About us
Education
With a long history of working in the education and training of teachers and other professionals in the education sector, we are an established and dynamic School committed to developing excellence and confidence in teaching, learning and professional practice for individuals in a variety of contexts. Our underpinning values are:
- the importance of scholarship, research and critical reflection;
- respect and challenge for all learners including ourselves;
- the significance of personal and professional development;
- a shared commitment to quality.
These values enable us to:
- challenge students to realise their potential in a positive and supportive environment;
- provide leadership in the process of academic and professional growth.
Programmes are cutting-edge, reflecting the many social, political and technological changes taking place in education. Our students leave us with the know-how and confidence to make a difference in contemporary learning and teaching, giving the School one of the best graduate employability records of any UK university.
Sharing our expertise with local authorities and other educational settings enhances professional practice across the sector. We maintain high professional training standards through excellence in scholarship and research, and emphasis on reflective practice. Innovative work in research and consultancy adds to our local, national and international credentials.
Learning Environment
The School is based at the University’s recently built £120 million de Havilland Campus - Europe’s most significant higher-education development in the last 20 years.
Here over 60 academic staff, seconded teachers, administrative and technical support staff are involved in delivering programmes to around 2000 students. A friendly and diverse community we share a keen interest in learning and teaching best practice for a range of educational settings.
Our comprehensive portfolio of full and part-time courses covers initial teacher training, courses for other professionals in a range of educational settings, foundation and undergraduate degrees, continuing professional development, postgraduate and doctoral qualifications. We also offer accredited ‘return to teaching’ courses and employment-based routes for graduates, registered teachers and those trained overseas.
We also offer accredited 'return to teaching' courses, employment-based routes for graduates, registered teachers and those trained overseas and a comprehensive range of accredited and non - accredited short course provision.
21st Century Resources
Students have access to world-class resources to help progress their learning. These include the University’s technology-rich, 24/7 Learning Resources Centres and groundbreaking e-learning environment StudyNet, as well as private study and computer suites.
The School of Education is equipped with specialist art rooms, science laboratories, music room, design and technology rooms and ICT suites.
Working With The Community
Partnership with schools
We are in partnership with several hundred early years, primary and secondary settings in eleven different local authorities. Our strong partnership links allow us to offer a range of features, in addition to teaching placements, that enrich trainees’ knowledge, experience and opportunities. These include:
- Involvement in innovative practices in schools
- Visits to a range of settings outside the phase of training
- Visits from speakers/tutors from partnership schools
- Input from Partnership Promotion and Training Schools
- Access to employment information
We share knowledge and resources with teaching practitioners and the wider community in a number of ways - from research and consultancy to delivering specialist training in schools.
Many projects relate to national initiatives and are funded by government and other agencies. For example, we have worked with the Training and Development Agency for Schools aspects of initial teacher training.
Our schools-based training packages cover areas such as implementing the Primary Strategy, and addressing the needs of able, gifted and talented pupils.
We also run workshops, talks and conferences on various education-related topics that are open to the public at low or no cost.
Research
Research is an important element in in the School’s success. Our academic staff are currently involved in projects at all levels of education and in professional learning in public and private sector organisations. Our work has contributed to developments at local, regional and national levels.
Strong research themes are professional learning in further and higher education, equity and diversity issues, and the role and development of school governors.
Research interests in Education range across early years, primary, secondary, post-compulsory and higher education. A strong feature of the research ethos is the link between research and development of practice for teachers, lecturers and other professional groups with an interest in education and training. Key themes in school research activity are:
- Professional learning of teachers, lecturers and others
- Impact of professional or work-related study an practice
- Pedagogical basis of mentoring and supervision
- Role of narrative and imagery in professional and work related learning
- Developments in e-learning
- Reflective practice in initial teacher training and other professions
- Doctoral programmes
- Equity and diversity issues
- Teaching and learning in higher education
- School governance
International Focus
Both teaching and research benefit from our international perspective. As well as welcoming overseas trained teachers to the campus, we’re involved in projects of international scope, and have active links with institutions in Australia, Canada, Malaysia and the USA.
The School of Education was recently successful in securing a bid to work with two teacher training institutes and the Ministry of Education in Malaysia to develop an undergraduate teacher training programme in mathematics. This is a new venture for primary school teacher training in Malaysia. A key feature of the programme is the degree of collaboration that has been developed with our partners.
Professional Accreditation
Successful completion of Initial Teacher Training programmes leads to Qualified Teacher Status
