Education Studies BA Honours

You will be provided with opportunities and resources to begin to critically reflect and debate theoretical perspectives and policies across a range of disciplines within relevant educational contexts, including Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy and Law. You are also encouraged to develop academic skills, conduct an audit of your professional skills, and to reflect on your learning experiences so far.

This module introduces you to the importance of inclusive practice in diverse learning environments. It enables you to explore contemporary and historical examples of policy and practice relevant to the field of equity, diversity and inclusion in educational contexts. You’ll explore a variety of learning resources and be encouraged to evaluate these in the context of learning experiences and practice. This will help you to develop skills in critical analysis, reflexivity and resource design that will aid and develop your future practice.

This module explores key issues in education policy and practice within a socio-political and historical context, promoting an understanding of key principles and concepts in education policy and practice. The module enables you to develop an appreciation of the impact of policy on practice and the relevance of historical learning and teaching contexts.  It enables you to consider the varied purposes and goals of education and how these underlying values impact on education policy and practice. It also promotes reflection on your own and others' value systems and enables you to use your knowledge and understanding critically to locate and justify a personal position in relation to contemporary educational debates.

This module enables you to critically evaluate how children's language and communication skills develop and how adults can support this development. It explores theories regarding how various social contexts/ factors influence development and learning across the lifespan. The module also enables you to examine the impact of contemporary policies and their implications on learning through the lifespan.

This module enables you
· To consider how psychological approaches to human learning and cognition have shaped our ideas of learning and development by exploring key learning theories and how these theories relate to practice in educational contexts
· To encourage understanding of learning processes and to explore influences and impact of socio-emotional and cultural factors on development, educational experiences and achievement
· To consider how the cognitive, social and emotional realms of individual development are all inter-linked
· To promote reflection on learning experiences and make connections between concepts and theories
· To explore values and principles associated with learning and development.

This year provides you with an inclusive, flexible, responsive and adaptable curriculum experience and offers a wide range of personalised opportunities to gain insight into current and emerging research issues, methods of enquiry and debates in education policy, through a Social Justice lens.  

You will also undertake a placement of your choice which reflects your career interests, as well as plan and deliver a classroom session- both tasks enable you to develop as an educational professional through the placement module, and to identify priority areas for professional development to achieve your career goals. 

This module enables you to develop a critical awareness of educational experiences of national curricula and alternative provision. It examines how teachers make space for their own pedagogy while also meeting the expectations of accountability and inspection. You’ll reflect on historical, contemporary and future practice in primary education, exploring how 21st century primary education can best meet the holistic needs of communities. The module also enables you to plan and deliver a classroom session, and articulate and justify perspectives on future educational reform when engaged in a persuasive dialogue with different stakeholders.

This transformative module enables you to develop as an education professional through gaining invaluable real-world experiences in an educational setting of your own choice. An individualised placement plan enables you to focus your experiences on the development of skills, experiences and knowledge that are tailored to your own career goals. 

This module develops your critical understanding of social justice issues in education and enables you to engage with the values, processes, and practices underpinning educational institutions.  

A decolonised curriculum, exploring multiple perspectives and diverse experiences of learners in educational settings, from young children to university students, will enable you to challenge racism, injustice, and prejudice in education.

Recognising that social research is of fundamental importance within the fields of education, this module enables you to gain critical understanding of and practical experience of the research process. This enables you to become an intelligent user of research, and confident to conduct research for your independent dissertation topic in year three, and for your career as an education professional. 

This year enables you to build upon the previous two years to develop your abilities to participate in reasoned arguments relating to educational policy, justify different positions on a wide range of educational matters, and to offer recommendations to improve educational policy and practice. These experiences increase your competence to become an autonomous, reflective learner, team worker and leader.

The Independent Research Project will allow you to integrate knowledge and skills acquired across the degree, to design and manage a small-scale research study based on a chosen topic of relevance in contemporary Education Studies.

Using skills of primary research acquired in module EDU2201 (or equivalent research methods module), you will carry out an individual research project, designed and managed by themselves on a relevant topic of your choice.

You will identify relevant information on a topic, critically review previous research in the field and present this in a Literature Review.

They will undertake a process of small-scale research design, data collection and analysis, culminating in a report in which they will demonstrate knowledge of both the research process and an academic analysis of their chosen research topic and the implications of their findings to the field.

This module enables you to explore and analyse a range of theoretical perspectives and concepts which enable critical investigation of contemporary issues and policies relevant to childhood, youth and families.   

Using the insights and understanding you will develop, you will choose one of your  possessions to apply critical insight into your own academic trajectories and family biographies, and your own stories of struggle and success.

This module enables you to integrate knowledge and skills acquired across your degree, to design and manage a small-scale research study based on a topic of you choice which is relevant to contemporary Education Studies. You’ll identify relevant information, critically review previous research in the field and present this in a literature review. You’ll undertake small-scale research design, data collection and analysis, culminating in a report in which demonstrates knowledge of the research process and an academic analysis of your chosen research topic. This report will also offer practical recommendation and discuss implications of your findings to the relevant education sector.

This module encourages you to engage with fundamental questions concerning the aims, purposes, values and outcomes of education and its relationship to society in different countries worldwide, so encouraging the interrogation of learning and educational processes in a variety of contexts. 

This will help you to reflect critically on your own experiences of education, compare educational processes, policies, practices and philosophies, and take principled positions regarding different perspectives on various aspects of national and international education policy through a rights-based, social justice lens.  

This module enables you to engage with the value of the creativity and the arts in the learning and wellbeing of children and adults. You’ll explore what creativity is and how it flourishes through the arts in formal and informal educational processes. You’ll consider the role of creativity and the arts in various educational philosophies and approaches, and through this, you’ll critically examine the place of creativity and the arts in current mainstream education.

This module provides you with an understanding of the historical evolution of policy and practice relating to special educational needs, disability and inclusion, and the legislative framework within which inclusive provision for special educational needs and disability is made. 

This module also enables you to explore and examine various theoretical perspectives and discourses within which the debate about SEND and inclusion have taken place, and the implications for children, young people, parents and other relevant stakeholders on access and provision.  

This module encourages you to evaluate social and emotional support for promoting learning and well-being in early years and educational contexts. It explores the child’s social and emotional developmental needs, and the strategies used by early years settings and schools in attempting to meet these needs. It considers the many social and emotional influences on the child’s well-being and mental health, and how these affect their learning and educational experience.   

You’ll have the opportunity to reflect on, and evaluate your own emotions and interpersonal skills, helping you to explore the social and emotional aspects of children and young people’s learning and well-being. A range of theories, strategies, approaches and skills used by those working with children in early years settings and education, such as teachers, counsellors, and therapists are studied. 

In collaborative classroom spaces, you’ll study, develop and apply skills through a wide variety of inclusive, interactive and engaging teaching and learning approaches, including seminars, discussions, individual and group activities, debates and presentations, to support creative and critical thinking, reflection and professional development. 

Our teaching and learning methods are inclusive, supporting you in developing your academic voice, and communicating ideas with integrity that celebrate your background and identity, with a commitment to decolonising curricula.

You'll be taught by an experienced teaching team with a wide range of expertise and professional experience. Your learning is supplemented by a range of additional supportive interactions with staff, through individual tutorials and academic tutoring which support your learning. You will also be supported by individual and group guided independent study, including key concept videos provided in advance, directed reading and online activities, including EduCare professional short online courses (widely recognised across the Education sector and by Ofsted). You’ll also have access to our Learning Enhancement Team to help you develop your academic skills, and a specialist librarian is available to help you find literature. On placement, you will be supported by your placement supervisor, your seminar leader and our placement co-ordinator.

You’ll be learning and sharing experiences in groups of up to 25. These will form your peers who you will study with throughout your three years, enabling you to develop effective group working practices and to make lifelong friendships and professional associations.

You will be studying at our north London campus in Hendon using innovative teaching spaces designed for collaboration, discussion and student-centred learning.  

During your second year, you will spend time in your placement location.

Fieldwork and external visits also take place in a number of modules.

During your first year, your weekly timetable will look something like this:

• 10 hours of teaching and learning sessions
• 1 hour per month of one-to-one meetings
• 1 hour of group work
• 1 hour of support from a Student Learning Advisor
• Additional support as offered.

Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.

Here is an indication of how you will split your time:

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Typically students will be on campus for two days a week, with the expectation that students will be on placement (or undertaking relevant voluntary experience) for one day per week.

Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.

We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on-campus sessions.

Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop the skills relevant to your degree from research and practical skills to critical thinking. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus, even over the weekend.

The knowledge, understanding and skills you develop on the course are assessed by formative and summative assessment methods that include essays, reports, digital media, designing classroom resources, case studies, micro-teaching, book reviews, portfolios, reflective journals, posters, presentations, placement reflections and research projects. Choice is often built into assessments, allowing a wide range of personalised opportunities for study and flexible learning. 
 
You’ll receive continual formative feedback through the year in a range of formats (tutor led, peer review), which monitor learning, focus teaching, and feed directly into the limited number of summative assessments. These enable you to gain knowledge, produce reasoned arguments, hold justifiable points of view, make effective decisions and solve problems in relation to the learning objectives and outcomes of each module.