BEd Frequently Asked Questions

» What is the BEd?

The Bachelor of Education (Hons) (BEd Hons) is a course consisting of an honours degree and a professional qualification. Once you've successfully completed the BEd you'll also have qualified teacher status to work with children from 5-11 years (Key Stages 1 and 2 in primary school). In addition to the academic programme and practical experience there's also professional experience in school. Each year you'll have least one placement in a primary school.

» How long will I be on placement for?

You'll have around nine weeks of experience in school per year. Each year gives you a different school experience with a trained mentor. In year one you'll complete nine weeks in school made up of orientation weeks and a block experience of four weeks. You should expect to attend school from at least 8.15am - 5.15pm each day.

» Do we have to find our placements?

No. We've a dedicated Partnership team who work hard to place you in varied settings to ensure you receive a wide and varied experience. We've about 400 schools that support us from various counties and we use about 200 schools each year. We also use approximately 50 special schools to support additional placements at various points during the course.

We locate the schools and place you so that we can ensure a quality placement. We'll know that your mentor is an experienced classroom practitioner as well as someone who has attended training.

» How many hours will I be working on the course? Do I get a social life?

The course should be treated as a full time job. You have a range of modules each year which comprises of about 40 hours on site sessions each and additional requirements for directed activities, independent reading and preparation for assignments. All our sessions currently are within the daytime: 9.15am-5.00pm. You're not in for 5 days: eg stage one students currently come in on Monday and Tuesdays all day, for half a day on Wednesdays and either half a day on Thursdays or Fridays.

Our students form very close friendships and organise many nights out and daytrips. There are opportunities to mix as a year group as well as in small groups.

Wednesday afternoons are free (unless you're in school on placement) to enable you to take part in the clubs and societies run by the Students Union. Our course is full of very talented and interesting students and we need you to be one of them to inspire the children in school.

A work/life balance is important, so good organisation is the key!

» Is everyone going to be younger/older than me?

A wide variety of people are successful on the BEd course from all ages and backgrounds. About a quarter of students are mature. In your tutor groups it's always easy to find someone with similar experiences, likes or dislikes and life experiences. It's easy to make friends and work professionally with people of all ages.

» Does everyone do the same course? Is there a chance to specialise?

To begin with, everyone completes the same modules to ensure a strong foundation and a platform for you to make informed choices about the kind of teacher you want to become. As the course progresses, there are opportunities to specialise in various ways. For example, our current subject pathways include: English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Humanities or Creative Arts and current elective module options include: Community Engagement, International Comparative Education, SEN and Learning Beyond the Classroom, and Educational Approaches. You also have the opportunity to focus on an area of your interest when undertaking your Independent Study. If you study with us for four years you'll have the opportunity to study at masters level.

» Is this course the only way I can train to be a primary school teacher?

This is a very strong route to training as a primary school teacher. A comprehensive undergraduate course offers more depth and a wider variety of experiences than any other. You'll have a greater opportunity to reflect and grow as a professional. If you know now that you definitely want to teach, then this is the best route for you.

We also offer the PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) at Derby. Students usually take this after a first degree when they decide that they'd like to teach or if they're already employed and would like to retrain as a teacher.

» Is there a job at the end of it all?

The Initial Teacher Education team has an excellent reputation with our local schools - many of them employ our graduates. The 2011 National Student Survey showed that 100% of our students gained employment or continued their studies, which says something about the quality of our students and the course.

» Does the course represent good value for money?

The BEd offers you plenty of weekly contact time with our experienced tutors (who bring with them a range of experiences in school teaching and leadership). Some taught sessions take place in our purpose-built Kirtley Building. Your school placements are arranged for you in quality assured partnership schools and many additional experiences, such as sessions with visiting specialists and opportunities to see other educational settings, are incorporated into the course. The course is rated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted, and our current students have voted us the best primary provision course in England through the 2011 National Student Survey. Our students also have excellent employment rates, so we are confident that your time with us represents superb value for money.