BEd (Hons) Education - FAQs

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 (QTS) to work with children in the primary phase.

In addition to the academic course 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 approximately 8am-5pm each day.

Do we have to find our placements?

No. We have a dedicated Placement Unit who work hard to place you in a range of settings to ensure you receive a wide and varied experience. We have 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. Your mentor will have attended training and be an experienced classroom practitioner.

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

This is a full-time course and you may be expected to be in the University most days. You have a range of online and face to face tutorials and additional requirements including independent study, reading, and preparation for assignments. Sessions are timetabled between 9am and 8pm.

You'll form close friendships and organise nights out and daytrips. There are opportunities to mix as a year group, as well as in small groups.

On Wednesday afternoons there are no taught University sessions. This enables you to take part in the clubs and societies run by the Students' Union.

Is everyone going to be younger/older than me?

A wide variety of people are successful on the BEd course, coming from all ages and backgrounds. In your tutor groups it's always easy to find someone with similar interests 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 SEND. In the second year there is an opportunity to study an alternative educational setting and in the third year there is a suite of module options.

You also have the opportunity to focus on an area of 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?

No. There are a variety of routes, including the BEd, Integrated Masters in Education (MEdu) (in curriculum enhancement) with Qualified Teacher Status, and PGCE Primary (School Direct). The BEd is a comprehensive undergraduate course that offers the opportunity to gain a wide variety of experience over a three year period. You may also be interested in our four-year . 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 probably the best route for you.

We also offer the PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and School Direct at Derby. You'll usually take this after a first degree if you decide that you would like to teach, or if you are 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 which employ our graduates. 

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.

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.

This course is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, and Education at Derby is ranked top 25 in the Guardian University Guide 2020.