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Why choose the School of Education
Our education courses rank in the UK top 15 in their subject field for career prospects (Guardian, 2025).
Our education students gave positive responses over 90% for our teaching; learning opportunities; assessment and feedback; academic support; organisation; and learning resources (NSS, 2024).
Our education courses rank in the UK top three in their subject field for teaching quality and in the top 10 for student experience (Times, 2025).
About the course
This one-year course - specifically for those who have completed a relevant Foundation degree or higher education qualification - enables you to top up to a full degree and prepares you to develop your career within SEND settings. Using your own experience of working with children, you develop your knowledge of contemporary theories, policy and practices in SEND from a variety of professional perspectives.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Designated online classroom and learning space
- Forest School where you can deepen your understanding of the long-term educational benefits of outdoor learning opportunities
- Specialist Early Years and Sensory Centre to support your understanding of how teachers teach and children learn, within early years and SEND contexts
- Multi-media space for webinars and podcasting.
- Designated study space and activity agenda for all Saturday study days
Industry links
As one of the largest providers of teacher education in the eastern region, we have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations, a network that puts us at the forefront of educational developments.
Work-based learners also have a unique opportunity to be a purposeful and active part of the Students’ Union-affiliated Work-based Learning Student Society.
Your student experience
Our Bedford campus is a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well.
You benefit from the support of your own personal tutor, a unit and course coordinator, and the additional support of our experienced library staff, all of whom will help you throughout your student journey and with balancing study with work and personal commitments.
You attend weekly sessions online that are enhanced and supported by the independent tasks your unit tutors allocate to you.
The weekly sessions are extended during your Saturday study days, of which there are six across the academic year; these offer a unique mix of group work, tutor-led sessions and cross-course collaboration.
You can put your learning into practice in your workplace while developing your individual area of interest in SEND.
You learn skills that prepare you for working in multi-disciplinary education and care teams.
You build skills to help you communicate effectively with learners, parents/carers, colleagues and other professionals.
After graduating, you can explore the growing number of careers in SEND, become a SEND specialist or go on to further study to gain Qualified Teacher Status.
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 - Dr Kathryn Nethercott
My research interests are in the areas of children, young people and families, as well as, professional working in the areas of inter-professional working and communication. Specifically in the areas of how professionals working with children, young people and their families engage with social care processes. I am also interested in undergraduate student motivation.
What will you study?
Studying our Applied Special Educational Needs and Disability BA (Hons) course will equip you with the specialist knowledge and skills in the combined fields of educational needs and disability studies. Working in the special educational needs and disability (SEND) field will mean that you will have to be adaptable to supporting a diverse range of individuals, from a child or young person to a family or professional. To prepare you for this, our unit in SEND: Policy and Practice will introduce you to broad theory, policy and practice to provide supportive development across the SEND spectrum. You will consider the implications of SEND practice on the livelihoods and experiences of the people sensitive to these developments.
It is important that you apply this theory to the workplace, and this is where our Developing Professional Practice in SEND unit will allow you to consider the challenges of working in SEND provision, including the organisational, legal and interpersonal aspects of working with diverse groups of people and roles. You will learn the importance of good leadership and management in a SEND setting, while also reflecting on your own professional practice.
More importantly, you will also complete a Research Project in Applied Special Educational Needs and Disability Studies that will give you the opportunity to carry out an in-depth study within your area of interest in the applied field of SEND. By selecting a specific SEND issue, your research will allow you to pursue an area of specialism for your future career while also developing your investigative and research skills. To prepare you for your research project, our Research Methods in Applied Education unit will guide you to choose an area of research relevant to your interests and current work. You will learn key aspects of the research process, including data collection, ethical research methods and data analysis, that will allow you to confidently carry out research into your chosen topic.
How will you be assessed?
At Level 6 the assessment strategy for the course is less formative in nature and more summative. The first Research Methods unit that you take will introduce them to assessment at Level 6 and will act as preparation for the major piece of work that they undertake in the research project. All assessments are applied to your work or volunteer experience.
The assessments will include formal essays poster and PowerPoint presentations research proposal ethic approval documentation and a dissertation report. The research based dissertation will enable students to carry out their own research project guided throughout by a supervisor and will be the culmination of your work on the degree through the academic year. Throughout the course extensive use will be made of the University VLE (BREO) to provide information and further materials for study and facilitate interaction and discussion between students and between staff and students.
Careers
This course offers a route into a growing number of careers where the needs of SEND have to be explored understood and responded to including education local government charities and commercial businesses; you can also go on to become qualified to provide therapeutic support to children young people or adults with additional needs.
Alternatively challenge yourself with further study to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) or progress to a Master’s-level course in a related area. Please note that studying to gain QTS/EYTS requires GSCE grades A-C in maths English and science (or equivalent).
Entry Requirements
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