Learning Support
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: X302 | Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA
University of Portsmouth
UCAS Code: X302 | Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA
Entry requirements
GCSE/National 4/National 5
2 GCSEs at grade C or above to include English and Mathematics/2 GCSEs at grade 4 or above to include English and Mathematics.
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About this course
**Overview**
If you’re currently working in learning support – such as in a teaching assistant role – and you’re ready to take the next step in your career, our Foundation degree (FdA) in Learning Support will put you on the right track.
As a learning support professional, you play an invaluable role in enabling children to realise what they’re capable of. Your experience is excellent groundwork from which to develop greater educational support expertise, or even to move towards becoming a teacher.
We know you’re busy in the classroom, so we’ve made it simple to complete your studies alongside your job by studying at one of our partner colleges. Whichever you choose, you’ll be a student of the University of Portsmouth, so you’ll have access to all of our facilities and support.
When you graduate, you'll have new skills and insight to bring to your learning support role. You could also use your foundation degree to access further study that leads to Qualified Teacher Status.
This course isn't currently open to international students outside the EU.
- Develop your teaching assistant skills by exploring how best to support learners across key subject areas such as literacy and numeracy
- Discover how to support children with a range of needs, including those with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Learn in supportive study groups, alongside other teaching assistants from different educational backgrounds, and find out how to take the knowledge and skills you learn in our classroom back to yours
- Be taught by expert staff with extensive experience, using dynamic and relevant teaching methods to help you get the most out of your studies
- Study alongside your job at one of our partner colleges: South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus (full time only) or Isle of Wight College (full time only)
**Careers and opportunities**
This Learning Support Foundation degree (FdA) will enrich your classroom experience with the education theory, best practice approaches and professional recognition you need to best support children in an assisting role, or to progress on a new career path towards becoming a teacher.
**What can you do with a Learning Support FdA?**
After the course, you'll have a university-level qualification that's recognised in the primary school sector.
You'll stand out as a learning support professional with the skills to work in:
- primary learning support
- higher level teaching assistance (HLTA)
- learning mentorship
- family support
- behaviour management
Alternatively, you could go on to do a Bachelor's degree such as our BA (Hons) Education Studies (Top-Up).
Once you have a full Bachelors degree, you could then progress on to courses that enable you to earn Qualified Teacher Status, such as a PGCE Primary or a School Centred Initial Teacher Training Programme (SCITT).
Modules
Year 1
Core modules on the course include:
- Educational Contexts (20 credits)
- How Learning Develops (20 credits)
- Supporting Literacy (20 credits)
- The Role of the Professional in Supporting Learning (40 credits)
- Safeguarding (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year.
Year 2
Core modules:
- Practitioner Based Enquiry - Proposal (20 credits)
- Practitioner Based Enquiry - Report (20 credits)
- Supporting Learners with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (20 credits)
- Supporting Numeracy (20 credits)
- Supporting Send (20 credits)
- Theory and Practice of Assessment (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year.
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course - content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Assessment methods
You’ll be assessed through:
- essays
- case studies
- reflective reports
- research projects
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus
Isle of Wight College
City of Portsmouth College
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
What students say
How do students rate their degree experience?
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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What are graduates doing after six months?
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Top job areas of graduates
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Graduate field commentary:
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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?
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