BA (Hons) Childhood (Therapeutic Play)

Child Development

This module introduces the nature of developmental psychology and encourages a critical understanding of psychological theories in relation to children’s development.

You will explore implications for practice within Early Years curriculums and policy, and investigate the relationships between different domains, such as biological, social, emotional and cognitive.

You will be introduced to the idea that development is not fixed at ages and stages, but instead is influenced by social and historical contexts, and explore links between theories of child development and how they underpin and inform practice within the Early Years sector.  

Introduction to Academic and Professional Skills

The aim of this module is to develop your understanding of professional and academic skills, including academic writing, reasoning, argument, and critical thinking. 

You will be introduced to a range of literature and study various approaches to topics covered within their respective subject areas.

This module will develop digital literacy skills to support professional readiness and will include CV writing and employability skills.

Safeguarding and Integrated Practice

This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of the child safeguarding agenda and underpinning legislation.

You will be introduced to current debates around children’s rights, within the current and relevant political frameworks. The complex inter-relationships between protection and rights will also be explored.

You will develop a clear understanding of their duty to safeguard and the reporting responsibilities that accompany this in practice.

Culture, Diversity and Challenging Prejudice

This module aims to develop cultural awareness, promote respect for diversity and develop an understanding of the roots of prejudice. Through discussion and activities, it will encourage you to reflect on personal attitudes and unconscious bias.

In this module, you will consider the impact of cultural heritage, poverty and diversity on education and lived experience and will make clear links to sustainable development goals.  

Introduction to Health and Wellbeing

This module aims to introduce you to the concept of health and wellbeing, as well as the various factors that influence a child’s health. You will explore different perspectives on the definitions of health and wellbeing, gaining a deeper understanding of the holistic aspects of health.

There will be a focus on children’s developmental understanding of health and wellbeing, alongside an examination of the impact of both short-term illnesses and long-term conditions.

The module will also examine the overall health of children within the nation, identifying key areas of concern. You will explore health inequalities and the factors contributing to the decline or improvements in children’s health. Both the short-term and long-term consequences of children not achieving optimal health and wellbeing will be discussed.

You will be introduced to the roles of the multidisciplinary teams in the health and education sectors, focusing on how they support children’s health and wellbeing. Additionally, you will explore the connection between these practices and the health frameworks in both sectors, along with their alignment to government policies and initiatives.

By the end of the module, you will have developed a solid foundation of knowledge to support children’s health and wellbeing across education, social care, and health settings.

Children’s Play and Creativity

This module will explore the role of play and creativity in child development. This will include definitions and characteristics of play as well as different types of play.

You will examine the theoretical perspectives and research that underpins the study of play in childhood. There will be guidance and encouragement to foster an awareness of how cultural, social, and historical contexts shape the nature and value of play and creativity.

Areas explored in the module will include the influence of technology on traditional play and the role of play in education, including the impact of play-based learning on academic achievement. You will discuss barriers to play, the impact of overscheduling, and the decline of play in modern society.

Childhood, Poverty and Sustainability

This module introduces you to the interrelated and interconnected themes of childhood, poverty and sustainability. The contemporary nature of poverty including definitions, measurements, causes, impact and solutions will be explored in connection to children. 

Sustainability in its various forms (with reference to the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals) will be investigated, including inter-connections with Childhood and poverty. Key theories, concepts and debates will be introduced and discussed.   

Assessed Practice Placement 1 

The aim of this module is to provide you with an understanding of the workplace practices of settings that provide provision for children and young people. For students following the ECS route and students from the CwTP route wishing to work in EY contexts, this will provide experience commensurate with DfE ‘full and relevant’ status requirements. 

You will develop an understanding of key frameworks including the National Curriculum and EYFS, in addition to setting-specific frameworks including those used in health and care settings. The placement will provide opportunities to apply the theoretical knowledge obtained in lectures, and allow you to begin to work with experienced professionals delivering care, education, and interventions which focus on social and emotional wellbeing. 

The module will provide you with opportunities to both observe good practice and begin to take responsibility for direct tasks with children, young people and families under supervision. 

Throughout the module, you will learn about the role of various professionals and the strategies and initiatives in place to support and promote the wellbeing of children and young people. 

How to Research 

The module aims to promote an understanding of research in the field of Childhood and to develop awareness of ‘research mindedness’, i.e., qualitative, quantitative and mixed research approaches.

The module will help prepare you to conduct primary research for your independent project. It will introduce skills such as planning, using a range of research methods, collecting and evaluating empirical material, and opportunities to analyse, interpret and synthesise data.

Controversies over different research approaches will be debated, as well as the suitability of different methods for different research questions, including concepts such as objectivity, subjectivity, and validity in researching the social world. It will include questions about research ethics and issues around reflexivity.

Understanding Children’s Behaviour

This module will enable you to develop knowledge and critical understanding of the differing theoretical perspectives on children’s behaviour.

Factors relating to children’s specific needs, family, Early Years settings, wider society and culture will be critically analysed, including concepts and principles of inclusion.

You will have the opportunity to explore theories, significant and emerging, relating to the psychology of children’s behaviour and how to support them.  

You will also explore a range of factors relating to children’s behaviour. Other influences, including our own values and belief systems, will be reflected on.

You will explore through case studies how to provide for and support children’s behaviour and emotions within settings, working with and in partnership with others.

The Resilient Child 

The module will make links to current theory and practice and discuss and evaluate concepts of resilience. It will explore strategies that can be used by professionals to support the development of resilience in children. Key themes will include: ACEs, theories of containment, emotional safety, trauma informed practice, and promoting resilience. 

You will experience a variety of learning and teaching opportunities during the module. Formal lectures will be complemented by appropriate activities to embed learning. Process groups will be facilitated by a group leader and will provide a safe forum to consider how personal experience and opinions may influence professional practice in relation to emotional wellbeing and resilience.  

The module relies upon your participation to maximise learning opportunities. Indicative reading will be circulated for specific topics to form the basis of group work, debate, and exploration of issues. Visiting speakers will be used when available. 

Working with Families 

The aims for this module are to enable you to develop your knowledge, understanding, and skills of working empathically with families facing adversity.  You will consider the impact of family circumstances on the developing child and begin to explore the practitioner role in building an alliance and working with resistance. 

Often the children and young people that we are working with will have shared adverse experiences, and family factors may have played a significant role. This module will help to prepare you to work with children and young people by first recognising the importance of respect, understanding, and compassion when building relationships with the child’s support network, holding in mind that these family members may be facing their own personal difficulties which may impact their level of support or availability for the child or young person. 

You will use a recorded medium to demonstrate your growing skills in building the therapeutic alliance or parent-setting relationship. You will use this opportunity to utilise peer review and develop your skills as reflective, holistic practitioners. 

Preparing for a Therapeutic Intervention 

The aims for this module are to enable you to develop your knowledge, understanding, and skills of working therapeutically with children and families facing adversity.  You will consider the impact of family circumstances on the developing child and begin to explore the practitioner role in building a therapeutic alliance and working with resistance. 

Often the children and young people that we are working with will have shared your adverse experience, and family factors may have played a significant role. This module will help to prepare you to work therapeutically with children and young people by first recognising the importance of respect, understanding, and compassion when building relationships with the child’s support network, holding in mind that these family members may be facing their own personal difficulties which may impact their level of support or availability for the child or young person. 

You will use a recorded medium to demonstrate your growing skills in building the therapeutic alliance. You will use this opportunity to utilise peer review and develop your skills as a reflective, therapeutic practitioner. 

Symbolism and Metaphor 

This module aims to introduce students to the theoretical foundations of symbolism and metaphor in the context of therapeutic play, including cultural, psychological, and developmental significance. 

Students will explore how metaphors and symbols can be effectively used in therapeutic interventions to address emotional, behavioural, and developmental challenges in children and young people. They will also develop an understanding of symbolism and metaphor as essential elements of human communication, thought, and creativity. 

The module will be a forum for students to cultivate self-awareness and critical thinking in students, encouraging them to reflect on their own use of language, metaphor and non-verbal communication in therapeutic contexts. 

Students will investigate how metaphors shape perceptions, emotions, and behaviours, and their role in fostering understanding and empathy. They will be encouraged to engage critically with current research and reflect on their personal experiences with symbolism and metaphor. 

Gestalt therapy, Jung’s work on archetypes and the collective unconscious, art therapy techniques, narrative therapy techniques, somatic and bodily therapies, and ecotherapy will all be considered for their value in exploring symbolic connection and creative insight. 

Independent Project 

Childhood is a multidisciplinary subject; the final independent project allows you to use conventions from a broad range of disciplines.

The independent project is designed to engage you in a longer-term and analytical piece of research on a topic relevant to the aspect of Childhood you are studying. This might include research that fits into either a qualitative and/or a quantitative framework. 

Special Educational Needs and Disability 

The central aim of this module is to develop a critical understanding of the issues that surround special educational needs and disability (SEND) in society and Early Years settings, with reference to government policy initiatives and legislation.

The history, economic and social dimensions of issues relating to special educational needs and disability will be explored, along with an analysis of the impact upon children, families and working practices. The origins and meanings of related terminology will be explored and debated. Students will be encouraged to analyse and reflect on their experiences of working with children in education and/or care settings. 

Therapeutic Play 

This module aims to explore and critically analyse the centrality of play in enabling children to make sense of the world around them and their own place within that world, especially when experiencing trauma.  It will analyse the role of the adult in understanding a child’s experiences through a therapeutic perspective of play. 

The module will critically reflect upon different therapeutic modalities. A range of focused interventions which benefit children will be experienced and analysed. It will also consider the relevance and importance of the theoretical underpinning of the field of Play Therapy.  

Children, Stories and the Media 

Students will use children’s stories and the media to explore current and past constructs of childhood.  Specific examples of stories and media are used to consider the wider social, cultural, and educational issues that surround their production and consumption.

The module analyses the ways in which children engage with these areas and explores a range of theories from different disciplines that seek to understand the nature of this engagemen

Assessed Practice Placement 2 

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of the workplace practices of settings that provide provision for children and young people. For students following the Childhood (assessed Practice) route and students from the Therapeutic Play route wishing to work in EY contexts, this will provide experience commensurate with DfE ‘full and relevant’ status requirements. 

Students will develop an understanding of key frameworks including the National Curriculum and EYFS, in addition to setting-specific frameworks including those used in health and care settings. The placement will provide opportunities to apply the theoretical knowledge obtained in lectures, and allow students to begin to work with experienced professionals delivering care, education, and interventions which focus on social and emotional wellbeing. 

The module will provide opportunities to both observe good practice and begin to take responsibility for direct tasks with children, young people and families under supervision.

Throughout the module, students will learn about the role of various professionals and the strategies and initiatives in place to support and promote the wellbeing of children and young people.