Three students at Oxford Brookes University chatting and smiling while walking down the stairs in the new teaching building.

BA (Hons) Education Studies - SEN, Disabilities and Inclusion (with Foundation Year)

Build academic skills and confidence for degree-level study, before exploring education studies - sen, disabilities and inclusion.

Key facts

Duration
Full time: 4 years
Part time: up to 11 years
Starts
September 2027
Level
Undergraduate
UCAS code
X30F
Location
Headington
School
School of Education, Humanities and Languages

About this course

How can we support young people with special educational needs (SEN) or a disability to learn and thrive? How can therapies or alternative settings help an excluded child become a happy, confident adult?

Our Education Studies (SENDI) BA with a Foundation Year starts with learning essential skills to prepare you for degree-level study. Passing this foundation year leads to our Education Studies (SENDI) BA where you'll explore the world around the child with a focus on children with additional needs. You’ll develop a specialist knowledge of the demands and needs of children with special needs or disabilities and learn skills to launch a rewarding career.

You’ll explore the underlying principles, history and psychology of education and analyse education’s role in society. We’ll help you discover exciting career paths through hands-on annual work placements connected to your future goals – perhaps in a special school, forest school or working alongside a range of allied professionals. And you can tailor the course to your special interests through a wide range of options.

  • Perfect preparation

    Build essential study skills with an integrated foundation year. Gain academic confidence, improve critical thinking, and strengthen subject knowledge for your degree journey.

  • Yearly placements

    One strength is the annual placement. See how things work in special schools, family centres and forest schools or join support workers in a local authority.

  • Study abroad

    You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.

  • Language courses

    Our university-wide language programme is available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

QualificationTypical offer
UCAS tariff points48
A-levelDD
BTEC Extended DiplomaPPP or MP
International Baccalaureate24

Applications are also welcomed for consideration from applicants with European qualifications or international qualifications. For advice on eligibility please contact Admissions: admissions@brookes.ac.uk

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees
Fee types2026/272027/28
Home full-time£5,760 (Foundation year), £9,790 (Degree study)£5,760 (Foundation year), £10,050 (Degree study)
Home part-time£720 (Foundation year) per single module, £1,220 per single module, (Degree study)£720 (Foundation year) per single module, £1,255 per single module, (Degree study)
Home placement year£1,905£2,010
International full-time£17,250£18,500
International placement year£1,905£2,010

Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.

For further information please see our tuition fees FAQs.

Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)

Learning and assessment

On your choice of foundation pathway year you will build your confidence and essential academic skills.

In the first year of your degree the key themes are nurturing and inclusion. You’ll examine human development and explore education from medieval times to now. This includes new approaches like outdoor learning, and the importance of play.

Discover how the developing brain works and explore contemporary issues around children with diverse needs in the second year. You can also tailor parts of the course to your interests, for example, you can study the way dance and play benefit children who are struggling in mainstream education.

Next, you choose a year abroad at a partner university or continue to your final year.

In your final year, you’ll study young people in challenging circumstances and look at alternative learning spaces. You will complete a dissertation and examine education philosophies. Finally, you can pick from options that include outdoor learning, the family, inequalities, and care.

Each year of your degree includes a field trip and a work placement.

A wide variety of modules ensure that you will be able to develop a depth of knowledge about complex educational issues. As well as opportunities and challenges associated with improving the outcomes for our most vulnerable learners.

These involve:

  • tackling discrimination
  • addressing inequalities
  • challenging attitudes and beliefs
  • being an advocate for children and young people
  • making a positive difference.
Total workloadTimetabled
1,200 hrs a yearMon–Fri, 09:00–18:00

Assessment

Assessment is 100% coursework.

Coursework may be in the form of:

  • a written essay (up to 3000 words)
  • group presentations
  • an observational study
  • a case study of a cultural artefact
  • the creation of a learning object (online teaching resource)
  • critical/ thematic reviews of literature
  • development of a portfolio of work
  • participation in online activities, eg contributions to forum discussions
  • independent study
  • a dissertation.

Foundation Year

Compulsory modules

  • EDUC3000

    15 credits

    In this module, you’ll be introduced to a range of existing challenges within the education sector. You’ll explore inequality and access to education, the...

  • EDUC3001

    15 credits

    This module introduces you to key elements of working within education, considering safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable individuals, as well...

  • LOCAL-G43989

    In this module, you’ll gain the core skills and strategies you need to succeed as a university student. You’ll build up knowledge of the subjects within your...

  • INFO3013

    15 credits

    At the heart of this module on Global Issues is a deep concern for the future of people and the planet. You'll explore current global issues and will consider...

    100% coursework

  • EDUC3002

    15 credits

    This module introduces you to the early years and childhood studies, considering the first five years of a child’s life as the most important for establishing a...

  • EDUC3003

    30 credits

    In this module you'll build the real-life experience you need to succeed in your foundation studies and prepare you for undergraduate study. You’ll gain...

  • HUMS3002

    15 credits

    This module gives you the chance to do independent research on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll gain the key skills you need to succeed as a university...

Field trips

Field Trips are optional and the cost will be in addition to your course fees. See the 'Additional costs' section for details of this and other additional costs.

Careers

SYou’ll build a network of professional connections through your annual work placements. Past students have pursued careers delivering education programmes in non-school settings such as museums and galleries. Others have gone into community-based, charity and NGO work, family liaison and social work, and human resource management. Some graduates now work with charities, and others have gone into schools as specialist behaviour support workers.

After completing the BA Education Studies, you might want to pursue a PGCE in Primary or Secondary (alongside a specialist subject). You could also continue studying with an MA Education.

This course also prepares you to pursue postgraduate qualifications in therapeutic fields, such as play therapy or speech and language therapy.

Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)