Learning and Teaching (Special Educational Needs and Disability) BA

Building on your Foundation degree or equivalent qualification, this top-up degree is for people currently working, or intending to work, with learners with special educational needs and disability (SEND) in specialist or mainstream settings.

The aim of the course is aspirational, taking you from a learning support role to one where you have responsibility for delivering and managing learning. The course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to be able to question and critically analyse education policies and initiatives and make an informed contribution to your organisation. The course is taught one afternoon a week so you can fit study alongside your other work and family commitments. You’ll be taught by friendly and supportive staff, experienced in working with adult learners and with substantial professional experience in the sector. Our student support service offers advice and guidance, academic skills support, welcome and social events throughout your studies. Many of our graduates progress to managerial positions both within and outside the education sector.

Additional support

We know that many mature and part-time students face unique challenges, including balancing academic study with family and employment commitments. For that reason, the Lifelong Learning Centre provides specialist guidance, advice and support to mature and part-time students, from pre-application right through to graduation and beyond.

This top-up degree will build on the learning outcomes of the Foundation Degree Learning and Teaching (SEND) and your professional experience. The degree is designed to produce practitioners who are able to question and critically analyse education policies and initiatives and who can make an informed contribution to their organisation. It is structured and delivered in such a way that you have the opportunity to understand and assimilate new ideas and concepts and to apply these in practice. The BA is firmly rooted in professional practice and combines classroom learning with learning through experience of work. The course develops your skills in supporting learners and optional modules allow you to develop more specialised skills and knowledge in areas which affect your own practice.

In year 1 core modules will look at issues and ethics in professional practice, research methods and an introduction to autism. You will also have the opportunity to choose from optional modules looking at creative interventions and exploring learning identities. In year 2 you will focus on your dissertation.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Learning and Teaching (Special Educational Needs and Disability) BA in the course catalogue

Modules

Year 1

Year 2

Discovery modules

Throughout your degree you will benefit from a range of opportunities to expand your intellectual horizons outside or within your subject area.

This course gives you the opportunity to choose from a range of discovery modules. They’re a great way to tailor your study around your interests or career aspirations and help you stand out from the crowd when you graduate. Find out more about discovery modules on our Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching

Teaching is imaginative and supportive to make sure that you are intellectually stretched and helped to become an independent inquirer. Group sizes are small enabling you to engage actively and be well supported.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Assessments are varied and include essays, projects, case studies, individual and group presentations and posters. This wide range gives you the opportunity to work to your strengths and to gain skills in different forms of expression.

Entry requirements

GCSE: English and Maths grade C/4 or above, or equivalent.

Other course specific tests:

A Foundation Degree, Diploma in Higher Education or equivalent qualification in Learning and Teaching or a similar relevant discipline with a significant focus on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

OR

A qualification at NVQ Level 5 normally coupled with at least two years’ experience of work in an educational role or setting.

AND

Be engaged in relevant work (paid or voluntary) with a minimum of 60 hours per year.

If you are a mature student or want to study part-time the Lifelong Learning Centre offers a free, confidential and impartial pre-entry guidance service. Our experienced staff can also talk to you about how you might meet the entry criteria and what support may be available to you.

• Access to HE Diploma

  60 credits overall, with 45 graded credits at Level 3 of which 30 must be at Merit and 15 at Pass.

Alternative entry

If you are a mature applicant (over 21 at the point of entry) and you don’t have the required GCSE qualifications you can complete our Alternative Entry Scheme (subject to meeting the elgibility criteria for the scheme). As part of this you may be asked to take tests in English and maths. Contact the Lifelong Learning Centre for more information.

If you are a mature student or want to study part-time the Lifelong Learning Centre offers a free, confidential and impartial pre-entry guidance service. Our experienced staff can also talk to you about how you might meet the entry criteria and what support may be available to you.

How to apply

Apply to this course through the Lifelong Learning Centre.

We will treat all applications individually. We’ll take into account an applicant’s life experience and the circumstances in which they have gained qualifications and we encourage you to cover these things in your personal statement.

Your application will be reviewed by the Admissions team, and if you’re successful you’ll be invited to an interview which will involve a piece of writing. If you’re entering through the Alternative Entry Scheme you’ll be sent details after your interview.

Once you’re made an offer you’ll be asked to engage with KickStart. This is a pre-entry programme designed to ease your move into studying at the University of Leeds.

Admissions policy

Lifelong Learning Centre Admissions Policy 2021

Fees

UK: See fees section below

International: Not open to international

UK undergraduate tuition fees for 2021 entry 
For UK full-time students starting in 2021, the fee for 2021/22 will be £9,250.

The fee may increase in future years of your course in line with inflation, and as permitted by law. Fees for UK undergraduate students are decided by the UK government and may vary if policy changes.

EU students starting in 2021/22 
EU students starting their course in the 2021/22 academic year or later will now be classed as international students and so will need to pay the international student tuition fee.

UK undergraduate tuition fees for 2022 entry
Tuition fees for UK full-time undergraduate students starting in 2022/23 have not yet been confirmed by the UK government. In other years, the government has confirmed fee levels in the summer. When the fee is confirmed we will publish an update on all course pages.

Tuition fees for new international students for 2022 entry
Tuition fees for international students are published on each individual course page. These are usually published a year in advance, so 2022 course fees should be available from September 2021.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

You will study at 67% intensity (80 credits) in year 1. Fees for 2021/22 are £6,167 (67% of £9,250). In year 2 you will study at 33% intensity (40 credits) and the fee will be calculated at 33% of the full-time fee agreed for that year.

There are no upfront fees to pay. All eligible students are able to borrow the entire cost of tuition fees making study free at the point of entry, with good repayment terms. You are eligible if you are studying for 30+ credits per year on a programme which is at a higher level than any qualification already held. Previous study in Higher Education may affect your eligibility.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs

Financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There is help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more in our Undergraduate funding overview.

Depending on your circumstances, non-repayable financial support is available from the Leeds Financial Support scheme.

A qualification from the University of Leeds counts: our graduates are highly valued by employers. When you complete your degree programme you will also become part of a network of highly employable graduates.

The Learning and Teaching Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) degree provides you with skills that can help you develop in your current role or access a diverse range of roles which involve supporting learners with SEND in specialist and mainstream settings, some of these are in education but many are in other areas e.g. public and college libraries, voluntary sector organisations, children’s centres and hospitals. Many students go onto learning support and managerial roles in education such as managing teams of learning mentors, teaching assistants and behaviour support workers. Successful completion of the BA enables students to apply for a postgraduate teacher training course.

Careers support

Leeds for Life is our unique approach to helping you make the most of University by supporting your academic and personal development. Find out more at the Leeds for Life website.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate.

The University and the Lifelong Learning Centre provide a range of activities to support LLC students looking to:

• explore their career options
• develop or enhance their employability skills
• gain work or voluntary experience
• prepare for promotion, review or a role change at work
• find and apply for jobs

Read more on the University’s Careers website.