Education (with Post-Compulsory Education and Training) BA (Hons)

Duration

16 Months

Location

Stoke-on-Trent campus

This BA (Hons) Education course PCET specialism has been designed and developed as a final ‘top-up’ year progression route for work-based students who have completed a recognised Diploma in Education and Training (DET) /Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS) in FE. The BA Education (PCET specialism) is also open for experienced armed forces trainers.

If you are working or volunteering in an educational setting and are engaged in work with young people or adults, then this course could be for you.

The course focuses on you as a learning practitioner, providing an opportunity to build on knowledge and experience of working in education through study at higher education level. You’ll develop your skills as a reflective practitioner, making connections between your professional practice and academic study. It’s designed to be flexible to your personalised needs, interests and experience and builds on current and previous practice within your workplace setting.

It will deepen your professional understanding and subject knowledge and build your self-confidence and belief in yourself as a professional learning practitioner.

The course requires online attendance for teaching sessions, seminars and tutorials and is designed to fit around your work (paid or voluntary) within an educational setting.

Teaching sessions are delivered online for three hours per week over the course of 4 semesters.

Key features of the course:

  • Study modules with a specific focus on post-compulsory education and training. Work collaboratively with trainers from a wide variety of backgrounds such as FE college lecturers, learning support assistants, armed forces trainers, third sector trainers and education administrators.

  • A focus on you as a learning practitioner, helping you to build self-confidence, self-knowledge and self-belief, and an understanding of your own skills, attributes and abilities.

  • A flexible approach to learning using online teaching sessions for convenience.

  • Oportunities to choose the context for your module assessments which are linked to your own practice within your own setting.

These courses are distanced learning courses and are therefore, delivered fully online.

For candidates from the armed forces please follow this link HM Forces (staffs.ac.uk)

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) Education (with Post-Compulsory Education and Training)

Course content

This course is designed to enhance your career opportunities, so work-based reflection and development forms a major part of the overall course content.

Throughout the course, you’ll engage in:

  • Work-based tasks and research
  • Creation of resources to support learning
  • Observation of the practice of professionals
  • Reflection on organisational practice
  • Wider understanding of sector practice

You’ll develop a broad understanding and knowledge of how education can take place in a variety of organisations and locations, and how education can be delivered outside of the traditional classroom to enhance the learning journey.

As part of the course you’ll have the opportunity to engage in a small-scale research project on a topic that is relevant to your current practice and interests.

Throughout the programme you’ll be encouraged to reflect critically; to listen carefully to the views of others; to question values and opinions; to investigate evidence and you’re your own informed conclusions. You’ll be encouraged to develop as an independent learner and to extend your skills of collaborating and negotiation.

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Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Changes And Developments In Post Complusory Education And Training (Dl) 20 credits
The Reflective Practitioner D/L 40 credits
Year 2 compulsory modules
Doing Education Differently D/L 20 credits
Individual Research Project (Dl) 40 credits

Entry requirements

Applicants for the PCET specialism must be employed (either paid or voluntary) in an organisation in which training takes place. Part of the role must relate to education or training. Applicants must have at least 2 years of teaching/training/supporting learning experience (as confirmed by line manager/personnel training records).

For the BA Education (PCET) pathway, FE based candidates are expected to have either a recognised Level 5 Diploma in Education and (DET) or Level 5 Diploma in Teaching and Training in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS).

Applications from Armed Forces trainers will require a relevant military training award such as the Defence Training Course (formerly DTTT).

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

Careers

You will be provided with opportunities to develop your career in education. Please note that this course does not provide Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Our graduates work in a range of careers in educational settings, educational administration, and management and learning support. Progression opportunities include postgraduate study such as our Masters programmes.

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

The teaching and learning strategies have been carefully designed to maximise the opportunity for you to use and reflect upon your employment in the education/early years sector. Learning and teaching strategies will include; whole and small group discussion via Teams/Zoom, problem-based learning, case studies, individual research, verbal questioning, experiential practical learning for example, facilitated learning observation, one-to-one tutorials, critical reflective practice, observation of other professionals and guest speakers.

The teaching approach will often be activity based and participatory and students are expected to take a full and responsible part. You will also be required to complete work related tasks in all modules. This will give you the opportunity to link theoretical perspectives to your setting, and enable you to reflect on values, practices, assumptions and policies, nationally, and locally.

Through our Virtual Learning Environment ‘Blackboard’ you’ll have access to course materials, lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations and reading lists, so you can manage your time effectively.

Assessment

The assessment tasks set over the duration of the programme have been designed to develop and build upon a wide range of personal professional skills, whilst strongly reinforcing links between theory and practical application. Some modules have more than one assessment task and will be linked to the teaching and learning methods of the modules.

Formative assessment will underpin all teaching and learning, and enable the tutors to identify problems, offer feedback and feed forward to maximise the effectiveness of the learning process. Engagement with vocational learning is also formatively assessed through presentations of work-related learning, developing practical resources and producing reviews of policy and practice. Most of the formative assessment and self-assessment will be conducted through professional dialogue with tutors and with peers through structured online learning conversations.

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include:

  • study skills such as reading, note-taking and presentation skills
  • written English, including punctuation and grammatical accuracy
  • academic writing and how to reference
  • research skills
  • critical thinking and understanding arguments
  • revision, assessment and examination skills
  • time management

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

Staff

Tina Richardson

Senior Lecturer

I have extensive expertise of working in the secondary and post compulsory sector as well as experience of teaching in Greece and China. I am also an external examiner for PGCE Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) courses.

Tina's profile

Fees

For the course starting on 27 January 2025 the tuition fees are:

Study option UK / Channel Islands
Part-time £3,465 per year of study

For the course starting on 26 January 2026 the tuition fees are:

Study option
Part-time

When studied part time, the duration of the course and the amount of fees you’ll pay each year depends on the speed at which you wish to progress through it. This is called the ‘intensity of study’. The usual study pattern on this programme enables you to complete modules totalling 60 credits in your first year of study. This would be equivalent to studying at 50 per cent course intensity.

If you follow this pattern of study you will complete the course in two years. You will pay the pro rata (equivalent) fee shown for your first year of study. This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX*. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any increase as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

*RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.

Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Sources of financial support

If you are looking to access SFE funding for your course please be aware that for DL routes you cannot apply for the maintenance funds.  For further money advice and guidance please contact student-support@staffs.ac.uk

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Our students

The tutor was absolutely fantastic

The tutor was absolutely fantastic and supportive – and I think what worked really well is me studying around full-time work. I had a Tuesday evening study so it worked really nicely around my Teaching Assistant role that I was doing at the time. 

It was difficult, but the support that I had off our lecturer was fantastic. They’d worked in education for a number of years so they understood how it worked.  

Marcel Phillips

BA (Hons) Education Studies

Apply

Applications are currently unavailable.

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at University of Staffordshire, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of University of Staffordshire enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

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