Education (With Foundation Year)

Our education courses rank in the UK top 5 overall in their subject field (The Guardian University Guide, 2026).

This broad-based course is designed to give you a solid foundation in education theory and practice, setting you up for a career in education or working with children. It explores different fields such as psychology, health, law and social welfare while building your understanding of the role of education in modern society in the UK and internationally. There is a strong focus on employability, allowing you to put educational theory into practice through work placements and volunteering including a final-year, work-based unit in an education setting.

Foundation Year
In the Foundation year you will study three days per week. The focus will be on academic writing skills and numeracy, plus subject-specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree. It provides a balance between content related to your chosen subject and the range of wider skills required for undergraduate study. This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will be required to pass the foundation year in order to progress to the first year of your degree. This course is ideal for those who do not meet our standard entry requirements or those with a non-standard educational background. It will allow you to graduate with a full undergraduate degree in your chosen subject in four years.

Facilities and Specialist Equipment

• Mock classrooms with specialist technology so you can watch and assess your lesson.

• Forest School where you can deepen your understanding of the long-term educational benefits of outdoor learning opportunities.

• Specialist sensory centre to support your understanding of how teachers teach and children learn, within early years and SEND contexts.

• Multi-media space for webinars and podcasting.

Partnerships and Collaborations

• We have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations.

Your Student Experience

• Our Bedford campus is a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well.

• Support from your own personal tutor, a unit and course coordinator, and the additional support of our experienced library staff, all of whom will help you throughout your student journey and with balancing study with work and personal commitments.

• Flexible unit choices allow you to specialise in a particular area that may align with your future career intentions.

• You work with an academic team with expertise across sociology, history, philosophy of education and critical pedagogy.

• Many of our staff also have "previous lives" in frontline professions, including youth work and education, and bring real-world perspectives to teaching sessions.