Course overview
You focus on developing knowledge of your learners and explore a range of evidence-based teaching and assessment theories and strategies, in addition to your subject knowledge and subject specific pedagogy.
You select an area to specialise in:
- business management, and administration
- childcare and early years education
- construction and the built environment
- creative and design
- digital and computing
- engineering and manufacturing
- finance, accountancy and procurement
- hairdressing, beauty therapy and aesthetics
- health and social care
- humanities
- hospitality and catering
- legal services, law and human resources
- numeracy and literacy
- public and protective services
- sport, physical education and personal fitness
- transport and logistics
- travel and tourism
You must be employed in a further education and skills setting, and teaching should be a major part of your job role. You learn by doing, and the theory that you learn in class is integrated into your workplace placement.
This course complies with the Department for Education’s expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for further education and maps to the occupational standards for the learning and skills teacher.
Course details
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Developing Learning and Teaching in my Subject
You study critical theories and pedagogy in the further education and skills sector. You explore fundamental learning, teaching and assessment theories, focusing on contemporary theories and methods.
Carry out your first practice placement, building professional skills to support your development as a teacher. Engage with all aspects of school life and actively learn the ways that schools operate within your subject specialism and beyond. Build your confidence by observing experienced teachers, team teaching and delivering lessons independently to a range of ages.
Year 2 core modules
Enhancing Learning and Teaching in my Subject
Explore curriculum theory with a focus on sequencing and adapting learning to enhance outcomes.
You develop your professional capabilities and analyse your professional development needs and action plan to meet them, within the policy, ethical, professional, and subject-specific framework of further education and skills.
This is your second immersive teaching practice placement, where you build your professional skills to support your development as a teacher. You engage with all aspects of school life to actively learn the ways that schools operate. Build your confidence by observing experienced teachers, team teaching and delivering lessons independently to a range of ages.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You attend college one evening a week and are in a placement or job role where you can put your learning into practice
You are taught through seminars and workshops. A range of specialist tutors contribute to your seminar sessions - these are supported through a virtual learning environment where you access a range of resources to support course activities.
The course has a substantial element of teaching practice, and you are encouraged to develop your teaching skills by observing experienced practitioners, using simulations or training classes, and by watching good practice video footage.
Your practice mentors support your time on placement and helps you develop reflective practice skills as an aid to your learning and professional development. The course also helps develop your employability skills. You develop a practice portfolio which holistically tracks your development over the programme with specific reference to your academic and teaching skills.
How you are assessed
Your knowledge, professional skills and ability to integrate theoretical and practical aspects of your experience is assessed. Assessments align with the Department for Education’s requirements for the sector.
You are assessed through a practice portfolio, podcast audio or video, observations of teaching practice, and written assessments such as writing a critical essay, a report and a portfolio.
Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services
Find out more about financial support
Find out more about our course related costs
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
If you are training to teach vocational subjects, you require a Level 3 qualification in the subject that you are going to teach, plus significant experience of working in the sector. Typically, you should be qualified to at least one level above the highest level you wish to teach at. You also need GCSE (or equivalent) in English and maths grade 4.
If you are training to teach academic subjects, you require a first degree from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification (comprising at least 300 higher education credits, of which 60 must be at Level 6 of the Regulated Qualifications Framework).
We also consider those with relevant experience and the potential to become good or outstanding teachers without a degree, or those that may have studied qualifications at Level 6 with degree equivalency that are not traditional degree routes (some professional qualifications).
You also attend an interview that includes an application form, submission of two references.
Referees must confirm that they know of no reason why you cannot work with children. Admissions will also check there are no breaks in your employment or education history.
References must be either academic (your university tutor), professional (your manager), school experience (headteacher of the school you’ve been working in) or character (mentor or someone you know from volunteering).
If you’re still studying or have graduated in the last five years, one of your references should be an academic reference. If you already work in a school, one of your references should be from your headteacher. Make sure you provide a professional email address, not a personal email address for each reference.
You also complete tasks designed to assess written English and you must be able to analyse and manage information and data, complete a suitability to teach assessment, and complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records check with children’s barred list information.
You must have access to at least 150 independent teaching hours across the duration of the course, plus 100 hours of professional practice. Professional practice includes activities such as participation in staff continuing professional development and meetings, planning interviews, assessment meetings, and participation in wider events (parent's evenings, external visits, open events, taster days).
These checks should be completed before a programme starts.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL
Employability
Career opportunities
Graduates go on to work in a variety of professions including further education colleges and training organisations, sixth form colleges, secondary schools or higher education institutions. Some have furthered their studies through relevant continuing professional development or masters’ courses at the University.
Work placement
You undertake a teaching practice placement that forms an integral part of your teacher training. You are placed in two further education and skills settings, to encounter a range of teaching opportunities.
You receive support from two mentors, a subject specialist who is competent and teaching in your subject area, and a pastoral support mentor for more general advice and support. This mentor may support more than one trainee in the placement, maybe acting for a group of trainees. You are expected to engage in all areas of college life including supporting marketing events such as open evenings and trips.