About us
Our aim is to provide you with the skills and experience you need to succeed in your chosen career. For those who wish to become a teacher, we have a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses (from Early Years to Secondary) that lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). These provide extensive school placement opportunities and prepare you for your career as an Early Career Teacher.
Our Education and English courses give you the knowledge and aptitudes to enter initial teacher education in the future; to work with vulnerable young people or children; or, simply, to develop into someone able to progress into a range of graduate careers with confidence. While the School of Education is based on the Bedford campus, we also deliver a range of education courses internationally, including MA International Education and Applied Linguistics (TESOL).
What the school of education can offer you
- An accredited provider of Initial Teacher Training (ITT), leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
- Well-established links with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations
- Our staff are all from the education sector, offering a wide range of professional expertise
- A large number of staff possess extensive research expertise and are members of the University’s Institute for Research in Education (IREd); Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA); Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR); and Research Institute for Media, Art and Performance (RIMAP)
- Our Education courses were given 90% and over positive ratings in 21 out of 25 questions in the National Student Survey 2023
- Within six months, over 90% of our teaching graduates are in employment. (University of Bedfordshire student data, 2023)
- Our most recent QTS Secondary Ofsted Report states: “The large majority of Secondary trainees attain outcomes at the highest levels”
- A focus on real-world experience - for example, 80% of time on our PGCE courses is spent at placement schools
- Close partnerships with schools and other education settings means we are ahead of changing national priorities, issues and developments in educational practice
- Our Education and English courses offer a wide choice of opportunities for work-based experience across a range of education settings and sectors
- Develop specialism in areas including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), early years or physical education, or study a multidisciplinary course such as Education with English, Psychology or Sociology
- Work-based courses for those in full- or part-time employment, Foundation degrees and one-year top-up degrees that fit around your work and family commitments
- Flexible course structure: gain subject foundations in Year 1 before choosing a specialism in Year 2 and 3
- As well as PGCE routes into teaching, we offer degree pathways to QTS; a British Council-recognised TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) status; and an Early Childhood Education course with Graduate Practitioner status
- Be part of a thriving community at our Bedford campus, where academic staff get to know you well and provide individual academic support
- Benefit from excellent, experienced student support via personal tutors, subject and/or placement mentors, and unit coordinators
- Bespoke modern facilities include realistic mock classrooms; a blended-learning, multimedia area; on-campus Forest School; and Specialist Sensory Centre
In the National Student Survey 2023, our students rated us most highly for:
- academic support (97%)
- teaching (95%)
- assessment and feedback (94%)
- learning opportunities (93%)
Education achieved a 92% overall satisfaction rating.
ITT Accreditation
University of Bedfordshire – an accredited provider of Initial Teacher Training.
As a result of the Market Review conducted by the Department for Education (DfE) in 2021, all providers of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) were requested to re-apply to become an accredited ITT provider from September 2024 onwards. We are delighted to announce that the University of Bedfordshire has been successful in its re-accreditation, for the delivery of ITT, leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Dr Perry Knight, Head of Teacher Education confirmed the news of the re-accreditation saying 'We're delighted to be re-accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024, and we look forward to the continued development of our provision alongside our partners’.
The University of Bedfordshire delivers courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in primary and secondary education, and has undergraduate and postgraduate courses available. For more information, please visit the School of Education