• Home
  • Courses
  • Special Educational Needs, Disabilities and Inclusion (Top-up) BA(Hons)

Special Educational Needs, Disabilities and Inclusion (Top-up) BA(Hons)

2021-22 (also available for 2022-23)

Apply now Order a prospectus Open Days TEF Gold logo
{{menu.previous.name}}
{{menu.center.name}}
{{menu.next.name}}

It’s not too late to apply for September 2021. Find out more

Start date

20 September 2021

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time

Chat with our students  

About the course

If you are aspiring to work in special and inclusive educational contexts and wishing to pursue a career in special education in a range of organisations, including schools, businesses or the non-governmental sector, this top-up degree could be for you.

It should provide you with the knowledge, understanding and skills that are essential for planning and delivering education to meet the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within special and inclusive education settings.

Why Special Educational Needs, Disabilities and Inclusion?

  • You’ll develop an academic understanding of special and inclusive education.
  • You’ll develop your knowledge and understanding of inclusive educational theory related to pedagogy and practice, including knowledge of specific areas of SEND.
  • You’ll have the opportunity to analyse and evaluate the impact of national and international policy on special and inclusive education.

This course will give you the skills and knowledge you need to work in a range of roles with children and young people with SEND. My own experience as a teacher of autistic teenagers has made me want to share my passion and commitment for making sure all children get the support and opportunities they need to be successful.

Nicole Whitelaw, School of Education and Professional Development

Nicole Whitelaw, Course Leader

Course detail

Research Methodologies

This module explores a range of research strategies and methods, preparing you to assess the value and significance of different approaches to data collection and analysis within your field of study. You’ll learn how to develop your own research design, and how to collect and analyse information in order to find out new things about a topic that you’re interested in.

Major Study

This module allows you to pursue your particular interests and demonstrate the breadth of knowledge, understanding and strengths that you have developed during your degree studies. You’ll be supported through the design and implementation of a small scale piece of educational research into your chosen topic. This module is your opportunity to bring together everything you have learned in a study of your choosing and you'll typically be assessed via a dissertation.

Critical Approaches to Inclusive Education

On this module you’ll examine definitions and different understandings of inclusion and models of disability, considering a national and global context. You’ll explore the impact these different definitions and models have on educational policy and practice. You’ll also critically analyse current approaches to inclusion in a range of settings, as well as develop your understanding of approaches to inclusive planning, teaching and assessment that ensures accessibility, challenge and achievability for all pupils. Assessment typically takes the form of an in-class debate and an annotated teaching plan for an activity you’ve designed.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally one of the following:

  • A Higher National Diploma (or equivalent).
  • An initial teaching qualification from a recognised teacher education institution.
  • Successful completion of a Higher Education qualification with 120 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits (or equivalent).

Your qualification should be in an area related to education, for example the study of special educational needs and disabilities, children’s learning and development (including atypical development).

In addition, you must also have GCSE English Language at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum of IELTS 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent will be considered acceptable. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages. If you have alternative qualifications or do not meet the IELTS requirement we also offer a range of Pre-Sessional English Programmes.

For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

6th in the UK for Education

We’ve been ranked 6th in the UK for Education in the Guardian University Guide 2020.

We’re top of the subject rankings for education programmes in Yorkshire. The rankings confirm what we already knew - that our education courses are among the very best in the UK.

Open Days

Your career

If you aspire to work with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, this top-up degree will help you develop the professional knowledge and skills you need. The course will prepare you to work in a range of special and inclusive educational contexts.

*Whilst this is a new course and therefore no graduate statistics for this specific course are available, 93.4% of graduates from courses in this subject area at Huddersfield are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 17/18, UK domiciled graduates)

93.4% graduates employed*

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services

A wide range of resources are also offered within the School of Education and Professional Development, which you would be a part of should you decide to study this course. The school provides you with support in a variety of areas, these include:

  • Student Support Office (iPoint): a one-stop-shop for students, studying within the School. Here you can get help and advice, including checking your timetable, finding a tutor, handing in assessments. We can also refer you to other departments within the University such as, student finance, student services etc.
  • Academic Skills Tutor: provides guidance about how you can develop your academic skills in order to improve your grades. We provide support with general academic skills including essay writing, time management, presentations and group work skills; information technology and numeracy; research skills, as well as personal development for example confidence building and assertiveness.
  • Student Support Officer: provides confidential and impartial advice on welfare and course related issues.
  • Placements, Employability and Partnerships A significant part of your learning takes place whilst on placement.To help you get the best possible experience we operate an extensive professional network giving you the opportunity to access a wide range of high quality placement providers.

Our professional network includes links with local authorities, schools, colleges, early years settings, voluntary organisations, youth services and youth offending teams to offer you real-life experience whilst you study. Our placements team offer you help to find your placement and support you through it.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have a range of options to choose from and we will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

Termination of course

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

You may also be interested in...

Early Childhood and Education (Top-up) BA(Hons)

This course is specifically aimed at International students, supporting those wishing to work within a range of early childhood education contexts, including school’s businesses and the voluntary sector.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Undergraduate

Education (Top-up) BA(Hons)

Looking at the constantly changing landscape of education in the UK and internationally, this course will appeal to those aspiring to work in a range of educational roles within schools, businesses and other non-governmental organisations.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Undergraduate

TESOL and Younger Learners (Top-up) BA(Hons)

This course aims to help you into a career teaching children and young learners English as a second or foreign language. You will normally already have a foundation degree level qualification or an overseas equivalent.

Find out more How to apply

Full-time

Undergraduate

View more courses