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Experience in Schools for Education Studies Students
Working and learning in school settings is an important part of the Education Studies programme. It is intended to enable you to see educational policy and process in practice, to give you some 'hands-on' experience with teachers and pupils and to learn about how schools work as institutions.
There are three Education modules which involve placement in school of one day per week throughout the module, working usually with one teacher throughout the semester.
- ED1002 Introduction to primary schools (Year 1)
- ED2006 Investigation in school experience (Year 2)
- ED3006 Investigation in school experience (Year 3)
ED1002 is for you to learn about teaching and learning in primary schools. You will observe teachers and children in classroom situations. Each week there will be an observation task which is linked to seminar sessions on different topics such as classroom organisation or the curriculum.
ED2006 or ED3006 allow you to carry out a small-scale research project in a school of your choice.
Your role in school experience
All the modules require you to observe and gather information from schools. However, you are expected to do more than just sit watching. You will be a participant observer. That means that you take an active part in the work of the classroom by assisting the teacher with activities, working with children, preparing resources and helping in any way possible.
Your role then is twofold: to gather information and experience for yourself and to give assistance to the work of the school.
You are not required to teach; however, you may find that you will be working with individuals or groups of children and you may be in a teaching role for a short period. Anything you do with children should be agreed between yourself and the teacher and you should be confident that it is within your competence.
Placement and travel
The Partnership Office in the School of Education makes all placements in schools. You will be asked to complete a form with information about where you live and how you can travel. Every effort is made to ensure that you are placed in the most convenient school for you. However, it is not always possible to place you in a close location. The office makes thousands of placements every year and placements in Bath are particularly difficult to find. So you must be prepared to travel to schools. You are responsible for paying the first �5.00 of daily travel costs.
Partnership between Schools and the University
The University has a long-standing relationship with hundreds of schools in the region who take trainees for teaching practice in our PGCE teacher training courses. In Education Studies we are able to benefit from this rich partnership and work with schools.
Most of the schools working with us in Education Studies modules are primary schools, although it is sometimes possible to arrange placements in secondary schools where required.
There is no payment to schools for placements in Education Studies and the work with schools depends on our sustaining good relationships with schools and students' contributions to school life.
Work-based Learning Handbook
Please follow the ink to this in the 'Quick Links' section on the left of this page. The Handbook is in two Parts, each with three sections, and is applicable to all three stakeholders in the work-based learning process: the University, Students and the Employer.
- Part 1 is relevant to all stakeholders and sets out the principles behind work-based learning, Bath Spa University’s Code of Practice and Health and Safety procedures for work placements.
- Part 2 sets out the responsibilities and expectations of each stakeholder: Section 4 covers those for the University, Section 5 for Students and Section 6 for Employers.
Students and staff are asked to note that appendices 6 and 7 should be printed off and used at the time of undertaking placements.
