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Why choose the School of Education
Ofsted – we are a ‘Good’ provider with Outstanding in Quality of leadership and management across our partnerships.
95% of our Education and Teaching graduates are in employment or further studies 15 months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes, 2023)
Over 90% of students across all courses are employed within the first six months of graduation
100% of our undergraduate Primary Education graduates have secured jobs by the end of their course
Our Early Childhood Education course ranks 8th in its subject table for graduate prospects on track (Complete University Guide, 2024)
All teaching-training staff have QTS and were previously employed as teachers and/or head teachers; we also have teaching staff who are school governors or active members of their national subject associations
About the course
This degree is aimed at professional support staff working or volunteering in schools and educational settings. It builds on your existing professional skills and competencies, enhancing your professional practice. On successful completion, you can apply for Qualifying to Teach courses at primary and early years levels.
The course offers a range of flexible pathways, designed so you can continue to work while studying. All courses are delivered during the school year and are term time only. Choose from evening part-time study at Putteridge Bury and our Bedford campus; a flexible, part-time blended learning pathway (includes two Saturday study days each term); and a full-time option at Bedford (study one day per week). It is the only course locally offering this flexibility of degree study for working students.
Why choose this course?
- Study full or part time while working in an educational setting and use your work experience towards your course
- Benefit from experienced support in helping you balance work, study and family commitments
- Develop a strong foundation and in-depth understanding of educational provision for children aged between 3 and 11 years, and children in special education working at levels commensurate with this age band
- Learn the skills you need to apply for Qualifying to Teach courses
- You can gain your Honours degree in three or four years although your study can be spread over a longer period
- A highly successful course in terms of student satisfaction (100% overall satisfaction, NSS 2022) and student outcomes (86% of students graduated with a 2:1 or above in 2022)
Apply direct
To apply for this course, please contact admission@beds.ac.uk
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
Course Leader - Allyson Goodchild
I began my teaching career in 1989 as a class teacher and have taught in both inner city and rural primary schools as a senior leader and as a Headteacher.
I have also worked as an associate for Human Scale Education, visiting schools around the country to support them in developing their school environments.
What will you study?
Developing Learning
This unit aims to examine the issue of how our understanding of child development and learning is informed by research and theory and pedagogy.
How can knowledge of theory and research on child development and learning inform our policies and practices in supporting babies, children and young people’s individual development?
The work-based elements will enable the synthesis between the theoretical concepts studied in the unit and the practice and policy you are working with. This unit interconnects with all units in Level 4, and will support your future learning in core units in levels 5, and 6 if you choose to progress to the BA (Hons) Progression Awards.
English: Knowledge And Understanding
The unit aims to introduce students to three key areas critical to the teaching of English, especially in the primary curriculum:
The techniques of undertaking a literature review
Refresh/introduce key grammatical, spelling and punctuation conventions
Refresh/introduce literary techniques used in creating effects in fiction
Skills For Education Studies
This unit is the first unit of your degree and will give you the skills needed to succeed in Higher education. It will introduce you to the key concepts and knowledge base that will underpin your study. It will act as an extended induction programme to your degree. It will have a strong focus on ensuring that you begin to become familiar with the functions of ICT, including BREO and of the digital library, and begin to use these to enhance study, practice, reflection and interaction with others. There is a strong focus on collaborative learning and you will work with fellow students to explore and evaluate teaching methods and approaches seen in work based educational settings.
The two key questions addressed by this unit are:
What do I need to do to produce academic work to a higher education standard?
What are some of the key ideas that underpin my subject area and how can I approach them academically?
Mathematics Education
This unit offers you the opportunity to develop and increase your personal understanding of mathematics in a range of areas, including number, algebra, shape, space, measures and data handling. You will explore a range of concepts and skills, including the current pedagogy in teaching mathematics within the primary curriculum. You will have the opportunity to consider how children learn mathematics and how it might be effectively taught. You will also consider the development of the National Curriculum and how it is used to structure the content of the primary curriculum.
This is the first of two units which together cover, for those of you intending to teach mathematics within the primary years, pedagogic knowledge and understanding, learning, teaching and assessment methods and development of personal knowledge and understanding of mathematics
Reflecting On Practice
This unit seeks to enhance the long-term professional and personal development of educational professionals through a process of self-appraisal and improvement. Throughout the unit you will have presentations from academics and teacher training providers. You will be required to identify current strengths and areas for further development in your academic studies and your professional work. You will need to actively engage in consideration of post-graduate training and your future employability.
Personalised Learning
This aim of this unit is to look at how learning can be personalised to the specific needs of an individual. We will look at how initial needs are assessed and how these assessments contribute to strategies for the inclusion and support of all children within an educational setting.
English: Theory And Practice
How do theoretical frameworks in the teaching of English inform current practice in the classroom?
This unit will use a range of theories on language teaching (synthetic phonics, whole language approach, genre theory, literacy as a social practice) to investigate and inform current practices in schools and Early Years settings.
Research Methods
This Level 6 unit aims to prepare you for your research project which you will carry out in the final year of your studies. You will be guided in how to choose an appropriate area for research within the context of your work based placement. You will be introduced to key aspects of the research process, including the understanding of approaches to research, the development of appropriate research methods and data collection tools, ethical research and the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. By the end of the unit, you will be in a position to carry out an extended research project within your educational or work-based setting.
The Learning Environment
Creating an environment which maximises opportunities for learning for all pupils is at the heart of education policy. Those working in educational settings are charged with establishing a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect. This unit will explore the theory and practice of learning environments to enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of, and their skills in, creating such environments.
Professional Practice
This unit will build on previous units to consider the wider role of the professional ethics of those who work in educational settings. You will consider this from the point of view of a setting, its stakeholders, and your own developing practice. Issues regarding the wider education workforce, child protection, governance, extended curriculum provision and meeting statutory and non-statutory governmental requirements and initiatives will be discussed. You will write a reflective journal focused on one of a set of given topics, critically analysing examples from practice and reflecting in detail on what this issue means in regard to developing your own professional practice. You will select one further topic from those identified in the unit and create an academic poster which provides a comparative analysis of your setting's policy for this area of professional practice in relation to literature. You will also consider implications for your current and/or future career.
Mathematical Problem Solving And Reasoning
In this unit, you will investigate a wide range of approaches to mathematical thinking and the processes involved in solving mathematical problems. You will review theory and research in the learning of mathematics and develop strategies to support pupils in develop reasoning skills and applying them to a variety of mathematical problems.
This is the second of two units which together cover pedagogic knowledge and understanding, learning, teaching and assessment methods and the development of personal knowledge and understanding of mathematics.
Research Project In Applied Education Studies
The project is a final year activity for Honours degree students. The unit builds on the work of your Research Methods unit (EDD/EDS 010-3), where you studied the elements required to enable you to carry out research, which included approaches to research design and data collection; support for analysing quantitative and qualitative data; the role of academic and research literature; and guidance on the Ethical Approval process .
The purpose of this unit is to give you the opportunity to carry out an in depth study of an applied nature in the field of education, synthesising learning from other units whilst pursuing one area of interest in depth. The project will encourage you to integrate theoretical principles with practice and will allow you considerable scope for choice under the guidance of a supervisor, who will support you in discussing and refining your research and providing formative feedback on draft work. The area of interest may have been stimulated by your previous units on the Applied Education Studies course, by the desire to extend subject knowledge in an area of intended specialism or by experience in your educational setting. Your project will therefore be an in-depth study of an educational issue and may be of a general pedagogic nature or subject specific. The importance of the project is that it allows you to focus on your own interests whilst developing key academic and investigative skills within an identified research focus. Your research also allows you to develop an in-depth understanding of an area of practice relevant to your future career and will prepare you well for the process of becoming a reflective practitioner within your field of work.
You will be provided with a detailed unit handbook which makes clear links between the requirements of the research project and the tools to support this identified within the Research Methods unit.
Exploring The Curriculum
The curriculum is at the heart of teaching and learning. This unit will explore principles of curriculum design, considering what makes an effective curriculum and will debate relevant issues such as statutory curriculum, school curriculum, knowledge-based curriculum and thematic curriculum. This unit will provide an opportunity to interrogate the aims, purposes, scope and structure of the non-core subjects in the current National Curriculum for England and how this statutory entitlement translates into school practice. You will also consider the relationship between core and non-core subjects.
Throughout this unit you will be exposed to key debates on a number of relevant issues including curriculum breadth and balance, assessment and curriculum adaptation, where you will be required to relate these to your own professional experiences. You will also explore issues related equality, diversity and inclusion within curriculum design. This unit will aid the development of key teaching skills through consideration of how the curriculum in one non-core subject of your choice is designed and implemented.
English: Knowledge And Understanding
The unit aims to introduce students to three key areas critical to the teaching of English, especially in the primary curriculum:
The techniques of undertaking a literature review
Refresh/introduce key grammatical, spelling and punctuation conventions
Refresh/introduce literary techniques used in creating effects in fiction
Investigating The Curriculum
The curriculum is at the heart of teaching and learning. This unit will introduce you to the aims, purposes, scope and structure of the current National Curriculum for England and how this statutory entitlement translates into school practice. You will explore principles of curriculum design, what makes an effective curriculum and will debate relevant issues such as assessment and curriculum breadth and balance.
This unit will aid the development of key teaching skills through a work based investigation of one foundation subject of your choice and through reflection on the essential elements of effective teaching and learning.
Finally, this unit will build on your induction unit, Skills for Education Studies, and will help you to further develop key academic skills in finding and using literature effectively in order to strengthen theory and practice links. Further practice in using the electronic library to find relevant literature is included and you will also be developing academic skills of effectively summarising and paraphrasing findings from your reading.
Skills For Education Studies
This unit is the first unit of your degree and will give you the skills needed to succeed in higher education. It will introduce you to the key concepts and knowledge base that will underpin your study. It will act as an extended induction programme to your degree. It will have a strong focus on ensuring that you begin to become familiar with the functions of ICT, including BREO and of the digital library, and begin to use these to enhance study, practice, reflection and interaction with others. There is a strong focus on collaborative learning and you will work with fellow students to explore and evaluate teaching methods and approaches seen in work based educational settings.
The two key questions addressed by this unit are:
What do I need to do to produce academic work to a higher education standard?
What are some of the key ideas that underpin my subject area and how can I approach them academically?
Mathematics Education
This unit offers you the opportunity to develop and increase your personal understanding of mathematics in a range of areas, including number, algebra, shape, space, measures and data handling. You will explore a range of concepts and skills, including the current pedagogy in teaching mathematics within the primary curriculum. You will have the opportunity to consider how children learn mathematics and how it might be effectively taught. You will also consider the development of the National Curriculum and how it is used to structure the content of the primary curriculum
Reflecting On Practice
This unit seeks to enhance the long-term professional and personal development of educational professionals through a process of self-appraisal and improvement. Throughout the unit you will have presentations from academics and teacher training providers. You will be required to identify current strengths and areas for further development in your academic studies and your professional work. You will need to actively engage in consideration of post-graduate training and your future employability.
Personalised Learning
This aim of this unit is to look at how learning can be personalised to the specific needs of an individual. We will look at how initial needs are assessed and how these assessments contribute to strategies for the inclusion and support of all children within an educational setting.
English: Theory And Practice
How do theoretical frameworks in the teaching of English inform current practice in the classroom?
This unit will use a range of theories on language teaching (synthetic phonics, whole language approach, genre theory, literacy as a social practice) to investigate and inform current practices in schools and Early Years settings.
Research Methods
This Level 6 unit aims to prepare you for your research project which you will carry out in the final year of your studies. You will be guided in how to choose an appropriate area for research within the context of your work based placement. You will be introduced to key aspects of the research process, including the understanding of approaches to research, the development of appropriate research methods and data collection tools, ethical research and the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. By the end of the unit, you will be in a position to carry out an extended research project within your educational or work-based setting.
The Learning Environment
Creating an environment which maximises opportunities for learning for all pupils is at the heart of education policy. Those working in educational settings are charged with establishing a safe and stimulating environment for pupils, rooted in mutual respect. This unit will explore the theory and practice of learning environments to enable students to develop their knowledge and understanding of, and their skills in, creating such environments.
Professional Practice
This unit will build on previous units to consider the wider role of the professional ethics of those who work in educational settings. You will consider this from the point of view of a setting, its stakeholders, and your own developing practice. Issues regarding the wider education workforce, child protection, governance, extended curriculum provision and meeting statutory and non-statutory governmental requirements and initiatives will be discussed. You will write a reflective journal focused on one of a set of given topics, critically analysing examples from practice and reflecting in detail on what this issue means in regard to developing your own professional practice. You will select one further topic from those identified in the unit and create an academic poster which provides a comparative analysis of your setting's policy for this area of professional practice in relation to literature. You will also consider implications for your current and/or future career.
Mathematical Problem Solving And Reasoning
In this unit, you will investigate a wide range of approaches to mathematical thinking and the processes involved in solving mathematical problems. You will review theory and research in the learning of mathematics and develop strategies to support pupils in develop reasoning skills and applying them to a variety of mathematical problems.
This is the second of two units which together cover pedagogic knowledge and understanding, learning, teaching and assessment methods and the development of personal knowledge and understanding of mathematics.
Research Project In Applied Education Studies
The project is a final year activity for Honours degree students. The unit builds on the work of your Research Methods unit (EDD/EDS 010-3), where you studied the elements required to enable you to carry out research, which included approaches to research design and data collection; support for analysing quantitative and qualitative data; the role of academic and research literature; and guidance on the Ethical Approval process .
The purpose of this unit is to give you the opportunity to carry out an in depth study of an applied nature in the field of education, synthesising learning from other units whilst pursuing one area of interest in depth. The project will encourage you to integrate theoretical principles with practice and will allow you considerable scope for choice under the guidance of a supervisor, who will support you in discussing and refining your research and providing formative feedback on draft work. The area of interest may have been stimulated by your previous units on the Applied Education Studies course, by the desire to extend subject knowledge in an area of intended specialism or by experience in your educational setting. Your project will therefore be an in-depth study of an educational issue and may be of a general pedagogic nature or subject specific. The importance of the project is that it allows you to focus on your own interests whilst developing key academic and investigative skills within an identified research focus. Your research also allows you to develop an in-depth understanding of an area of practice relevant to your future career and will prepare you well for the process of becoming a reflective practitioner within your field of work.
You will be provided with a detailed unit handbook which makes clear links between the requirements of the research project and the tools to support this identified within the Research Methods unit.
How will you be assessed?
The purpose of assessment is to provide formative feedback to you, to monitor your performance and to measure your attainment. In addition, it aims to enable you to demonstrate that you have fulfilled the objectives of each unit as well as those needed for working within education as a profession.
The assessment strategies are designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate the range of knowledge, understanding and skills required by intending teachers and those who wish to work within education. Your learning will be assessed throughout the course in both a formative and summative way. A range of approaches to assessments are utilised throughout the course, to include written reports and essays, presentations, in class tests, preparation of lesson sequences and teaching materials, literature reviews and a final independent research project. These tools have been chosen to ensure there is a balance of assessment and are re-visited throughout the course to ensure that you have the opportunity to build and develop the attributes that are assessed in a systematic way. The aim is that by the end of the final year you are empowered to demonstrate the qualities that define a Level 6 qualification.
Oral presentations are included as a key element of your assessment and development, and a number of units include the formal assessment of these. The key importance of the development of oral presentational skills to intending teachers and those working within education is recognised by the course team and every opportunity is taken to encourage you to enhance your skills in this area.
The feedback given to you is intended to be formative in order to aid development. In addition to this, many units involve small-scale group and individual presentation opportunities within teaching sessions to enable students to develop their skills further. You are required to demonstrate that the work you submit for assessment is your own and you will be supported in this process by using a range of tools to include:
- Detailed assignment briefs and marking grids
- Engaging teaching sessions to included activities and discussions to support you in understanding assessment requirements
- Guidance in referencing and citing work correctly using the University Referencing Guidelines.
- The University Virtual Learning Environment, BREO, which includes access to a range of teaching and learning materials and interactive discussion boards where you can post questions and gain feedback on ideas related to your specific assignment.
- During independent study, the support of a research project supervisor to guide you in the research process and provide formative feedback on draft work.
Careers
Gain from a course that provides a clear route into a professional graduate role, through early years teacher status; primary initial teacher training; or leadership and management. Many of our past students have gone on to have successful careers within education, working in a variety of roles including head teacher; SENCO; classroom teacher; and education welfare officer.
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK 2024/25
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Merit Scholarship
We offer a Merit Scholarship to UK students, worth £2,400* over three academic years, which is awarded to those who can demonstrate a high level of academic achievement, through scoring 120 UCAS tariff points or more.
Bedfordshire Bursary
If you aren’t eligible for the Merit Scholarship, this Bursary is there to help UK students with aspects of student living such as course costs. The Bursary will give you £1,000* over three academic years, or £1,300* if you are taking your course over four academic years (including those with a Foundation Year).
Full terms and conditions can be found here.
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding please email admission@beds.ac.uk
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2024/25 is £15,500 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Virtual Tour
