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Nursing (Children's)

BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: B708

Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026

Full time: 3 years; previously qualified, post-experience nurses (except children's nurses) may complete in a shorter period, depending on entry credit

Location: Headington (Marston Road site)

Department(s): Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

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Overview

Develop knowledge of complex care for children and young people. Look at how medications act on body systems. Examine the factors that affect health and illness. Then dive into a rewarding career making a difference to the lives of children, and their families and carers, every day.

Children’s nursing is constantly evolving – and we care about you being at the forefront of healthcare delivery. That’s why we designed our course to ensure that 50% of your time is spent gaining practical experience caring for children and young people. We’re ranked 1st in The Guardian League Table for children’s nursing. And you’ll be taught by research-active children’s nursing practitioners, who are passionate about supporting students to become practitioners who provide the best evidence informed nursing care.

We prepare you to be a confident, professional practitioner. You’ll be able to care for children from newborn to teenage years, in the ever-changing health and social care environment. And having developed empathy, sensitivity and excellent communication skills you are bound to succeed.

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Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Top 10 in the UK

    Nursing (Children's) is ranked 1st in the Guardian Children's Nursing subject league ranking 2024 and now 2025. 

  • Unbeatable opportunities

    You’ll develop quickly through placements in varied children’s nursing settings. We’ve been commended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for excellent partnership working.

  • Interactive facilities

    We work closely with Oxford Health to develop interprofessional simulations, being 1 of only 19 universities that are accredited to offer additional simulation hours.

  • Home to experts

    You’ll be taught by an expert research-active team with experience across a wide range of settings. This means your studies will be underpinned by the latest developments in the field.

  • Small year group sizes

    Benefit from more personalised support from teaching staff and experience a stronger sense of community and collaboration among students.

  • Free language courses

    Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

  • Accreditation(s)

    Approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

    • Nursing and Midwifery Council

Course details

Course structure

You'll start with an introduction to evidence-informed practice and critical thinking for clinical environments. As you progress you'll develop your knowledge of anatomy, terminology and physiological principles. And cover professional values, ethical principles and the culture of nursing.

You’ll thrive in a variety of work placements. With 50% of your learning being in clinical practice, you will work in partnership with local health providers. This includes Oxford Health and Oxford University Hospitals trust with access to the Oxford Children's Hospital covering regional medical and surgical services, a paediatric critical care department and the Oxford Newborn Care Unit and private organisations providing hospice and respite care.

Access to outstanding facilities including our state-of-the-art simulation suite mean you can develop your clinical expertise in a safe environment. You'll also collaborate with students from nursing and paramedic courses and medical students for Oxford University.

Our team of highly qualified practitioners will support and guide you throughout.

Student relaxing in the John Henry Brookes Building

Learning and teaching

Your learning will include:

  • experiential learning or practice learning
  • mentoring, coaching and supervising
  • active learning such as projects or role-play
  • student-centred learning such as self-assessment, reading, or finding evidence
  • online learning such as quizzes or specialist lectures
  • use of technology, including social media, networking, mobile health (mHealth), or Electronic Patient Records (EPR)
  • collaborative learning with other nursing students, other cultures, teams and agencies
  • problem-based/solution-focused learning.

Simulation Based Education (SBE) takes place in a safe learning environment. These look like a real clinic or hospital and allow you to role play in clinical situations.

Placements can include:

  • working within community health care teams (supported by a district nurse, health visitor or school nurse)
  • working in acute settings within local Trusts.

Assessment

As with all pre-registration nursing courses, the BSc Nursing (Children's) course is made up of 50% theory and 50% practice.

All modules have an assessment component. We ask you to show how what you are learning enhances patient care.

Assessments can include:

  • reflective essays
  • presentations
  • clinical examinations
  • multiple choice examinations
  • neighbourhood studies
  • case studies.

You will be assessed for your practice learning during the Education in Nursing Practice modules. You must pass to fulfil the professional requirements to be eligible for registration as a Nurse.

Your work during placements will be assessed by a mentor with the necessary qualifications to function as a practice assessor (NMC Pre-registration Standards (2010)

Study modules

Teaching for this course takes place Face to Face and you can expect around 7 hours of contact time per week.
In addition to this, you should also anticipate a workload of 1,200 hours per year. Teaching usually takes place Monday to Friday, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Contact hours involve activities such as lectures, seminars, practicals, assessments, and academic advising sessions. These hours differ by year of study and typically increase significantly during placements or other types of work-based learning.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

  • Preparation for Academic and Professional Learning

    As a nursing student, this module will help to prepare you for academic and professional learning. You will develop the skills for academic writing, including your academic integrity. You will be introduced to evidence informed practice and critical thinking. 

    You will select reflective tools and explore the concept of reflection as a tool for developing your self-awareness and learning in the academic and clinical environments.
     

  • Bioscience for Nursing Practice

    Following the UK Bioscience in Nurse Education guidance, this module will help you to build confidence in bioscience knowledge that underpins nursing clinical practice. This will include developing your knowledge of anatomy, scientific terminology and physiological principles that underpin health and illness, including microbiology and genetics. You will also look at how medications act on body systems.

    The knowledge you develop and build will help to inform your clinical decision making and communication regarding patient care.
     

  • Foundations of Nursing Practice

    This module is your introduction to professional values, professional identity, ethical principles and the culture and practice of nursing. You will study themes such as: 

    • team working
    • collaborative practice
    • person and family centred care
    • nursing models.

    Which will also include the nursing process; within the context of your field of practice. You will also look at caring for people across the lifespan and to meet the specific care needs of people within your chosen field of practice. To help you develop a sound basis of nursing practice.
     

  • Children, Family and Health

    This module is your introduction to a systems approach and will help you build a foundational knowledge of working with families. You will look at child and family modes of communication, together with child and family assessment, child development and developing relationships with families. You’ll examine how wider influences and determinants of health such as political, global and socioeconomic factors affect family development. 

    Also you’ll look at how key Public Health, health promotion and education strategies aim to address such health inequalities. Through this module you’ll build your knowledge and nursing skills in relation to education, empowerment, and advocacy to provide sound professional judgement and collaborative working across agencies.

    This module prepares you for your second year modules:

    • Assessment and Planning Nursing Care for Children and Young People
    • Promoting Health in Children's Nursing Practice. 
       

  • Clinical Practice Experience 1 (Children's)

    Through simulation based education and direct care, this module will help you to develop a relevant knowledge base, skills and behaviours to fulfil the professional requirements for the childrens nursing programme.  

    Your placement experience for this module will usually include two placements during the year. Completion of this module will contribute to the achievement of Part 1 of your programme.
     

Year 2

Compulsory modules

  • Research Methods and Analysis

  • Promoting Health in Children's Nursing Practice

    In this module, you’ll learn how to support families, children, and communities with regards to lifestyle changes that are designed to improve overall health. You’ll be introduced to the key concepts surrounding public health, and will train in facilitating this knowledge into the wider community to enhance health activities. You’ll familiarise yourself with the latest National Public Health resources which will support your children’s nursing practice activities with a range of strategies, models and approaches.

    As you progress through this module your confidence will grow to incorporate prevention campaigns and focused community approaches. You will train to explore health promotion determinants that can complement existing resources in health education. This module will build upon your learning in Year 1. 

  • Clinical Practice Experience 2 (Children's)

    In order to fulfil your professional requirements and qualify as a registered nurse, you will need to complete this module. Through a combination of simulation practice learning (SPL) and direct care, you will develop the relevant knowledge base and skills to ensure you meet the requirements for the children’s nursing programme. You will gain transferable skills for application in a range of clinical settings, and will be offered placement experience opportunities. There will be two placements during the year. Completion of this module will contribute to the achievement of Part 2 of your programme. 

  • Assessing and Planning Nursing Care for Children and Young People

    You’ll build upon your knowledge and understanding gained in the bioscience module of Year 1 with an increased focus on the clinical assessment of childhood illnesses. You will base your findings on a combination of processes associated with disease or injury, how medicines affect the body, and holistic treatments. You’ll learn how to consolidate and evaluate insights and information gathered to develop integrated individualised plans of care while incorporating legal, ethical and professional issues. You’ll apply current tools and frameworks to aid assessment and planning that will enhance your ability to make clinical decisions. 

  • Enhancing Therapeutic Relationships in Nursing Practice

    Research shows that better relationships with patients leads to better outcomes. In this module, you’ll gain an insight into how the diverse experiences of people and their families inform all stages of the nursing process, and help them get the most out of therapy from a physical and mental health care perspective.

    You’ll deepen your knowledge from Year 1 of how human connection, communication and self-awareness can be a crucial element in forming a therapeutic relationship with the patient, greatly influencing their quality of care and overall health outcome.

    You will be supported to critically reflect on the concept of therapeutic use of self and approaches to working collaboratively with people and their families, who may be at any stage of life and who may have a range of mental, physical, cognitive or behavioural health challenges.

    By the end of this module, you’ll be able to manage individuals’ physical, psychosocial and developmental stages in order to inform your practice.  

Year 3

Compulsory modules

  • Complex Care of Children, Young People and their Families

    In this module, you’ll gain the necessary skills to identify and analyse issues related to the nursing care of children and young people with complex health care needs in critical, acute and community settings. You’ll get the chance to work both independently and within a team, critically analysing evidence and identifying situational needs to formulate evidence-based interventions. As part of this module, you’ll be given the task of completing a comprehensive nursing assessment for a child in a given scenario. You’ll experience the process of identifying actual and potential problems. You’ll design plans and frameworks to meet the needs of children with complex care, and you’ll discuss how collaborative working with other professionals provides optimal care. By the end of this module, you will be rewarded with a firm grounding in the provision of holistic health to support the needs and improve the outcomes for children and young people with complex needs, and their families. 

  • Clinical Practice Experience 3 (Children's)

    Through a combination of simulation-based education and direct care, this module will allow you to develop a relevant knowledge base, skills and behaviours to fulfil the professional requirements for the children’s nursing programme, and ensure you are eligible for nurse registration. You’ll undergo two placement experiences during the year, and completion of this module will contribute to your achievement of Part 3 of your programme. 

  • Consolidation of Children's Nursing Practice

    This module will equip you with the required confidence and competencies to deliver the high-quality skills, knowledge and strategies required to be an effective independent children’s nurse. You will gain the ability to develop and manage your own professional practice, in addition to progressing your management and leadership skills to support colleagues around you and further develop the Nursing profession in an ever-changing healthcare environment. You’ll build resilience and a critical understanding of the children’s healthcare world, which will contribute to your lifelong learning and future career prospects as a children’s nurse. You’ll learn about accountability of your role in creating strategies that promote teaching and learning, taking personal, social and cultural influences into account, and you’ll explore how effective leadership qualities can be used in partnership with diverse teams across professional and organisational boundaries. 

  • Dissertation

    In this module you’ll develop research awareness and understanding of the principles and how to apply them in this particular clinical practice. You’ll be given the opportunity to identify your own research question and undertake an independent project under the guidance of an academic member of staff. In addition, there will be the chance to utilise various texts and literature to support your study.

Work placements

Optional modules

Work placements

In the Children’s Nursing programme, 50% of learning is in clinical practice. We enjoy an excellent working partnership with our local health providers, collaborating closely with our clinical colleagues to plan and deliver your programme of learning. Students gain experience in a wide range of community and acute placement settings for the care of children and their families. Placement areas have excellent national and international reputations for innovation and the quality of care offered. You will work alongside your mentor and are required to work both day and night shifts, according to the shift pattern used within the practice setting. This allows you to experience care as it is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is in accordance with NMC (2010) standards for pre-registration nursing education. While on placement, you will be supported by a named member of staff from the placement known as a mentor, as well as a link lecturer from the University.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Careers

After completing the course, you'll be able to register as a children’s nurse with the NMC and work in a range of settings. There are many career possibilities, especially with the rapid growth in digital healthcare and research. With 100% of our students gaining employment on graduating, you can go straight into hospital positions in acute, critical or emergency care or community. Or how about making a difference in the community or supporting at a research facility?

As you progress in your career, you will have a wider range of options open to you, whether that is in advanced practice management or education. Some students choose to study for a PhD to pursue a career in academia or clinical research.

Whichever route you take, we have a strong track record of successful graduate employment. And many of our students are headhunted because of the vast range of experience given on the course.

Our Staff

Mrs Emma Inness

I am currently subject co-ordinator for undergraduate children's nursing. I am also the lead for children's nursing simulated learning (which mainly takes place in our simulation suites) and I lead on children's practice related teaching in years 2 and 3 of the nursing course.

Read more about Emma
Left
Right

Mrs Emma Inness

I am currently subject co-ordinator for undergraduate children's nursing. I am also the lead for children's nursing simulated learning (which mainly takes place in our simulation suites) and I lead on children's practice related teaching in years 2 and 3 of the nursing course.

Read more about Emma

Entry requirements

Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.

Standard offer

UCAS Tariff Points: 112

A Level: BBC

IB Points: 30

BTEC: DMM

Contextual offer

What is a contextual offer?

UCAS Tariff Points: 88

A Level: CCD

IB Points: 27

BTEC: MMM

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process


Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCAS


International applicants
Apply direct to the University

Full time international applicants can also apply through UCAS

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
International full time
£16,700
Home (UK) full time
£9,250*
International full time
£17,750

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£9,250
International full time
£16,700
2025 / 26
Home (UK) full time
£9,250*
International full time
£17,750

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

* Following the government’s announcement of 4 November 2024, we expect to increase our undergraduate tuition fees for UK students to £9,535 from the start of the 2025/26 academic year. Please visit The Education Hub for more information about the changes. We will confirm our fees for 2025/26 as soon as possible.

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students. 

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Financial support and scholarships

All eligible nursing students on courses from September 2020 (new and continuing) will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. For more information please visit NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF).

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Additional costs for this course are as follows:

  • Books and other learning resources
  • Exchanges
  • Library loans and fees
  • Living costs at university
  • Graduation
  • Photocopying and printing of posters
  • Travel to and from placement (if eligible can apply for reimbursement via NHS learning support fund)
  • Shoes for practice
  • Equipment for practice (e.g. stethoscopes) and suitable non clinical clothing for community placements.

This list is not exhaustive and other course-specific costs may be incurred.

For the most up-to-date information on additional costs, please keep checking the website as we will update this as further information becomes available.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.