Category: Uncategorized

  • Volunteering in Uganda by Chloe Bourne

    Volunteering in Uganda by Chloe Bourne

    In September, I was given the opportunity to travel to Uganda to act as a volunteer. This opportunity was presented to me through the University of Sunderland Futures Fund. Throughout my time in Uganda, In this blog, I am going to talk about the four different project I was involved in during my time there.…

  • My Experience with the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies by Caitlin Armstrong

    My Experience with the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies by Caitlin Armstrong

    I first heard about the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies (ECGPCs) within the second semester of the first year on my course. I was instantly interested in this opportunity as it was an extra qualification for me to have additional to my degree and I was excited about the aspect of placement and enhancing my…

  • Outdoor Play is Healthy by Sarah Watkins

    Outdoor Play is Healthy by Sarah Watkins

    Sarah Watkins is a Forest School leader, a head teacher and writes books about outdoor play. Read the interview with Sarah (link below) where she discusses outdoor play, forest schools and children’s well-being:

  • The Future of Nursery Provision – by Dr. Jackie Musgrave

    The Future of Nursery Provision – by Dr. Jackie Musgrave

    This week’s blog is written by Dr. Jackie Musgrave, one of our colleagues at the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN). Jackie is joint Vice-Chair for the Research and Knowledge Strategy group at the ECSDN and an Associate Head of the School of Teaching and Learning at the Open University. In this fascinating blog she discusses…

  • Why I REALLY want to be a teacher by Lisa Wilson

    Why I REALLY want to be a teacher by Lisa Wilson

    When I thought about what being a teacher would be like, I imagined the lesson planning, I imagined the parents’ evenings, and I imagined these fascinating engaging lessons where children love to learn. I basically imagined utopia. I wasn’t prepared for just how much I’d fall in love with it – and for none of…

  • MA – Motivated or Moved? By Helen Haygarth

    MA – Motivated or Moved? By Helen Haygarth

    As I sit at my laptop, I reflect on the journey I have been on and the one I travel now. At 46 I do feel content and that contentment leads me to feel successful. Yet the need to learn and develop does not diminish. After my undergrad degree I knew, I would want to…

  • Reflecting on the Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies by Rebecca Wolstenholme

    Reflecting on the Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies by Rebecca Wolstenholme

    I decided to do the childhood graduate practitioner competencies alongside my degree to gain experience in the field, enhance my skills and to gain the extra certificate which I am hopeful will help me stand out when looking for graduate jobs. During my first year on this route, I have had a placement in a…

  • Being a teenager in a Pandemic by Faiza Rezai

    Being a teenager in a Pandemic by Faiza Rezai

    This week we have a blog from one of our first year BA (hons) Childhood Studies students. Faiza Rezai wrote this blog last year, expressing her thoughts and feelings of being a teenager during the pandemic. She has shared this with us as her feelings around that time are still very much relevant today. An…

  • ECGPC Special – Gayle Victoria Blackburn answers YOUR questions

    To continue our celebration of the Early Childhood Graduate Practitioner Competencies, today we have a special podcast with Gayle Victoria Blackburn who is the ECGPC lead at the University of Sunderland. Our Childhood Studies students have been submitting their questions and I was able to sit with Gayle and talk through the questions to find…

  • My Professional Journey by Alexandra Lock (EYGPC Special Edition)

    My Professional Journey by Alexandra Lock (EYGPC Special Edition)

    This week we are celebrating the Early Years Graduate Practitioner Competencies. The competencies allow students to develop their practical and reflective skills up to level 6. We will round this week off with a fantastic podcast from Gayle Victoria Blackburn who will answer the burning questions about the graduate practitioner competencies. For you today we…