BA (Hons) Learning and Teaching (Secondary Education) Top-Up

Help shape the learning of future generations with our Learning and Teaching (Secondary Education) Top-up degree.

With the size of the pupil population expected to rise nearly 15% by 2027, prepare yourself for a rewarding career teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects in the secondary education sector. Benefit from excellent links with our secondary partnership schools and academies, spending a minimum of 120 days in these settings, supported by school mentors, class teachers and university-based tutors.

APPLY FOR FULL TIME APPLY FOR PART TIME

About the course

Are you ready to transfer your knowledge and get the next generation of learners excited about STEM subjects? Take your existing knowledge of your specialist subject and develop the professional expertise and core knowledge expected of teachers of secondary age pupils.

You will already hold a foundation degree or HND in a STEM subject and may be working in industry in a non-education-related field but contemplating a change in career. You will be interested in becoming a teacher of 11-16 year olds within a range of school and academy settings. You will develop your understanding of how to teach your specialist subject and study modules that cover approaches to teaching and learning, in both theoretical and applied contexts, classroom pedagogy and curriculum subject knowledge.

You will benefit from our excellent links with our secondary partnership schools and academies, spending a minimum of 120 days in these settings, supported by school mentors, class teachers and University-based tutors.

Unlike the traditional teacher training route, you do not need to hold a bachelor’s degree in your specialist subject or complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The Luminate Partnership for ITT (Initial Teacher Training) was set up in 2020 and gives foundation degree and HND holders access to secondary-based teacher training and a BA (Hons) through our Top-Up award.

You will graduate with one of the following qualifications depending on the specialism that you have entered the programme with:

BA (Hons) Learning and Teaching (Secondary Education) (QTS)

Undergraduate Bursary

Final year undergraduates may be eligible for a training bursary of £9,000. This applies to those trainees who are studying a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) course in secondary mathematics or physics.

Find out more information on Luminate Education Group Partnership for ITT.

This course is subject to validation by The Open University and accreditation.

Fee

£7,950 Full Time (per academic year) £3,975 Part Time (per academic year)

Location

Teacher Development Centre, Park Lane Campus

Start Date

September 2021, Course start date: Aug 2021

Duration

Full-Time: 1 year, Part-Time: 2 years

Course Code

Study Mode

Full or Part-time

Studying during COVID-19

We will continue to follow government guidelines to ensure the safety of all our students and staff and have put in place additional safety measures, including the way we deliver your course.

We plan to deliver your course through a mixture of online and face to face tuition and we will review this as Government guidelines change in response to COVID-19 developments. Face to face contact will be delivered following guidelines on social distancing and increased health and safety measures. You will be made fully aware of the current measures in place and be expected to follow the guidance issued.

What you learn

Modules may include:

Semester 1/Year 1 (Level 6)

Demonstrating Professional Practice 1 (20 credits)

Part-time: Year 1

Full-time: Semester 1

This module provides opportunities for you to meet the professional standards and expectations of teaching through practical, school-based experience during your first teaching practice placement.

Positive Behaviour and Wellbeing (20 credits)

Part-time: Year 1

Full-time: Semester 1

This module offers practical advice on the skills and strategies you will need to cope appropriately and effectively with challenging behaviour in a range of educational settings.

Semesters 1 to 2 (FT) and Years 1 to 2 (PT)

Demonstrating Professional Practice 2 (20 credits)

Part-time: Years 1 to 2

Full-time: Semesters 1 to 2

During your second teaching placement, you will develop your subject specialist teaching skills and develop your ability to plan a series of lessons that build on and sustain progression in pupils’ learning.

Teaching Learning and Assessment in Secondary Based Education (20 credits)

Part-time: Years 1 to 2

Full-time: Semesters 1 to 2

This module explores the factors that contribute to the development of effective teaching strategies in the education of children and young adults.

Semester 2/Year 2 (Level 6)

Demonstrating Professional Practice 3

Part-time: Year 2

Full-time: Semester 2

In your third teaching placement, you will experience the complexity of non-mainstream secondary education including independent alternative provision, off-site direction and special schools.

Inclusive Professional Practice (20 credits)

Part-time: Year 2

Full-time: Semester 2

In this module you will critically evaluate the role of education in supporting the diverse needs of a range of learners and consider interventions aimed at eliminating barriers to participation.

Benefits/ skills you will develop

To prepare you for your future role as a teacher of secondary education, you will benefit from the unique experiences that being a trainee within the Luminate Partnership for ITT will provide. Through the partnership, you will have access to a large number of specialised settings. The experience you gain within these specialist settings through your compulsory alternative placement experience is invaluable and will enhance your professional profile and skills.

We will draw on the strengths of the partnership to support your continuous professional learning, early career development and upward in-work progression. You will have frequent opportunities to meet and work with other professionals across the sites within the partnership so that effective practice can be shared and developed.

As part of your third placement experience, and at the latter stage of the academic year, all trainees who are on track to meet the Teachers’ Standards will participate in a ‘School Adoption’ week. During adoption week, you will be given the opportunity to experience the role of a secondary teacher under increasingly real conditions, developing a range of additional skills.

Assessment

Assessment will take a holistic approach. Teaching Practice Placements will be assessed by an Individual Progress Journal that contributes towards the achievement of each of the Teachers’ Standards.

Other assessment methods include a variety of observational and coursework-based methods that have been designed to contribute to the development of your professional practice, such as:

Teaching observation
Critical reflection
Case study
Investigative report
Academic poster, to be exhibited at an annual ‘HE Research Festival’
Action research project

Assessment is contextualised in your practice and relates to a work-related problem. In your assessed work, you are encouraged to engage critically with whole-school improvement efforts. Assessment has been designed to result in recommendations for future school-based practice.

Entry requirements

All applicants will need to fulfil the following entry criteria to be offered a place on the programme:

Achieved at least a grade 4 (C) or above in both mathematics and English Language GCSEs (or approved equivalents).
Hold and be able to provide certificated evidence of having passed a relevant foundation degree programme conferred by a UK higher education institution or an equivalent qualification.

Successful applicants must complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and be cleared to teach by the accredited provider, ensuring they are not barred from working with young people or excluded from teaching. Candidates will also be required to sign up for the update service.

Check on Health and Physical Capacity to Teach – All applicants will be required to complete a health questionnaire to determine their fitness to train to teach.

Additional Costs

Attending the programme will have additional costs; for example, the purchase of books and other materials. A key cost will be travel to and from your teaching placements. You may be entitled to have some of the cost of their journeys between their term-time accommodation and their placement site reimbursed by the training provider. The cost of the enhanced DBS check, including registration with the update service, will be reimbursed by the training provider.

What’s next

The Open University Regulations

Where is the course delivered (facilities/classrooms)

The programme will be delivered at the new Teacher Development Centre at our Park Lane Campus. The space hosts a number of classrooms, focused on their ability to be flexible for a variety of delivery and learning episodes. The new Teacher Development Centre has its own purpose-built library with relevant teaching and learning literature, as well as a plethora of resources such as books, journals and other publications.

All trainees will become members of the Chartered College of Teaching, the professional body for teachers. Through membership of the Chartered College of Teaching, you will have access to a wealth of research, resources and insight to enable excellent teaching. If you are completing any of the routes in science teaching, you will be encouraged to sign up to a student membership of the Association for Science Education (ASE). Trainees who are completing a training route in maths will be encouraged to register with the Institute of Mathematics and its applications. Trainees completing a route in computing will be encouraged to register with the Chartered Institute for IT.