Lincoln Bishop lecturer announces revised competencies for Early Childhood Studies

Dr Samantha Hoyes, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies and co-chair of the Professionalism and Workforce Strategy (PAWS) group for the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN), is delighted to share the newly updated Early Childhood Competencies, which were launched in Birmingham on the 27th March 2026.

Sam has been an active member of the ECSDN for several years. More recently, she has worked closely with Professor Verity Campbell‑Barr from the University of Plymouth in co-chairing PAWS. Together, they support the group’s mission to ensure Early Childhood Studies students develop into confident, knowledgeable, and well‑prepared graduates. 

PAWS also works to champion the professional identity of Early Childhood Studies students and graduates, using the collective expertise of its members to promote the professionalisation of the early childhood workforce.

In March 2025, Sam and Verity began leading a review of the Early Childhood Competencies. First introduced in 2019, these competencies were designed to strengthen Early Childhood Studies degrees and ensure graduates leave university with a strong, holistic understanding of early childhood development, and the ability to apply and critically reflect on theory in practice (ECSDN, 2026).

As part of the review, the team gathered views from both lecturers and students through focus groups and questionnaires and received feedback from over 90 students. These insights helped shape the revised competencies, which have now been streamlined and updated so they are more closely aligned with other professional qualifications in the sector.

Sam commented: “We are really excited about these changes. These revisions build on the strong foundations of earlier iterations by making the role of values more explicit in shaping the knowledge and practices expected of early childhood graduates. 

“The updated framework moves beyond outlining technical competence to emphasise the ethical, relational, and rights‑based dimensions of practice, recognising that effective work with young children requires principled judgement, critical thinking, and a commitment to equity, inclusion, and social justice”. 

Here at Lincoln Bishop, we have been offering the Early Childhood Competencies since September 2021. During this time, five students have successfully completed this additional award alongside their BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree, with another cohort of five due to graduate in July 2026. Students who have taken part have consistently spoken positively about the experience, particularly valuing the extra placement opportunities and the enhanced professional insights it offers.

We are excited to introduce the updated competency framework from September 2026, and we look forward to supporting the next generation of Early Childhood professionals! 

For more about this course, or any of our joints please click here. 

For more information about the work of the ECSDN, and the Graduate Practitioner Competencies (document pictured below), please visit: https://www.ecsdn.org/