Course Essentials
We would like to welcome you wholeheartedly to the Early Childhood Studies Degree at Canterbury Christ Church University. Our team are really looking forward to studying the lives of young children and their childhoods with you. Throughout your degree, we will provide you with the skills and knowledge to enable you to transition into a graduate that will work with, and be an ambassador for, young children, their families, and the communities to which they belong.
Amy McKaughan
Course Director
Your Teaching Timetable
Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
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.
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Your Semester 1 Modules |
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The Big Picture* |
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The Fearless Learner |
*All Foundation Year students take The Big Picture during Semester 1. The module includes shared lectures and smaller seminar and pastoral groups.
Seminar groups are arranged broadly by subject area so that discussions, examples, and activities can connect to your intended degree course.
The Unitimetables page shows an overview of all scheduled teaching for the module. You will not be expected to attend every seminar shown there.
Your confirmed lecture, seminar, and pastoral group will be available in MyTimetable once course registration and group allocations have been completed.
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Semesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome
Welcome to Early Childhood Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University.
We are excited to welcome you to our learning community and to support you as you begin your university journey. Your Welcome Week is an essential introduction to both your course and the wider University, helping you to feel confident, connected, and prepared for your studies from the very start.
We strongly encourage you to attend all Welcome Week activities. These sessions will help you become familiar with university systems, understand what to expect from your studies, and learn about the support available throughout your degree. They are also a valuable opportunity to ask questions, meet your lecturers, and start building friendships with other students.
During Welcome Week, you will meet your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT). Your PAT will support you throughout your degree, helping you navigate university life, reflect on your progress, and make the most of the opportunities available to you. They will be one of your key points of contact during your time with us.
Please check your Course Welcome Week timetable carefully for all activities you are required to attend as part of your induction, you can view this in the Welcome and Induction box at the top of this page.
We also encourage you to explore the Student Events Hub and Students’ Union Welcome Fair. These events are a great way to meet new people, discover opportunities across the university, and begin making CCCU your community.
Getting started
Your Course
During your foundation year you will have the opportunity to meet and learn with both students on your course and other new foundation year students from different courses.
In Semester 1, your first module will be, ‘Fearless Learner’.
This module will introduce you to the importance of research in Education. You will become knowledgeable of current key educational issues and debates.
This will enable you to develop your academic skills through analysing and evaluating research. You will be able to draw upon your own educational experiences.
The second module, ‘The Big Picture ’, will enable you to develop your knowledge of cutting-edge themes including social disadvantage, gender, race, disability sustainability and social justice.
In Semester 2 you will then go on to complete the following modules:
- The Power of Arts, Humanities and Education
- Education; Transforming Lives
- Your Journey To Success
- Success Modules – 2 x 5 credit modules
During your first few weeks, you will focus on settling into university life, building relationships with your lecturers and fellow students, developing your academic skills.
Digital Learning
Throughout your degree, you will use a range of digital systems to support your learning, including Blackboard, Microsoft 365, Turnitin, and your Learning Journey portfolio via Pebblepad. Your lecturers will introduce you to these systems during Welcome Week and your first teaching sessions, so there is no expectation that you are already familiar with them.
To help you prepare
You may wish to do the following modules on the CCCU Learning Hub to support your transition to university. Please follow the links below.
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.
International student success programme
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.
Contact details
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