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Kingston University

UCAS Code: X360 | Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA

Entry requirements

- A relevant level 3 qualification in early years (or equivalent) - Employment in an appropriate setting (paid or voluntary) for at least 16 hours per week for the duration of the course - Normally two years' experience in an appropriate setting - The selection process involves interview at your chosen college, selection exercises and a current DBS check. https://www.kingston.ac.uk/undergraduate-course/special-educational-needs-foundation/entry-requirements.html

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About this course

Course option

2years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

Education studies

Learning support

**Reasons to choose Kingston**
- You will be able to earn as you learn, combining workplace learning with part-time academic study at Kingston University.

- You will develop a deeper understanding of SEND to enhance children's learning and development in your workplace and the wider community.

- 96.1% of students thought staff supported their learning (NSS 2023).

- Once you complete this foundation degree, you can take a further year's study and top-up your qualification to a BA (Hons) degree at Kingston University.

- Our commitment to high quality teaching has been recognised with a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold rating. The University has received an overall rating of Gold, as well as securing a Gold award in the framework's two new student experience and student outcomes categories.

**About this course**
Do you want to make a difference to the lives of children and young people up to the age of 25 years who have special educational needs and disabilities? Are you looking for a course that allows you to earn while you learn?

This two-year work-based foundation degree will enable you to develop your practice, become part of a strong network, and complete the first two years of an undergraduate degree, which you can top up to a full degree with the Special Educational Needs & Inclusive Practice BA (Hons) top-up.

This course enables you to combine academic study with work-based learning. During the course, you will need to be working or volunteering 16 hours per week within in a early years setting, school, college or alternative provision.

You will explore the requirements of the Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice and consider the voice and needs of the child or young person. You'll study developmental theories, systems to support learning, legislative frameworks that govern practice, multi-professional perspectives and working with families and carers. You'll develop reflective skills to enable you to consider how to improve practice.

This course is taught at either our Kingston Hill campus, one session per week (1.30 - 6.30pm) or at REACH Multi-Academy Trust in Feltham (4 - 9pm).

**Future Skills**
Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

**Career opportunities**
This qualification is valued by employers and is considered a mark of professional excellence and expertise. Afterwards, you’ll be able to progress to a BA (Hons) top-up degree, which can, in turn, lead to postgraduate opportunities.

Modules

Example modules

-Inclusive Practice
-Child Protection in the Field of Special Educational Needs
-International Systems to Support Learning.

For a full list of modules please visit the Kingston university course webpage.

Assessment methods

Teaching includes lectures, work-based learning activities, tutorials, online learning, workshops and seminars. In addition you will be supported by a work-based professional advocate.

Progress is measured through assignments, demonstration of professional competence in work-based situations, and practical demonstrations that apply the knowledge you have gained. There are no written exams.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£7,300
per year
Northern Ireland
£7,300
per year
Scotland
£7,300
per year
Wales
£7,300
per year

The Uni

Course locations:

Reach Academy

Kingston University

Department:

Department of Education

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

96%
Education studies
96%
Learning support

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Education

Teaching and learning

94%
Staff make the subject interesting
96%
Staff are good at explaining things
98%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
99%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

89%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
88%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

99%
UK students
1%
International students
4%
Male students
96%
Female students
47%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Education

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£20,087
high
Average annual salary
100%
med
Employed or in further education
45%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

48%
Childcare and related personal services
21%
Teaching and educational professionals
7%
Managers and proprietors in health and care services

When you look at employment stats, bear in mind that a lot of students are already working in education when they take this type of course and are studying to help their career development. This means they already have jobs when they start their course, and a lot of graduates continue to study, whilst working, when they complete their courses. If your course is focused on nursery or early years education, a lot of these graduates go into nursery work or classroom or education assistant jobs; these jobs are not currently classed as 'graduate level' in the stats (although they may well be in the future as classifications catch up with changes in the way we work), and many graduates who enter these roles say that a degree was necessary.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Education

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£23k

£23k

£27k

£27k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here