Early Years Childhood and Family Studies (Top Up) Welcome Pack
Welcome to BA (Hons) Early Years, Childhood and Family Studies (Top-Up) – September 2026.
Welcome to the BA (Hons) Early Years, Childhood and Family Studies (Top-Up). This course is designed for practitioners who already hold a Level 5 qualification. You are coming to us with real experience of working with children and families, and that experience matters because the course is structured around it.
Over the year, you will study modules covering working with families and communities, contemporary issues in childhood and youth and graduate leadership. You will also complete a research and inquiry module before beginning your dissertation- an independent research project on a topic that matters to you and your practice.
We deliver through Social Online Learning: live interactive sessions on Monday evenings (Wednesday evenings in Semester 1) and alternative Saturday mornings after Christmas, alongside structured independent study through NILE. We know many of you are balancing study with work and family commitments, and the model is designed with that in mind.
In the first few weeks, you will meet your Personal Academic Tutor and begin working on EYS3146: Working with Families and Developing Communities, which eases you into Level 6 study…
We are looking forward to having you on the course!
Your Course Leader
David Meechan
Senior Lecturer in Education
david.meechan@northampton.ac.uk
David is your first point of contact for questions about the course, timetabling, and your overall experience on the programme.
Additional staff
- Peter Goy, Senior Lecturer in Education
- Poppie Ephgrave, Lecturer in Education and Society
Preparing for your course
In preparation for your course starting in October, we hold an online drop in session beforehand so you can meet your Academic Team and other students studying the same course. This will be held on Wednesday 30 September. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact David Mechan: David.meechan@northampton.ac.uk.
Wednesday 30 September
Session: Welcome – Drop In
- Time: 6pm-7pm (BST)
- Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/343808919933236?p=1gmfrtBWZMHeMqoURU
Please make sure you are somewhere quiet, where you can use your camera and microphone.
Saturday 10 October
Session: Welcome to the Course and Skills Session
To kick things off we will begin with a special welcome session hat introduces you to the University of Northampton, the top-up course itself and Level 6 study.
The second half of this session will specifically focus on what skills are needed at Level 6 and share resources and approaches for developing these across your studies.
- Time: 9am – 1pm (BST)
- Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/366898611721951?p=WDrtLuzOzchpC1opDh
Please make sure you are suing a laptop- or similar device as opposed to smart phone/tablet as these devices can limit functionality whilst online. Please make sure you are somewhere quiet, where you can use your camera and microphone.
