BA (Hons) Education with Integrated Foundation Year

Foundation in Knowledge and Skills

This module utilises your personal experience as a basis for enhancing skills and knowledge relevant to academic, professional, and personal development.

The module will support and encourage you to engage with higher education by developing academic skills and building confidence in their practical application.  It is designed to enhance employability and efficacy within the workplace.

The module aims to build resilience, communication skills, self-confidence and reflective ability.

Stories, Evidence, and Truth in Society

This module explores how stories, evidence, and claims to truth shape identity, society, and systems of meaning. You will investigate how individuals and communities construct narratives, how evidence is interpreted, and how truth is contested in social, historical, legal, and cultural contexts. 

You will examine how stories influence personal identity and collective memory; how narratives are used; how psychological processes shape our understanding of truth; and how creative and historical narratives influence society’s perception of reality. 

Through case studies and examples from literature, media, legal cases, and historical events, you will build foundational academic skills and develop confidence in analysing how truth is created, communicated, questioned, and validated.

Human Behaviour, History, and Justice

This module introduces you to the ways human behaviour, historical change, and justice systems shape one another.

Drawing on subject-specific areas, the module develops foundational academic skills while encouraging you to critically understand why societies behave as they do, how ideas of justice emerge, and how individuals and communities respond to change. 

You will explore how historical events influence contemporary social behaviour; how justice systems evolve; how psychological explanations inform decision‑making and social norms; and how social, political, and cultural forces shape the human experience. 

Project

This module is an applied piece of work related to your chosen degree. It will require you to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the foundation year and will enhance your ability to work individually and as part of a team.

During the project, you will develop in-depth knowledge of your chosen future specialisation. You will be encouraged to demonstrate creativity in the design, planning and execution of a project.

Childhood to Adulthood

This dynamic module explores the journey of human development from conception through to adulthood, equipping you with a deep understanding of how individuals grow, change, and adapt across the lifespan.

You will examine the cognitive, social, physical, and emotional transformations that shape identity and experience, and consider how these changes influence behaviour, learning, and wellbeing in an increasingly complex and evolving world. 

Bringing theory to life, the module introduces key psychological perspectives on development and encourages evaluation of their relevance across diverse cultural contexts.

You will gain insight into how development is experienced differently around the world, fostering a global and inclusive perspective. 

Through the exploration of real-world contexts—including a range of educational settings—you will develop the skills to apply theoretical knowledge to practice.

By the end of the module, you will be able to critically analyse developmental processes and transitions, and understand their implications for individuals across different life stages. 

Learning Communities – Children’s Learning, Children’s Thinking

This module explores the sociological influences brought to bear on our success as learners. You will draw on historical and contemporary theory and research into thinking, learning and development in order to consider how individuals can maximise learning opportunities for themselves and help others to learn.

You will also explore influences on learning, development and identity.

Science in Education and Society

This module introduces you to the subject, theoretical and pedagogic knowledge, and attitudes related to the learning of science in schools and early years settings, so that it is possible to build a scientifically literate population.

You will develop your understanding of the importance of science in society and educational settings and how science capital may be fostered and developed.

You will explore science-specific pedagogy in order to engage learners in science learning episodes, as you learn how to use the ‘outside classroom’ to teach science and foster engagement.

The module will consider the importance of cognitive science in the learning process, as you identify how theory and practice are linked so that they can recognise how research informs practice.

Diversity and Inclusion in Contemporary Education

This module aims to explore issues of equality and diversity within the context of contemporary education. Individual differences and attitudes towards these within contemporary education are explored in relation to other relevant contextual influences such as culture, policy and social systems.  

Inclusion, as a complex and contested concept, is examined in relation to individual differences, identity, and educational policy and practice.

The module will examine issues central to inclusion, human rights, equal opportunities and social justice. It will examine patterns of inequality and theoretical models will be used to inform analysis of contemporary policy and practice.  

Educational Perspectives

This thought-provoking module introduces you to the key ideas, movements, and debates that have shaped education over time. Drawing on historical, philosophical, sociological, psychological, and ideological perspectives, you will explore how different ways of thinking have influenced what education is, who it is for, and what it should achieve. 

You will critically engage with fundamental questions such as: What knowledge is most valuable? What should children learn—and why? How do political and social forces shape education?

Through examining competing perspectives, including child-centred, vocational, and critical approaches, you will begin to develop your own informed stance on the purpose and future of education. 

Speech, Language and Communication

This module explores speech, language and communication as fundamental aspects of human interaction, participation and human rights, recognising diverse ways in which people communicate and make meaning.

Grounded in a rights-based and inclusive framework, it moves beyond deficit-oriented and diagnostic models to focus on removing barriers within environments rather than locating difficulty solely within the individual. 

You will develop an understanding of the wide range of speech, language and communication profiles across all learners, and how these are shaped by social, cultural and educational contexts.

Emphasis is placed on universal and targeted approaches to communication-supportive practice, including the design of inclusive classroom environments, the use of visual supports, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), digital technologies, and multimodal forms of expression.

Forest Schools Principles and Practices

A forest school is a journey of self-discovery and awareness in the outdoors in which participants are given the freedom to explore their surroundings, themselves and others through their curiosity and imagination.

The approach is heralded by some as inspirational but described by others as re-branding of old ideas giving questionable impact.

This module explores principles that underpin the forest school approach and reflects on evidence for its effectiveness.

Engaging All Learners

This module will introduce you to a range of developmental, cognitive, social and emotional influences that affect pupil learning and progress. You will learn how to plan, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that contribute to removing barriers to learning, including the use of Augmented and Alternative Communication (AAC) AAC and ICT.

Professional Placement

You will undertake a placement experience in an education setting of your choice to broaden your knowledge and understanding of a range of educational contexts and develop insights beyond the classroom. 

Such placements might include time spent supporting individuals or groups in a SEND or early childhood context, or in another organisation with an educational element, for example, a theatre or museum.

This module might place you away from the university in a location contrasting sharply with West Sussex and chosen for its unfamiliarity and challenge; this may even be outside of the UK. In this environment, students will have the opportunity to look, think and question.

Using diverse evidence, you will build your understanding of the nature of education in that place. You will be introduced to the importance of context in education and the complexities of education at large.

You will be responsible for organising and then completing a placement , researching a mutually agreed topic and question. 

Exploring the Curriculum

This exciting module brings the foundation subjects to life, exploring how they inspire children and young adults to develop cultural awareness, historical understanding, and ethical insight.

You will discover how subjects such as history, languages, and religious education ignite curiosity about the world and help children make sense of diverse cultures, beliefs, and lived experiences. 

Through engaging with distinctive concepts and creative pedagogical approaches, you will explore how powerful approaches can spark imagination and deepen understanding.

The module encourages you to think critically about how we learn, why these subjects matter, and how teaching them in creative and meaningful ways can have a lasting impact. 

You will build your knowledge through discussion, research, and critical engagement with current educational evidence, developing confidence in connecting theory with practice.

You will also explore how to design learning experiences that foster curiosity, respect, and appreciation of different worldviews. 

By the end of the module, you will be equipped not only with a strong understanding of the foundation subjects, but also with the ability to critically evaluate how they are taught and to champion creative, inspiring approaches that enrich children’s learning and broaden their horizons.

Professionalism and Collaborative Practice

This module will enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of working in different contexts with children and young people who have a Special Educational Need and/or Disability (SEND), and their families.

You will examine the roles of key professionals in health, education and the social care, and how they need to coordinate their services to benefit families and individuals who have a SEND.

You will consider the importance of collaborative practice between professionals from different agencies.

The World of Play

Compulsory module

More information on this module coming soon.

Independent Project

Compulsory module

The module will explore research approaches and design through a series of seminar sessions.

You will also receive tutorial support from a designated tutor, who, at key points, will provide formative assessment.

Most of the learning will be independent, making use of journals, research methodology textbooks and policy developments in your field of interest.

Professional Enrichment

This module aims to provide contexts in which you will develop your skills and confidence in your professional world. To do so, it aims to engage you in effective professional development within an area of interest relevant to education.

You will hone your skills and develop your knowledge, including transferable skills in preparation for the dynamic workplace, such as project management, organisation and communication skills. 

Creativity, Technology and Learning

Compulsory module

This module will enable you to investigate, both academically and practically, how innovative technologies can be used in learning and teaching in a wide variety of mainstream and specialist educational settings.

Global Citizenship

This module meets the aspiration in the University of Chichester’s Vision Statement that our students should become Global Citizens. You will have the opportunity to critically engage with some of the key global issues of our time and learn to think beyond your immediate locality about how you are connected with people and environments that you may never have seen. You will examine the link between values, equality, rights and education.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

This module investigates the importance of good social, emotional and mental health for children, young people and into adulthood.

You will examine the current climate of children’s mental health in the UK within a global context.

The module will examine risk and protective factors that may influence children and young peoples’ mental health in school environments and in wider society, including the benefits of positive school culture, inclusive education, and access to mental health resources.

Creative Approaches to Primary English and Mathematics

This module will inspire you to reflect on key themes that underpin creative English and mathematics education in the primary school.

Themes may include: curiosity and enjoyment, play and exploration, power and justice, meaning and understanding, pedagogical approaches, and inclusive practices.   

You will reflect on key ideas and concepts, and how these are translated into creative educational practices and curriculum design.