Education FdA
UCAS code: X311
About this course
Are you ready to shape the future of education? The Foundation degree in Education course covers how people learn and develop throughout their lives – enabling you to make a difference to learners of all ages.
Taught at NTU in Mansfield, you’ll get to grips with a range of social, cultural, and political aspects of education. You’ll explore the meaning of education, who it’s for and whether it’s socially just. With a focus on real-world learning, you’ll also consider education in its broadest sense at local, national and international level.
Whether you plan to go straight into the world of work on completing your foundation degree, or this is your stepping stone to further study, you’ll gain the knowledge and transferable skills you need to progress in a diverse range of careers in education.
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The course includes a placement alongside your studies in an educational setting, giving you hands-on experience and the confidence to become an effective practitioner. -
On completing the course, you will be eligible to top-up to degree-level study with the BA (Hons) Education and Professional Practice (Top-up). -
On completing this foundation degree, you’ll be well-placed to go straight into the world of work and take up a variety of careers within education. -
The course is delivered over 2-3 days a week, allowing you to fit in study around other commitments.
What you’ll study
In the first year, you’ll shadow professionals and visit educational settings. You’ll begin to explore and debate different educational contexts and approaches. Additionally, you’ll start developing their teaching, learning, and assessment skills using both theory and your own experiences.
In the second year, you’ll have a substantial placement in an educational setting. This hands-on experience will be used throughout the year to analyse how teaching theory and educational policy influence teaching and learning.
Academic Skills Development (20 credit points)
- This module supports you in your transition into Higher Education and in understanding what is expected at this level of study and beyond.
- You’ll gain the essential skills needed to be successful in your academic journey.
Making Learning Inclusive (20 credit points)
- This module introduces you to the key concepts and issues around inclusion, including changing attitudes and approaches to supporting learners with diverse needs.
- You’ll gain insight into differing perspectives on inclusion and how they have shaped educational practices and provisions for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
Key Questions in Education (20 credit points)
- This module develops your understanding of what education is by engaging in debates about its aims, purposes, and various types, from formal settings (e.g., schools, colleges) to alternative and informal contexts (e.g., museums, Forest Schools, community learning).
- You’ll explore philosophical and sociological concepts in education and their influence on contemporary educational practices and settings in the UK.
Educational Contexts (20 credit points)
- This module will introduce you to various educational contexts and pedagogies, exploring diverse approaches to educating young people.
- You’ll cover philosophical foundations behind these approaches and their significance in specific educational settings.
Introduction to Teaching (20 credit points)
- This module introduces you to the processes associated with lesson planning.
- You’ll explore teaching practices, from teacher-centred to student-centred approaches, and the roles of teachers and students in learning.
- You’ll cover experiential learning models and how teaching is shaped by legislation and research.
Outdoor Learning (20 credit points)
- This module focusses on reflective practice and theory.
- You’ll be encouraged to employ critical reflection to explore your own practice and how this shapes your leaderful approach to early childhood care and education.
Professional Practice placement (40 credit points)
- As part of this module, you’ll develop your personal and professional skills in a placement setting.
Education Policy and Practice (20 credit points)
- This module explores how educational policies shape systems and practices, focusing on the ideologies that have influenced the British education system.
- You’ll analyse the impact of these policies on learning, educational settings, communities, and employers, and debate their influence on educational practices.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (20 credit points)
- This module covers what we mean by Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).
- You’ll broaden your understanding of current issues from a National, Local Government, professional and young person’s perspectives.
- You’ll develop your knowledge and skills of a range of strategies to support learners in several educational contexts.
Researching Learning (20 credit points)
- This module covers how to research within education and develop the skills to design and justify a research project.
- You’ll explore the theoretical foundations of research, including different approaches and methods.
Educator Identity (20 credit points)
- This module examines identity as an evolving process, influenced by both external factors and personal negotiation. It explores how individuals shape their identities in daily life.
- You’ll also look at barriers in education related to social class, gender, race, and sexuality, focusing on the power dynamics that limit opportunities.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
Careers and employability
Your future career
With an FdA in Education, you will be eligible to apply to study BA (Hons) Education and Professional Practice (Top-up).
Graduates from this course are well-placed to take up a variety of careers within education and students can go straight into work after their foundation degree.
With an FdA in Education you can start your career path towards roles such as:
- Teaching Assistant
- Early Year Educator
- Childminder
- Primary Teacher
- Nursery Teacher.
Employability Team
At NTU in Mansfield, our award-winning Employability team is here to inspire and enhance your career planning, whichever path you choose. Whether you wish to go on to further study or to look for job opportunities, we can guide you to be a successful candidate.
Campus and facilities
As an NTU Mansfield student, you’ll benefit from the latest facilities and modern technology to support your studies and help you get the most out of student life.
We are continually investing in our facilities and enhancing our learning and teaching environment to make it an inspiring place for students.
Facilities and services include:
- University Centre
- Teaching and Learning Centre
- Library
- Dedicated study zones, including PC suites
- On-site café
- Social spaces
- Sports facilities
- Student Support Services
- Nottingham Trent Students Union (NTSU) drop-in events.
Entry requirements
What are we looking for?
- 64 UCAS Tariff points from up to three qualifications.
- GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4.
Other requirements:
You will also need to complete:
- an Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS check; and
- a satisfactory placement suitability check.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to three different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.
We accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please visit our international qualifications page.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
Bursaries
A university bursary is an award that can help those who may not have otherwise been able to afford to attend university. We offer the following cash bursaries to prospective students:
- NTU Bursaries for 2024 entry
- NTU Opportunity Bursary
- NTU Care Leavers and Foyer Resident Bursary
- NTU Estranged Student Bursary
- Nursing, Teacher Training and Social Work Bursaries
Find out more about bursaries
Scholarships
University scholarships help to fund studies and are awarded to exceptional students with achievements or high potential in both academic and extracurricular fields.
Find out more about scholarships
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.
Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494
Additional Costs
Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.
Field trips
All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
This course is not suitable for tier 4 visa applicants.
We accept qualifications from schools, colleges and universities all over the world for entry onto our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. If you’re not sure how your international qualification matches our course requirements please visit our international qualifications page.
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply now button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
Writing your application and personal statement
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
Diversity of our students
We are committed to promoting a diverse and representative body of teacher trainees. We welcome applications from under-represented groups, such as male applicants, applicants from BME communities, mature applicants and those with disabilities.
All applicants welcome
We welcome applications from prospective students with a range of qualifications and experience, and all are assessed on an individual basis. Mature applicants who do not meet the standard entry criteria can still be considered providing they have relevant experience to compliment any qualifications. All applicants will need to apply through UCAS.
Keeping up to date
After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
Getting in touch
If you need any more help or information, please call us on +44 (0)115 848 4200 or complete our enquiry form.
