PGCE M 14+ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Postgraduate Level at the University of Bolton
Course Overview
Aiding learners in reaching their full potential can be exceptionally rewarding, especially when supporting those with physical and cognitive disabilities, sensory and communication differences and social, emotional and mental health challenges.Teaching learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those in challenging and complex circumstances can be a professionally satisfying, if demanding, career. If you have the commitment, courage and patience then this Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course offers you the knowledge and skills to help others develop their understanding, confidence or independence, enabling you to transform lives. This PGCE (M) course is 120 credits at master's level (HE7), demonstrating your ability to work independently at a high level in the field of education. 90 credits at HE7 can be transferred to a full master's award, depending on the specialist master's pathway.
Through a combination of traditional study and work-based learning, you’ll be able to explore the key theories and techniques of teaching, learning and assessment for all learners, focusing especially on SEND. We’ll support you as you discover how to apply them in practice, how you can mould them to the teaching of particular subjects and how they link to current research in education.
We’ll guide you as you learn to plan lessons, deliver classes, assess your students’ performances and provide constructive feedback. Our expert and supportive tutors will work to help you become a skilled, engaging and inclusive teacher with high standards of professionalism.
This course is suitable for pre-service Initial Teacher Education (ITE) trainee teachers – so you don't need prior teaching experience or current employment in education. If you're a new in-service trainee teacher employed in the further education sector, you can apply for this course as part of your continuous professional development (CPD).
Highlights
- SEND teaching offers enormous scope. For instance, you might teach personal independence and social skills to people with profound learning difficulties, help students in pupil referral units or prisons learn basic maths and English, tutor autistic students in alternative provision, or support learners with hearing or visual impairments to develop employability skills.
- Ofsted rated our Further Education and Skills (FES) 14+ ITE courses' overall effectiveness as 'good' in all areas, including the quality of education and training, and leadership and management at their last inspection in May 2022. Their report also said, 'Trainees in the FES phase have access to a well-planned and ambitious curriculum' and 'Trainees are well supported to develop their subject-specific pedagogy equally well through all of the different FES ITE programmes' (Ofsted, 2022).
- Recent students have said, 'the content [is] engaging, relevant and well structured' and they 'appreciated the clear structure provided right from the beginning. This clarity has given us a clear understanding of what to expect from the module and what is expected from us as trainees'.
- The University of Bolton sits at the heart of an extensive and well-established partnership of post-14 education and training providers, offering access to an impressive range of educational environments.
- Our specialist modules in SEND teaching are designed to help you gain a high level of understanding in the teaching, learning and assessment of students with a diverse range of needs. These include learners in challenging and complex circumstances and those with learning difficulties, physical disabilities, sensory impairments and social, emotional, mental health or behavioural challenges, alongside the sound knowledge of ‘generic’ education offered by the course.
- Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support are offered by our team of highly experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated experts, ensuring you have access to feedback and advice.
- The course is designed to help you achieve your potential and enjoy teaching. By encouraging you to reflect on your performance and take charge of your own development, we aim to prepare you for a successful career in education.
Key Features
- Our highly qualified and dedicated team offers a wealth of experience in teaching both in post-14 education and training and teacher education.
- We offer a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes and excellent IT and library facilities.
- All trainee teachers must complete 150 hours of teaching practice in their subject specialist area and 100 hours of CPD training. Teaching placements are an essential component for success on this course, and you'll have the opportunity to gain experience planning and delivering learning in a range of settings within the further education sector.
- In most cases, we'll organise your work placements, and these may be in a variety of settings, helping you gain a rounded appreciation of the types of environments you can work in and experience teaching a diverse range of learners.
- This PGCE M 14+ course meets the requirements of the FE-specific Diploma in Teaching (DiT) in the Further Education and Skills sector. It's ideal if you wish to teach in adult and community education, further education, sixth-form colleges, universities, prison and probation services, pre-employment training and work-based learning.
- After completing this ITE course, you can progress towards QTLS (Qualified Teacher for Learning and Skills) which is recommended for teaching in the FE and Skills sector.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.
Entry Requirements
- You should have at least a lower second class (2.2) honours degree (or equivalent) in a subject that is relevant to the area you wish to teach.
- If your degree is not from a recognised UK higher education institution, advice will be taken from the International Office on comparability.
- If you have an HND, Foundation Degree or DipHE, please see our CertEd Certificate in Education 14+ course details.
- You must possess suitable Level 2 qualifications in English and Mathematics; for instance, GCSEs at grade 4-9 (or grade C or above) or Functional Skills Level 2 in English and Mathematics. Please contact us for a list of other Level 2 equivalent qualifications that would be accepted for entry to this course.
- While previous teaching experience is not necessary for this course, prior relevant work experience in the area you wish to teach will significantly strengthen your application. The placement providers we work with greatly value and prefer relevant experience (paid or voluntary) because you can bring this broader experience into your teaching.
- You'll be required to attend an interview day as part of the application process. This will involve written diagnostic tests for English and mathematics, a short oral presentation, and a face-to-face interview. As part of your interview, you may be asked to undertake additional assessment(s) to determine your suitability for the course.
- This course involves working unsupervised with young people and/or vulnerable adults and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
- You'll need to provide satisfactory references, a satisfactory health declaration and a satisfactory student agreement prior to enrolment on the course.
- We'll also consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (M) 14+ is a teacher education course for graduates who wish to teach in the Further Education and Skills sector of education; for example, in adult and community education, further education, sixth form colleges, the prison and probation services, pre-employment training and work-based learning.
This sector offers opportunities to work with further education learners who range in age from 14 years old to adult. These students come from different backgrounds and experiences and may enter further education from local schools, the community, industry or local businesses.
This course focuses on teaching learners with special education needs and disabilities (SEND). You could gain employment working with young people who need additional support or who require an advanced programme of learning in order to reach their full potential. You could gain employment working in the area of offender learning. Many SEND teachers/lecturers work with individuals who have physical disabilities, sensory differences, learning difficulties such as dyslexia, social or mental health needs or a combination of these difficulties.
What can I do with this qualification?
If you choose a career working with adults and community learning, you’ll work in the community, delivering practical and creative courses, as well as focusing on basic skills, language and computer courses. Another route, the justice sector, involves working in prisons and youth offender institutions, teaching basic skills. Some offender institutions also offer vocational preparation courses.
Alternative career options
PGCE M 14+ holders can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or further postgraduate study. Possible careers include:
- Higher education
- Education officer
- Mentoring
- Family liaison
- Educational psychology
- Education administration
- Student services advice
- Student liaison
- Educational writing and journalism
- Examinations
- Counselling
- Careers guidance
- Training
- Quality standards
- Community engagement
Professional Recognition
The University of Bolton's Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) M 14+ programme meets the requirements of the FE-specific Diploma in Teaching (DiT) in the Further Education and Skills sector. All new FE and Skills teachers must complete a teacher education qualification as the first step in obtaining QTLS (Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills).
If you are keen to pursue QTLS, please ensure you read the Society for Education and Training’s QTLS eligibility guidance before commencing this ITE programme. We especially draw your attention to the information about which English and mathematics qualifications are acceptable.
Please note, this course does not lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to teach in schools. However, QTLS does legally have equivalence to QTS and is recognised by some head teachers in schools.
Fees & Funding
The Department for Education (DfE) sometimes makes training bursaries available to PGCE (M) 14+ students. Please note, that only students who possess GCSE Maths and English at grades C/4 will be eligible under DfE eligibility criteria. For information about possible bursaries, please visit our Bursaries for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Programmes webpage.
Home/EU Fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £4,500 for the academic year 2024/25.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton Postgraduate Certificate in Education (M) 14+ Special Educational Needs Development - 08 September 2025
International Applicants
International applications are not possible for this course
As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.
We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.
Teaching & Assessment
We take a blended approach to teaching and learning, using a combination of face-to-face sessions, work-based learning and electronic resources and communications. You can expect timetabled classes and lectures, along with workshops, small group and individual practical activities, and structured exercises and discussions. Individual support will be given in tutorials. We'll encourage you to participate in online discussions with your peers and tutors, make full use of ICT as a source of information and support, and maintain a digital portfolio of evidence.
In most cases, work-based placements will be arranged for you in situations that meet the requirements for becoming a qualified teacher in the FE and Skills sector. They may involve daytime or evening teaching or both.
During your placements, your teaching practice will be assessed according to Ofsted guidelines and documented through session planning, observation reports and reflective journals. You'll receive informal feedback on your performance to help you assess your progress and improve your practice, as well as formal assessment that will contribute to your overall grade for the course.
Additional formal assessment will be based on coursework. You'll be expected to produce written work that demonstrates your understanding and ability to apply the course content. You'll also receive informal peer and tutor feedback on individual and group activities. Your tutor will guide you towards areas of appropriate research and background reading that will help you complete your coursework.
To be awarded your PGCE M 14+ qualification, you'll need to demonstrate that you've met all the learning outcomes for the course. Our highly experienced and dedicated staff will guide and support you in this, but a significant amount of personal and independent study is essential, and you'll need to take responsibility for managing your own learning.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Preparation for Teaching and Learning (PTL)
- Subject Specialist Teaching Part 1
- Curriculum Innovation and Assessment
- Subject Specialist Teaching Part 2
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 100% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 80% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 20% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
