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Education Foundation Year - Foundation *
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry. Switch to 2024/25 Entry
If you apply for entry onto one of the following degree courses and your actual or predicted grades fall below the minimum UCAS entry tariff set for entry onto the first year of that degree, we may choose to consider you for a place on the Foundation Year stage instead: BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS BA (Hons) Secondary Physical Education with QTS BSc (Hons) Secondary Science (Biology) ...
- Level Foundation
- Study mode Full Time
- Location City South
- Award Foundation
- Start date September 2025
- Fees View course fees
- School School of Education and Social Work
- Faculty Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
If you apply for entry onto one of the following degree courses and your actual or predicted grades fall below the minimum UCAS entry tariff set for entry onto the first year of that degree, we may choose to consider you for a place on the Foundation Year stage instead:
- BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
- BA (Hons) Secondary Physical Education with QTS
- BSc (Hons) Secondary Science (Biology) with QTS
The Foundation Year option gives you extra time and support to help you build your knowledge, skills and confidence before starting a full degree. You'll develop a range of practical and analytical skills that will prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in teaching.
Why study a Foundation Year course?
On the Foundation Year in Education, you will study broad subject areas which then open up opportunities for you to specialise further in your next year – which would be the first year of a full degree programme. You will study alongside people who are preparing to progress on to degrees in education and teacher training.
Please note:
Upon completion of your Foundation Year, if your chosen course is regulated by a professional body, you will be required to successfully complete the University’s selection process for your course which will include an interview in order to proceed onto year one of the full degree programme. Entry onto year one of the degree programme will also be subject to a satisfactory DBS and Occupational Health Assessment.
Why Choose Us?
- You will have extra time and support to help you build your knowledge, skills and confidence before starting a full degree.
- Birmingham is one of the UK’s most diverse cities outside of London, which will provide you with a wide variety of experience that will be valuable to take forward into your future career.
- Our staff come from the professions they teach, maintaining their links to ensure you get the most up-to-date learning during your course.
- We have invested £41 million into our City South campus in Edgbaston to provide specialist learning facilities for all Health, Education and Life Science courses.
Open Days
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation.
Next Open Day: 28 September 2024
Entry Requirements
These entry requirements apply for entry in 2025/26.
All required qualifications/grades must have been achieved and evidenced at the earliest opportunity after accepting an offer to help confirm admission and allow for on-time enrolment. This can also include other requirements, like a fee status form and relevant documents. Applicants can track their application and outstanding information requests through their BCU mySRS account.
Essential requirements
Details of the entry requirements can be found on the course page for the specific BA/BSc degree you wish to apply for:
- BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
- BA (Hons) Secondary Physical Education with QTS
- BSc (Hons) Secondary Science (Biology) with QTS
Please note: If your Level 3 qualifications do not meet the UCAS tariff we require for entry onto our BA/BSc course in teacher training, you may be considered for a place on our Education Foundation Year instead, which offers an alternative pathway onto our Teacher Training courses. This is a decision made by us once your degree application has been assessed.
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: Foundation
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year foundation followed by 3 year degree
- £9,250 in 2025/26
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: Foundation
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year foundation followed by 3 year degree
- £17,690 in 2025/26
Details of the entry requirements can be found on the course page for the specific BA/BSc degree you wish to apply for:
- BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
- BA (Hons) Secondary Physical Education with QTS
- BSc (Hons) Secondary Science (Biology) with QTS
Please note: If your Level 3 qualifications do not meet the UCAS tariff we require for entry onto our BA/BSc course in teacher training, you may be considered for a place on our Education Foundation Year instead, which offers an alternative pathway onto our Teacher Training courses. This is a decision made by us once your degree application has been assessed.
Guidance for UK students
UK students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
Applying through UCAS
- Register with UCAS
- Login to UCAS and complete your details
- Select your course and write a personal statement
- Get a reference
- Pay your application fee and submit your application
Course in Depth
Foundation Year
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
This module is designed to support you in your transition to studying in a Higher Education environment at Birmingham City University. Through a range of class-based group and individual activities, discussions, debates, personal reflection and wider reading and research, you will have opportunities to consider academic conventions, which include: effective use of literature; sourcing and reviewing information; various forms of academic writing; developing reflective capacity. You will also receive guidance on study skills and strategies, which will enhance previously acquired skills.
This module is designed to help you gain awareness and understanding of current challenges around Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity and how this impacts upon the Health, Education and Social Sciences sector, preparing you for your future education and journey into practice. Introducing the Equality Act 2010 as the overarching legislation that focuses on Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity, the module is based on themes that are covered by this Act. The nine protected characteristics, upon which a person can be discriminated, as laid down in the Equality Act, will be discussed throughout and you will be introduced to case studies relevant to your chosen pathways.
This module will focus on enabling you to gain a deeper understanding of the interpersonal skills and behaviours required to work in your chosen area. Through a range of class based and student focused activities you will explore the different concepts of effective interpersonal and professional behaviours essential to your own personal development and progression. By engaging in this module you will reflect on your own and others values, beliefs and behaviours identifying how this can impact on the way in which you will be viewed by others. You will also address the importance of effective communication and how this can lead you to have a more professional approach in your chose area of work.
This module is designed to support you in your transition to studying in a Higher Education environment at Birmingham City University, allowing you the opportunity to negotiate learning of a bespoke subject. Under the guidance of tutors, you will be able to direct your learning and identify relevant learning opportunities that you feel enable you to learning more about a specific field of study. The subject area within this module is student-led, with guidance and facilitation from designated academic and practice support. You will identify an area of study that you would like to review and evaluate, and which relates to your foundation year pathway and indicate programme.
This module will be studied in Semester 1 and provides opportunities for you to develop an understanding of children and society in Birmingham. As the country’s second city, Birmingham offers a rich context for your studies and provides a perfect example of the ways in which children and society inter-relate. You will also be laying foundations for your future studies by gaining knowledge of the environments affecting your chosen degree discipline. No matter where you are from, exploring the ways in which a highly diverse city such as Birmingham provides for the needs of children will provide an invaluable insight.
This module will be studied in Semester 2 and provides opportunities for you to develop an understanding of the politics and policies that impact society, childhood and education. Key aspects of working practice in the disciplines listed above are determined by the policies that come from the government; in the majority of cases, a government department oversees and regulates practice through its policies. This modules will explore the way in which the British constitution works, how policy making takes place and the impact that this has on society, childhood and education. The module will also consider the political spectrum and the way that this impacts policy. Importantly, as someone considering moving into the areas of study outlined above, you will also have the opportunity to consider your own perspectives and the ways in which you have been influenced by policy and politics, and the ways in which you might go on to affect them as a citizen and as a member of a given profession.
Additional support
If you're dyslexic, or have a specific learning difference or disability, we have a Disability Tutor who can help and support you.
More on our disability tutor >>
We offer extra technical and learning support.
Employability
Employment opportunities
If you progress to on to one of our BA/BSc teacher training courses, you will experience a wide variety of learning and teaching approaches that are designed to develop your confidence, knowledge and skills as you progress through the course. Our courses are designed to promote independence so that you become a confident, committed and creative teacher ready to join the teaching profession.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Facilities & Staff
Our facilities
Our School of Education and Social Work is based at our City South campus in leafy Edgbaston.
We’ve spent £41million expanding the education facilities at City South. These facilities offer hands-on practical experience, replicating the spaces you will come across in professional practice. Alongside classrooms and lecture theatres, we also have a range of specialist teaching and learning spaces for specific subjects including science, design and technology, drama and physical education.
As well as subject-specific rooms, our facilities include the Primary Innovation Lab, which houses £24,000 worth of LEGO. This room is a special resource for our education students, offering an innovative and creative way to approach subjects across the curriculum – from computing to English, mathematics to art. The lab responds to research that children and young people learn best from practical experience.
Our Social Work students have access to a home environment room and mock hospital wards which offer an opportunity to gain experience of working with service users in different situations.
Computer facilities
The Seacole building has two open-access IT Suites which offer PCs, printers, photocopiers and scanners. There is also an IT Helpdesk for quick and easy help with your computing or internet issues.
Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:
- Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
- Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
- Microsoft Office software
- Research and statistical software
- Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home
Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.
In addition to desktop PCs, we also offer a laptop loan facility, allowing students to borrow a laptop for up to six hours while on campus.
Our staff
Julie Davis
Foundation Year Lecturer
Julie joined the ADD (Academic Development Department) in 2018 as a Lecturer on the HELS Foundation Year programme. Prior to joining Birmingham City University, she worked at a number of local FE and HE institutions where she developed and delivered a range of Early Years and Education programmes.
More about JulieJessica Lowe
Foundation Year Lecturer
Jessica joined the ADD (Academic Development Department) in 2019 as a Lecturer on the HELS Foundation Year Programme. Her role is to lead and develop modules to support students on their journey on the Foundation Year Programme. Prior to joining BCU, she has worked in a FE and HE institution teaching students on a range of courses in Early Years...
More about Jessica