The BA in Teaching and Learning in Primary, or the BATL course, is for those specialising in 3-7 year olds, and 5-11 years olds. It lasts for two years on a part-time basis, having seminars in university on Thursday afternoons, 2-5pm from September to July each year. 

Why this course?

The BATL course is one of most successful training options with 100% of all our cohorts passing as qualified teachers at the end of the 2 years at which point all are graded as excellent or good teachers. Part of the success of this course is the close relationship you will have with your school that is supporting you and offering you opportunities to learn, discuss and observe in your home school, beyond the realms of your usual role. However, there are no expectations for you to change your role in school when you are not on placement, apart from for one observed lesson per half term when you will be required to lead the teaching for one lesson. 

What is my school’s role?

Along with signing the partnership agreement, your home school will need to provide you with a qualified teacher as your mentor and needs to be aware that you will be away from your duties for some times during each year. You will have two placements across the 2 years. These weeks are designated and will be shown on the overview you receive once you have been accepted onto the course. 

There will also be time in each year where you are asked to relinquish your usual duties to complete tasks on focus areas of education either in your own school or in another setting, which we will allocate. 

Who else will support me in school?

The mentor you are allocated will need to attend a training day in September as you start your course to gain a better understanding of SHU systems and how supporting a BATL trainee is different from those on a regular placement. You and your mentor will meet every week out of school hours to discuss your targets and your progress, and a form on our online portal will help you to track your targets and conversations within these meetings.

At regular points throughout the year, you will be asked to lead the learning in your classroom whilst being observed. This will mean you taking on the role of the teacher in whatever form that takes in your classroom or setting, but should essentially mean you are involved in planning activities, designating tasks for the whole class and leading all or a group in a focus learning activity. In your school, you must have every Thursday afternoon free from commitments, mostly to attend seminars, and to complete follow-up tasks when there are no seminars. This is precious time and cannot be used for other tasks that aren't related to your course.

When are my block placements?

There is one block placement per year for 6 full weeks. It is a requirement of all ITE training that a trainee teacher must be assessed teaching in two different settings. The block placement in year 1 will take place in a school designated by our SHU partnership team. The second block placement will take place in your host school. SHU will organise all placements in other schools for you based on where you live and your placement requirements. 

You must be assessed teaching in at least two different schools and in two different phases. So, if you are on the 5-11 course, one placement must cover KS1 and one cover KS2. For 3-7 trainees, one placement must focus on KS1 and one on Foundation Stage provision. For those of you who work in special school we will work with you on a 1:1 basis to ensure that you gain the relevant experience in both special school and mainstream settings that have been assessed teaching children whose age and ability is of expected level for that phase. This is crucial in ensuring that you are compliant by the end of the course. 

Whilst you are on placement, you will relinquish all your usual duties and will be based in one focus classroom as the teacher. This can be a difficult transition period and you establish yourself as a trainee teacher ready for placement, but it’s a very important one as you focus on your ambition to gain fully qualified teacher status. To help with this transition and to learn more about a new school you might be working in on your placement, we allocate preparation tasks when you will purely focus on preparing for placement and working with your class teacher. As your placement begins, teaching will be gradually increased as the placement progresses, but more guidance on this will be given nearer the time to support your development. 

To ensure equity and a contrasting experience for you across your placements, our SHU partnership team will allocate all placements that take place away from your home school. 

How can I apply?

To apply for this course, follow the link of the SHU website and check that you have the relevant qualifications. We ask for a grade C or above in English, Maths and Science and a minimum of 240 credits. This equates to a foundation degree or beyond. Once you have applied you must also ensure that on a weekly basis you are working in a school for 20 hours or more. You can do this on a voluntary or employed basis, but your school will be required to sign a partnership agreement as part of your application as a contract to support you and your training needs for the two years of the course.

What financial factors should I consider?

Many of you will have financial concerns about taking on this course. Contact Student Finance England to discuss options around funding, but you must be aware now that we have no influence on your school about whether you are paid during placements. So, it is possible that you will lose 17 weeks of pay in total during this course. 

For those of you who already hold a degree or higher level qualification, SFE will not support you in gaining further funding. 

Support available

To support you during your course, you will be allocated an academic adviser who will visit you in school on some occasions throughout the year. 

What does the course involve?

There are 5 modules in total across the course which collectively encourage you to study the curriculum subjects, professional skills, areas of inclusive practice and developing as a reflective practitioner. Each will have an attached assessment which will relate to you as a teacher and will link with wider reading to merge the concepts of practice and theory. Assessment will take a range of forms varying from essays, presentations and practical teaching.

Although this has given you a lot of information about the course, we hope that it is informative and encouraging. This is a really successful course with a very strong team of tutors to support you and guide you through the modules and your development as a teacher.

If you have any questions, please email batlenquiries@shu.ac.uk