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Computing with Secondary Education (QTS) BSc (Hons)

Start date

  • Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
  • Typical Offer: 104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
  • UCAS Code(s): I123
  • Start Date(s): September 2024
  • Duration: Three years full-time
  • Study Mode(s): Full-time
  • Campus: Clifton Campus
Information for 2024

Introduction:

Secondary education covers a crucial period in pupils’ development. They learn about themselves and the world around them, gaining knowledge and skills that set them up for their adult lives. The role of a secondary teacher is to develop specialised subject knowledge, and to support the intellectual and personal development of their pupils. With a significant demand for new secondary teachers, you can be certain that you’ll make a positive impact on society.

This three-year course will deepen your knowledge of computing and how to teach the subject, fast-tracking you to beginning your career as a secondary teacher. Studying at NTU, you’ll develop your own knowledge of computing and a holistic and inclusive approach to teaching. You’ll be taught by computing experts and by former secondary teachers with an enthusiasm for their subject. Plus, you’ll spend plenty of time in the classroom, putting what you’ve learned into practice. Throughout the course, you’ll develop your passion for computing and for professional teaching practice.

You’ll graduate ready to start your career as a confident and effective teacher with the skills, knowledge and experience required in the modern classroom. You’ll be committed to shaping the lives of all our young people – sharing your passion for computing and inspiring theirs.

*This course is subject to change due to an ongoing government consultation. For the latest information, please visit www.gov.uk/dfe

  • Be prepared to teach

    Our three-year degree programme fast-tracks you to a career in teaching with recommendation to the Department for Education for Qualified Teacher Status.
  • Experience placement opportunities

    Placement opportunities are in a variety of educational settings through our extensive partnerships with local schools, colleges and organisations.
  • Learn from experts

    You’ll be taught by former secondary teachers with a wealth of experience and a passion for teaching.

Course accreditation

We are accredited by the UK Government's Department for Education as a provider of initial teacher-training courses. Successful completion of the course leads to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), enabling you to commence a career in teaching as an Early Career Teacher (ECT) and then complete your induction period.

  • DfE logo

What you’ll study

Year One

In Year One, you will study a full year of Computing modules.

Year Two

As you continue to develop your in-depth subject knowledge in Year Two, you will study a number of Computing modules in addition to a year long education module which includes a work-based placement.

Year Three

In the final year of your study, the modules focus on you developing an in-depth knowledge of the pedagogical skills, assessment requirements and self-reflection required to be a successful ECT. The modules you will study are:

  • Learning to be a teacher
    This module focuses on the ‘learner’ and will cover pedagogical and curriculum knowledge and knowledge of educational contexts. This module includes the work-based placement elements.
  • Learning to teach
    This module focuses on the ‘self’ and will cover knowledge of the learner, their characteristics and knowledge of educational purposes, values and philosophies.
  • Learning to teach a subject 1
    This module focuses on the ‘curriculum’ and will cover subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.
  • Learning to teach a subject 2
    This module also focuses on the ‘curriculum’ and will cover subject knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge.

Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves

Student Profiles

Leon Whalley

Computing with Secondary Education (QTS)

"I chose my course as it offers the perfect opportunity to equip me with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a career in teaching."

How you’re taught

How will I study?

You’ll experience both university-based training and secondary professional practice. Although these two contexts are physically different, the learning and teaching strategies overlap and allow for an integration of subject knowledge, pedagogical theory and practice. The courses consist of a range of teaching and learning activities to support you with appropriate opportunities to succeed. Course tutors recognise their responsibility to provide timely, relevant, engaging and appropriate content and resources to support this.

To ensure your progress, inclusive teaching and learning approaches are used which involve staff in providing teaching which meets individual needs. Over the three years, we expect you to move towards more independent learning, to set your own development targets, and to draw on others’ expertise to support you in meeting these targets.

How will I be assessed?

A range of different assessment tasks across the modules provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding and skills, qualities and attributes.

Who will teach me?

Subject specific modules in Year One and Year Two, will be delivered by subject specific lecturers in other departments in the university.

The third year of the course will be taught alongside postgraduate Secondary Education courses. These are one-year initial teacher training courses where the students achieve an academic award and a recommendation of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).  The five Education modules (one in the second year and four in the third year) will be delivered by the Secondary Education team.

Excellent placement opportunities

A particular feature of the course is the work-based placements in Year Two and Three. The Year Two education module will include a placement in an educational environment where Key Stage 3 and/or 4 is taught. This might be in a secondary school, a college of Further Education, or a sixth form college (where students are studying for GCSE resits). During this placement you will not only develop your teaching skills but will also gain an awareness of the professional attributes required of a qualified teacher, preparing you to enter the final year of study, whereby you will be required to take on the role of a professional teacher during two further placements.

The focus on both teaching pedagogy and professional development in the lead-up to all placements will give you the support and confidence you need. Our close relationships with partnership schools enable you to gain a wide experience of teaching your subject. By the end of your study, we try to have offered you experience in a range of educational settings including; multi-cultural city schools, suburban schools, colleges and schools in rural settings.

What are the benefits of doing placements?

Placements support both your professional and personal development so that you develop key skills that will make you more employable. They help you understand your subject and its application in real work, enhancing your cultural awareness of learning and teaching.

Careers and employability

Your career development

What skills will I develop?

You develop specific skills relating to both subject specific and educational issues. You also gain skills that are useful in a variety of job sectors:

  • communication skills - presenting effective oral and written arguments;
  • IT skills;
  • research and analytical skills;
  • interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team;
  • problem-solving skills;
  • organisation and time management skills - prioritising your academic/part-time workloads and reflecting on and improving personal practice

QTS – Qualified Teacher Status

Successful completion of this course will lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Early Career Teachers will be supported through the Early Career Framework (ECF), a two-year period of professional induction, which will ensure that your teaching career is built on a firm foundation.

Your future career

Upon successful completion of the course, graduates will generally enter jobs teaching children or young people. However, should you decide not to pursue teaching, other roles in an educational setting, including supporting, but with less direct contact with children or young people are also available. There are also posts available  in other public sector organisations such as local government, the NHS and the civil service.

You will also be able to enter some non-teaching related jobs that find the subject specialist skills you learnt in Year One and Year Two desirable.

Links with Industry

We involve industry experts in our courses in a number of ways:

  • We consult with employers when we design and update our courses;
  • We ensure you are prepared to meet the demands of the workplace by continually checking the currency and validity of our courses with employers;
  • You will have the opportunity to have a work placement;
  • Employers may input directly into your course through guest lectures, projects, and other work-related activities.

Campus and facilities

Entry requirements

What are we looking for?

Entry requirements for this course will reflect the same admission criteria as:

In addition, applicants must have GCSEs – five at grade C / 4 or equivalent including English and Mathematics, as this is a statutory requirement for anyone intending to enter the teaching profession. We accept the GCSE equivalency taken via equivalencytesting.com or astarequivalency.co.uk.

Other requirements

  • an interview
  • an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, and any other safeguarding checks that may be necessary

Alternative qualifications

We welcome applications from mature students, and those returning to education, who have studied appropriate qualifications. We accept a wide range of qualifications gained at the UCAS tariff points above including the following.

  • CACHE
  • BTEC
  • Access.

Contextual offers

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here but who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.

Other qualifications and experience

We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry, or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.

Meeting our entry requirements

Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

What are we looking for?

Entry requirements for this course will reflect the same admission criteria as:

In addition, applicants must have GCSEs – five at grade C / 4 or equivalent including English and Mathematics, as this is a statutory requirement for anyone intending to enter the teaching profession. We accept the GCSE equivalency taken via equivalencytesting.com or astarequivalency.co.uk.

Other requirements

  • an interview
  • an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, and any other safeguarding checks that may be necessary

Alternative qualifications

We welcome applications from mature students, and those returning to education, who have studied appropriate qualifications. We accept a wide range of qualifications gained at the UCAS tariff points above including the following.

  • CACHE
  • BTEC
  • Access.

International qualifications

We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:

English language entry requirements

You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:

Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)

If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:

Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)

You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made in accordance with our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

Fees and funding

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.

Getting in touch

For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service.

Tel: +44 (0)115 848 2494

Additional Costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.

Library books

Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Print and copy costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.

Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government. Visit our fees page for more information.

Scholarships

We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:

Paying fees

Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

Additional Costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies, and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.

Library books

Most study modules will recommend one or more core text books, which most students choose to purchase. Book costs vary and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential text books, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you might think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available for purchase from previous year students.

Field trips

All essential field trip costs will be included in your course fees. There may be the opportunity to take part in optional field trips, which do incur additional costs.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Students completing the four year degree may choose to apply for a study abroad option instead of a work placement (or a mixture of study abroad and work placement) during the third year of the course. If successful, students will be expected to pay for accommodation, travel and living costs whilst on study abroad/placement. Travel grants and Erasmus funding may be available to help fund international travel costs.

Print and copy costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.

How to apply

Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the instructions for applying. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.

Writing your application and personal statement

Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only make a decision based on what you tell us. So include all of your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.

Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, take a look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.

Interviews

All suitable candidates for this course will be required to sit an interview.

Diversity of our students

We are committed to promoting a diverse and representative body of teacher trainees. We welcome applications from under-represented groups, such as male applicants, applicants from BME communities, mature applicants and those with disabilities.

All applicants welcome

We welcome applications from prospective students with a range of qualifications and experience, and all are assessed on an individual basis. Mature applicants who do not meet the standard entry criteria can still be considered providing they have relevant experience to compliment any qualifications. All applicants will need to apply through UCAS.

Keeping up-to-date

After you’ve applied, we’ll be sending you important emails throughout the application process so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page.

Good luck with your application!

You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.

All suitable candidates for this course will be required to sit an interview.

Application advice

Apply early so that you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example.  After you've applied, we'll be sending you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.

Writing your personal statement

Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:

Would you like some advice on your study plans?

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.

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