experience, supporting you to develop advanced critical thinking, leadership, research, and reflective practice skills within childhood, youth, and communities contexts.
During Semester 1, you will study:
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Ethical Research with Children and Young People
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Influencing Positive Change
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Engaging and Building Communities
During Semester 2, you will study:
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Imagining Futures: Sustainability and the Childhood Revolution
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Independent Research Project
Teaching on the Course
Teaching on the course is designed to support students who are already working within relevant professional settings.
Sessions are typically delivered one evening per week on campus and will include a mixture of lectures, seminars, discussions, workshops, collaborative learning activities, and research supervision sessions.
You will also undertake significant independent study and professional reflection throughout the year.
The first few weeks of teaching will focus on helping you transition into Level 6 study and preparing you for independent research and critical academic writing.
There will be a strong emphasis on critical analysis, academic reading, reflective practice, and linking theory to professional practice.
You will also begin considering areas of interest for your Independent Research Project.
Blackboard
Throughout the course, you will use Blackboard, the university’s online learning platform, to access module materials, assignment information, announcements, readings, and submission links. Other online platforms may also be used to support collaborative learning and communication.
Course Padlet
Before starting the course, it is important that you engage with the course Padlet and complete any introductory activities provided, especially around your dissertation.
This will help familiarise you with the course structure, expectations, and key themes you will encounter during your studies.
Please access the Padlet here: https://padlet.com/cccu/welcome-and-induction-padlet-ba-top-up-childhood-and-youth-c-kpctyvn9lkjyfsti
It may also be useful to explore resources available through the Learning Skills Hub
We encourage students to reflect on their professional experiences and current workplace practice before beginning the course, as many modules will require you to critically analyse and apply theory within real-world contexts.
Your Must Do Tasks
Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student.
Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.
Pre-course reading
The following texts will be useful for your course:
British Educational Research Association (BERA) (2024) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. 5th edn. London: BERA. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-fifth-edition-2024
Cottrell, S. (2023) Critical Thinking Skills: Effective Analysis, Argument and Reflection. 4th edn. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Greetham, B., Boyle, J. and Ramsay, S. (2026) How to Write Your Undergraduate Dissertation. 4th edn. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Contact details
Have a question?