Special Needs and Inclusive Education BA (Hons)

• Learn through lectures, seminars, placements and practical workshops
• Study issues around supporting children and young people with special needs and disabilities in a range of educational settings
• Understand international perspectives on special needs and inclusive education
• Develop the ability to understand the importance of educational research and to carry out your own research
• Gain experience through  work placements and a strong focus on employability
• Explore issues like diversity, equality, rights, inclusion, exclusion, behaviour, communication, cognition and learning.
• Benefit from a degree that fully prepares you for varied work in a variety of educational settings, for further study or teacher training
• Benefit from studying with staff who have extensive experience in the field of special needs and inclusive education

Study a multidisciplinary course that prepares you for a key role in teaching and supporting children and young adults with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), a key area for education policy and practice.

With many different future roles for those with the right blend of skills and knowledge, this course integrates discussion of theories, policies and practices related to special needs and inclusive education, both UK-based and international. The staff team encourages you to gain relevant work experience both in the degree and as a volunteer.

Year 1

• Contextualising Special Needs and Inclusive Education
• Early Child Psychology
• Key Concepts in Special Needs Education
• Narratives of Childhood
• Psychology of Adolescence
• Understanding the Workplace

Year 2

• Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy
• Developing Teaching Practice*
• Developing Professional Practice*
• The Lifelong Curriculum*
• Policy and Practice in Special Educational Needs and Disability*
• Investigating the Social World
• The Professional Workplace
• Deschooling*
• Children Young People and the Digital Age*

Year 3

• Dissertation
• Critical Debates in SEND
• Education Beyond Professionalism*
• Contemporary Debates in Education, Childhood and Youth*
• Children, Young People and the Media*
• Representations of Disability*
• Communication Language and Teaching
• Perspectives on Pedagogy and Behaviour*
• Technology Enhanced Education*
• Children and Young People’s Wellbeing*
• Children’s Literature*

*denotes options

This course provides a range of assessment methods to support the diverse needs of all learners. Assessments include exams, essays, reports, posters, case studies, and presentations. The assignments will build directly on the teaching sessions and you will be supported by lecturers to complete the assignments. 

• Written work including essays, case studies, portfolios, webfolios, reports and dissertation (approx. 70%)
• Presentations, posters, vivas (approx. 18%)
• Exams and tests (approx. 12%)

Enhancing your employability is central to the course. The course provides you with an opportunity to gain vital work experience in an educational setting in years 2 and 3.

We promote a range of opportunities to become involved in local organisations as a volunteer or if possible in a paid role. In conjunction with the Careers and Employability Service we hold an education fair each year with a wide range of visiting organisations, offering voluntary positions (such as Autism Bedfordshire).

Successful completion of the BA (Hons) Special Needs and Inclusive Education degree programme will enable you to enter a diverse range of careers. You will be in a strong position to apply for a primary teacher training programme (e.g. a PGCE or school-led course). Teachers with this degree may choose to eventually teach in a range of educational settings, including special schools. They may subsequently follow routes (eg a SENCo course) to become Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs) in their schools.

Other career paths include specialist graduate teaching assistants within educational settings, working within Local Authority Support Services for children and young people with SEND, working in Early Years settings as a specialist in SEND, and non-government organisations such as charities, for example current students are working with Autism Bedfordshire and Bedford and District Cerebral Palsy Society. A number of graduates may also continue their studies with specialist Masters courses or PhD research.

This is an exceptional course that truly supports students to succeed. We want to support you to develop the skills and passion necessary to work in and around the field of inclusion and special educational needs.

Quote from a lecturer