Educational Practice (FdA)
Fd(A)
Key facts
UCAS code
New College Swindon: X101
Start dates
September 2025 / September 2026
Location
Course length
Full time: 2 years
This course is not available to students classed as International for fees purposes.
Overview
The course enables learning support staff, such as teaching assistants and learning mentors, to:
- further develop their knowledge and skills
- gain a higher education level award
- proceed to further qualifications and training.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees
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.
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
Financial support and scholarships
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
On this course you’ll be going on placements in schools; you'll self fund travel to and from your placements.
You’ll also need a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check. This costs about £50. You may also need to pay an extra fee of about £15 to keep your DBS up-to-date.
How to apply
Further offer details
Foundation degrees are not typical degrees, so there is no typical offer. Each application will be considered on its merits and in the light of your employer's commitment to support your learning.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
This is a work-based course and you must be employed in a school or college. To undertake the course successfully you must also have an employer who is willing to support your training needs.
Normally you should have a level 3 qualification. For more information about this, please contact the college you are interested in applying to (see below or right for contact details).
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
Screening
All applicants will be screened for fitness to practise and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be made.
International applications
New College Swindon cannot accept international applicants at this time.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry with credit for prior learning. Each application is individually assessed by our credit entry tutors.
If you would like more information about whether or not you may be eligible for the award of credit, for example from an HND, partly-completed degree or foundation degree, please contact our Admissions team.
We operate the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All undergraduate single modules are equivalent to 7.5 ECTS credits and double modules to 15 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Application process
Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCASLearn more about this course
Information from Discover Uni
Full-time study
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.