BA (Hons) Primary Education 2024

Welcome to the course

Congratulations on your acceptance to the BA (Hons) in Primary Education (QTS) course at the Department of Education, Kingston University. Welcome to the course – we hope that you will find it stimulating and rewarding.

This course combines taught components in the University with practical experiences in school. You will make connections between theory and practice in order to develop your knowledge, skills and understanding. This will support you in having the greatest impact on all pupils, enabling them to become successful learners and confident individuals who can make a positive contribution to their school and wider community.

The taught sessions will prepare you to teach all national curriculum subjects, with an emphasis on the core areas of English, mathematics and science. Throughout, there is a focus on pedagogy. You will also consider wider contexts and aspects of education, such as creativity, wellbeing and cultural diversity, as these are important factors in contemporary primary education.

Across the course, you will work within different settings for learning, both at university and in school. This will give you important opportunities to collaborate with, and learn from, a range of peers, tutors and expert colleagues. The taught sessions, along with your formal assignments, are designed to enhance your understanding of topics and to enable you to develop your critical thinking, reading and writing skills.

Do study the website carefully. The introductory materials provide you with important information including activities that you should undertake before you start with us in September. The tasks and information will help prepare you for your first year on the course.

I look forward to meeting you in September as you take your first step towards an exciting, demanding and fulfilling career.

Best wishes

Banna Millar
BA Primary Course Leader

Course checklist

	Action	When
1	Complete and submit your Occupational Health questionnaire	Within two days of receiving Fit 4 Jobs email
2	Complete online DBS application and take original documents to Post Office for verification	As soon as you receive the online DBS activation email from First Advantage Know Your People.
3	Sign up to the Update Service and submit completed form	Within 19 days of your DBS certificate issue date
4	Obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct if you have spent time living overseas for more than 3 months in the last 5 years.	Submit as soon as possible.
5	Upload outstanding qualification certificates to OSIS in order to meet offer conditions.	As soon as possible.
6	Preparatory reading and complete pre-course tasks.	May to September 2024 (to upload shortly)
7	Complete the School Experience Placements form	Within five days of receiving the pre-course website link.
8	Read and submit completed Placement Policy Form	Submit completed form by 21 June 2024.

Term dates

Term	Term dates	Reading Week
Term 1	16 September 2024 to 13 December 2025	28 October 2024 to 1 November 2024
Term 2	6 January 2025 to 4 April 2025	17 February 2025 to 21 February 2025
Term 3	28 April 2025 to 27 June 2025	26 May 2025 to 30 May 2025

These are provisional dates and may be subject to change.

Induction: your first week

Monday 16 September 2024

We can't wait to welcome you to the campus at Kingston Hill for your first day! Please arrive in good time for a 9.30am start. Your first session will be with Banna Millar, the Course Lead, and your personal tutors. You will be introduced to key resources and materials that you will begin to familiarise yourself with and use throughout your time with us and you will meet key members of the team who are committed to working with you and supporting you throughout your time here.

From 11.30am onwards, you will have time as whole cohort and in your personal tutor groups. We will give you time to get to know each other and participate in team building and orienteering activities as well as work together to familiarise yourself with some of the key documentation you will need when on your school experience placements.

Tuesday 17 September 2024

The day will begin at 9.30am again and your first session will be delivered by a representative from the National Education Union (NEU) on E-safety and Protecting your Professional Identity. At 11.30, Banna Millar will introduce you to key apps and IT resources that you will need whilst working here with us. Please ensure you bring a laptop or iPad that you will be using during your time with us. Your first lecture will take place in the afternoon from 2 to 4pm on Behaviour for Learning, with David Gumbrell.

Wednesday 18 September 2024

You will start again at 9.30 and the morning will be split into two sessions. The main overriding theme will be on Assessment, however the first session will focus on the logistics and formalities and the second session will be managing your mental health and wellbeing in relation to workload and assignments. Juliette Annal, Angie Edwards and Kelly Di Biase will run these sessions. The Freshers Fair will be held in the afternoon, giving you an opportunity to find out more about what else you can get involved in here at Kingston University. Look out for additional information on the Kingston Award and the Student Hub.

Thursday 19 September 2024

You will have another full day on campus, starting at 9.30am. Your induction sessions in the morning will be led by the library and academic services teams, giving you an introduction to what will be required of you when completing your academic writing. In the afternoon, David Gumbrell will deliver the Introduction to Professionalism session, where he will work with you to consider teacher presence, professional values and your professional identity.

Friday 20 September 2024

Another full day on campus, starting promptly at 9.30am, will bring your induction week to a close. You will participate in further Library and Learning services sessions, followed by a session on AI. In the afternoon, you will have a session with Caroline Bateman, our Dyslexia Specialist tutor, introducing you to how breaking down barriers to learning and literacy underpins much of our course content. We look forward to welcoming you to this, igniting your interest and enthusiasm in something we are all very passionate about.

Hopefully, by the end of this week, you will feel confident in your new surroundings and will have started to build up new friendships, giving you additional confidence as you embark on this new journey.

School Experience Placements

Please complete these forms for your School Experience placements:

Reading lists and tasks

You can download the pre-course reading list and tasks below.

BA (Hons) Primary pre-course reading list and tasks to follow shortly

Equipment

For some University sessions, you will need specific clothing/equipment:

Art:

Protective clothing: apron, overall or old shirt

Physical Education (P.E.), including Dance:

Tracksuit or similar
Tennis shirt/blouse
Gym shoes or lightweight training shoes for indoor work
Appropriate footwear (heavier training shoes) for outdoor work

Fees, funding and bursaries

Fees information

The UK (Home) tuition fee for the BA Primary course for academic year 2024–25 is £9,250.
The UK (Home) tuition fee for the PGCE is £9,250.
The EU/International tuition fee for academic year 2024/25 is £17,800.

If you are a UK student, you may be eligible for help with your tuition fees. Information is available on this government student finance website. Contact number of Student Finance England is 0300 100 0607.

You can also download an application form and guidance notes from the site.

Further information about student funding can be found on the Kingston University website or by contacting Student Funding on 020 8417 7312.

PGCE Secondary Bursaries and Scholarships

The Department for Education has confirmed that teaching bursaries will be paid monthly to PGCE trainee teachers according to their phase, chosen secondary subject and classification of their first degree or their highest postgraduate qualification. Confirmation of eligibility and the amount of the award will be provided following enrolment. You are not required to do anything until you receive this confirmation.

Here are the bursaries and scholarships available for 2024–25. Please note: not all subjects have bursaries or scholarships available.

Subject	Bursary for trainees with 1st, 2:1, 2:2, PhD or masters	Scholarship for trainees with 1st, 2:1, 2:2, PhD or masters
Biology	£25,000	Not available
Chemistry	£28,000	£30,000
Mathematics	£28,000	£30,000
Physics	£28,000	£30,000
English	£10,000	Not available

Trainees cannot receive both the bursary and scholarship.

We understand there is quite a significant gap (8 to 9 weeks) from when you start the course until you receive the first instalment. This is how government bursaries are paid and unfortunately there isn't anything we can do to speed up the process. We ask that you be mindful of this when organising your finances over that period.

For detailed information about eligibility and scholarships, please refer to the following websites:

DBS and Occupational Health information

Please visit the DBS and Occupational Health page to complete your DBS, Update Service and Occupational Health information.

DBS and Occupational Health

FAQs: General information

When does my course start?

PGCE Primary, PGCE Secondary:

Monday 2 September 2024

BA Primary:

Monday 16 September 2024

Please see respective course page for details on your first week and enrolment.

When will I receive an unconditional offer in UCAS or DfE (PGCE applications)?

When you have uploaded evidence of the academic requirements stipulated in your offer to OSIS.

Please email education@kingston.ac.uk to notify us when you have uploaded your qualifications so we can verify them as quickly as possible. Once we are satisfied your qualifications meet our requirements, we will change your offer status to unconditional.

Please note your offer will remain conditional until you have received DBS and Occupational Health clearance. You will only be able to begin your school placement once clearances for both checks have been obtained.

When will I receive my course timetable?

You should receive the timetable for the first week shortly before you start the course. Your full first semester timetable will be made available to you following enrolment.

FAQs: DBS and Occupational Health

Do I need a DBS if I already have one?

All students will need to undergo an enhanced DBS check in "Child Workforce" with Kingston University. The only exception is if you already have this in place and have subscribed to the Update Service. If this is the case, please complete the Update Service Form, giving us permission to check the current status of your DBS.

I have received an activation email from Know Your People. What do I do with this?

You need to activate your account with Know Your People and then complete your DBS application. You will be asked to either use a digital app to verify your documents or to go the Post Office for verification of your identity.

I do not live in the UK. What do I do?

Don't worry. If you live abroad just organise a Certificate of Good Conduct for the time being from where you are living. However, do let us know when you arrive in the UK so we can give you guidance on what you need to do when applying for a UK DBS.

Where do I find the Update Service Form?

You can find the Update Service Form here or on our DBS page.

Why do I need to complete the Update Service Form?

You should only complete this if you have a valid subscription with the Update Service as we need your permission to verify your current DBS status. Please note you can only subscribe to this service within 19 days of your DBS certificate issue date.

What is a Certificate of Good Conduct and why do I need to submit this?

A Certificate of Good Conduct is required if you have lived outside the UK for more than three months in the last five years. This is in addition to you having DBS clearance. It usually comes in form of a letter or certificate from an overseas authority confirming your character and that you did not hold a criminal record when you spent time in that country.

Click here for guidance on how to apply for a check.

I have received an activation email from PAM OH Solutions. What is this?

This is the service we use to assess students' health and suitability for the course. You must activate your account and complete the questionnaire accurately so that if required, we can ensure reasonable adjustments are made for you while you are on course.

FAQs: Setting/School placements

What are the PGCE Introductory Observation days?

The five introductory days in school allows you to experience school life at the beginning of the academic year (Monday 4 - Friday 8 September). It may be that the first two/three days are staff training days (INSET) and that the pupils are not on site until later in the week. You would need to make arrangements with a school of your choice as long as they use the National Curriculum/EYFS.

You will need to organise the five introductory observation days yourself. The University will not do this for you but will organise your on-course school placements (minimum 120 days) when you start the course.

Do I organise my main school block placement (e.g. Autumn term) or will the University do this for me?

The Placement Team at the University will organise all your school placements. It is important that you do not approach schools directly yourself. However, it would be helpful for us to know if you have past or present links with local schools. Please add these details to the School Experience Placement Form below for your respective course below.

How far will I be expected to travel to my placement setting/school?

The University does not, and cannot, guarantee maximum journey times and distances to placement settings/schools but does take into consideration trainees' circumstances and requirements.

Students can anticipate being placed in a setting/school, in some cases, that is within a two-hour commute from the University as this is where our partners are located.

When will I find out what setting/school I have been placed in?

The Placement Team usually notifies students of their placement approximately two weeks before their placement start date.

I have a disability or domestic responsibility (i.e. caring responsibility). I will need to be placed in a local setting/school. Is this possible?

Although there are no guarantees, we will do our best to place you in a school as close to your home as possible. We need to be made aware of your circumstances so it is important that you complete the School Experience Placement Form below for your respective course. Please complete the form fully and we will do our best to take your needs into consideration when placing you.

Support for students with disabilities or dyslexia

Who to contact for support

If you have a disability or dyslexia and require support while you are at University, you must contact the Disability and Mental Health Support Service.

The contact details are:
Kingston University - Disability and Mental Health Support
020 8417 7314
Email: disability@kingston.ac.uk

Full details of the support services and facilities are also available here.

You are also strongly encouraged to contact us in the Department of Education before you start the programme. We are committed to providing you support during your studies and if we are aware of your specific needs in advance, we can make provisions and have these in place for your course start.

Please email education@kingston.ac.uk with details of your specific requirements.

If you would like to speak with someone in confidence, please contact Oliver Richards, the Admissions Team Leader.

Useful contacts

University department	Contact number	Email address
Department of Education	020 3308 9932 Press Option 4, then 2 and 2 again to get through to Education Admissions.	education@kingston.ac.uk
Main Switchboard	020 8417 9000
Accommodation services	020 8417 7311	accommodation@kingston.ac.uk
Fees and funding (undergraduate)	020 8417 7312	studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk
Fees and funding (postgraduate)	020 8417 7312	studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk
Student life advisory	020 8417 7312
Disability and mental health support	020 8417 7314	disability@kingston.ac.uk

Contact details for external organisations	Contact number
Kingston Hill
Student Finance England	0300 100 0607
Disabled Students' Allowance	n/a
First Advantage Online Disclosures	0115 969 4600

How to find us

Your course will be taught at the Kingston Hill campus, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB.

View campus information, directions and public transport options on the Kingston Hill webpage.