Teaching and Learning Support Foundation Degree

Research has shown that teaching and learning support assistants are an essential part of the effective education of children in schools. This Foundation Degree course is intended for those who are currently employed in a support capacity within a primary or secondary school and it has been designed to build on and acknowledge your existing professional skills.

It aims to improve the confidence and effectiveness which you bring to your work, and prepare the ground for progression onto career possibilities including primary teaching. The Foundation Degree for Teaching and Learning Support Assistants is a highly regarded qualification within the field. It has been designed in consultation with employers and other education practitioners. It is a work-based qualification that may provide progression onto the final year of an Honours degree course, and can be the first step towards a primary teaching career.

Who should take this course?
The course is intended for teaching assistants or those working in similar capacities supporting learners in primary or secondary schools.

What does the course cover?
Core modules on the course are likely to include:
• Independent Learner
• Locating the Learner
• Primary Core Curriculum
• Assessment and Evaluation
• Reviewing Professional Practice
• Contemporary Curriculum
• Multi-professional Practice
• Inclusion
• Research Methods

In addition you will also have the opportunity to develop areas of specific interest through action-based research studies and individual study modules. The course has been designed to allow students to develop an understanding of the curriculum, education policy, principles of education and becoming a researcher. The course is intended to equip its graduates with an awareness of the changing field of the school workforce, particularly in terms of integrated
working and extended school provision.

Attendance
You will normally attend taught sessions at Newman for one day per week during term-time.

How will I be assessed?
Assessment will be through a range of work-based strategies such as portfolios, presentations, written reports and interviews with tutors. There will also be directed study and module tasks (some work-based) to complete in your own time.

What makes this course distinctive?
This course will enable the development of your own expertise and will support you to explore your own education interests in-depth. You will be able to share relevant experiences and ideas with professionals leading the course and also with fellow students. You will be respected as a learner, as your needs will be taken into account to develop independent study skills which will be transferable to other education contexts.

How could this course develop my career?
A foundation degree is a nationally recognised qualification that may support progression within your teaching assistant role.

At a glance
3 years Part-time
Work-based

Contact: Faculty of Education
[email protected]

T: +44 (0) 121 476 1181 

Entry requirements
Entry requirement are flexible but normally students possess a level 3 qualification, and ideally 2 years vocational experience. Students must have access to a school setting on either a full or part-time, employed or voluntary basis, along with the support of your head teacher/employer.

Course fees 2021/22*
£4,700 per year (part-time) ; £9,250 (full-time)
* Fees shown are for 2021/22 academic year. The University will review tuition fees and increase fees in line with any inflationary uplift as determined by the UK Government, if permitted by law or government policy, in subsequent years of your course. It is anticipated that such increases would be linked to RPI (the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments).