Practice Education PgCert
Subject and course type
- Social Work
- Postgraduate
Are you a registered social worker ready to help aspiring professionals develop? Kingston University’s Practice Education PgCert will enable you to gain Stages 1 and 2 of the Practice Educator Professional Standards, currently held by the British Association of Social Workers.
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Help the next generation of social workers to succeed
Teaching will come from practising social workers, who will bring theory to life with their front-line experiences.
Studying this PgCert in Practice Education at Kingston University will give you the skills to specialise in the field or teach at a university. You could even progress to another role within learning and development, or go on to study Kingston’s Advanced Social Work MA.
During the course, you’ll build the skills you need to teach, support and assess social work students on practice placements. You’ll graduate fully equipped for a successful career.
You’ll learn how to teach social-workers-in-training during practice placements, progressing through the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) levels and developing your leadership skills.
This well-established programme aligns with Chief Social Workers' Knowledge and skills statements for practice leaders and supervisors. It has a strong professional reputation and has been developed in partnership with a range of social work organisations and users.
Why choose this course
While you study, you’ll benefit from top quality teaching at Kingston University. Not only are we ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, we’re also top in London for Social Work (Guardian University Guide 2025).
The Skills Lab
A portion of your learning will take place in our purpose-built Social Work Skills Lab, where you can develop professional assessment, intervention, mentoring, teaching and supervision skills.
The Skills Lab is a flexible, multi-functional space. It’s perfect for developing your creative and communication skills, as well as receiving feedback and simulating a range of environments. In the Lab, you’ll find a series of spaces fitted with cameras and microphones to record all activities. They include:
- A 20-person seminar/case conference room
- A living-room and front door to simulate home visits
- Five interview rooms simulating work environments
- A control room with a two-way mirror and viewing monitors
Sector-leading research
Many of our staff are active in research, often in partnership with NHS Trusts. That means they bring the latest thinking and best practice to your studies. Key social work research activity focuses on everything from risk and child abuse, children’s rights and adult safeguarding to professional education, mental capacity and more.
Kingston is No.1 in London for Social Work (Guardian University Guide 2025).
Course content
Stage 1 of the course prepares you to work with a social work student on their first placement. You will learn to develop a curriculum, manage the placement, support learning and assess achievement. You will put this into practice through providing a student placement (usually a 70-day placement).
In Stage 2 you will provide a placement for a second social work student (usually a 100-day Final placement). If you have significant experience in practice education, or have taken an Enabling Others' Learning (Social Work) course, you may be able to join Stage 2 directly.
From this PgCert, you may progress to the Advanced Social Work MA, depending on your module choices.
Core modules
Core modules
30 credits
This module equips registered social workers to undertake the responsibilities of a Stage 1 Practice Educator (Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). Students who complete this module successfully will be able to supervise, teach and assess social work degree students up to, but not including, the final assessment prior to qualification. At this stage, they may contribute to the last placement but not take full responsibility for assessment or act as the practice educator on a day-to-day basis. Students undertaking this module are required to undertake a practicum which entails acting as a Stage 1 practice educator to a degree in social work student on a first placement (70 days).
This module is only available to registered social workers with two or more years' more post-registration practice experience. It is targeted at social worker/experienced social worker level.
30 credits
This module equips registered social workers to undertake the responsibilities of a Stage 2 Practice Educator (Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). Students who complete this module successfully will be able to supervise, teach and assess social work degree students up to and including the last placement and to work with ASYE candidates. In effect, these practice educators will have the authority and capability to recommend, on the basis of appropriate evidence, that the social work students are fit to practise at the point of qualification. The module includes practice assessment.
This module is only available to registered social workers with three years or more post-registration practice experience and who have completed Practice Educator Stage 1 or equivalent. It is targeted at experienced social worker level.
Career opportunities
You’ll complete this course with the skills required to specialise in practice education. Previous graduates have gone on to teach in universities, work in local authority learning and development teams or progress to management roles. Some have even written or contributed to textbooks.
Links with business and industry
Throughout the course, you’ll benefit from Kingston University’s Developing Together teaching partnership with local authorities and voluntary organisations. The partnership creates a leading community of social work education, academic research and frontline practice.
The partnership aims to create a culture of ongoing learning, research and support to grow and retain a community of passionate and capable social work professionals that will meet with the region's future workforce demands.
- Achieving for Children
- Croydon Adult services
- Croydon Children's services
- Kingston Adult services
- Merton Adult services
- Merton Children's services
- Sutton Adult services
- Sutton Children's services
- Richmond & Wandsworth Adult services
- Wandsworth Children's services
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
- Welcare
- Kingston University
- Surrey Children's services
Teaching and assessment
For both modules trainees are assessed in practice by a Practice Assessor (a Stage 2 qualified Practice Educator) and are required to produce a portfolio of practice evidence including: a Practice Learning Agreement, Induction Programme, Midway and Final Report on the student, examples of a teaching activity, direct observations of the student by the trainee practice educator, direct observations of the trainee by the PA and feedback from the student, tutor and line manager.
There are slightly different requirements for the modules that will be explained to you by your course tutors and are described in some detail in the Module Handbooks. In addition both modules require trainees to produce critical analyses of their development as Practice Educators and Professional Development Plans.
When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically will involve reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking and preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for exams. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS – the online virtual learning platform.
As a student at Kingston University, we will make sure you have access to appropriate advice regarding your academic development. You will also be able to use the University's support services.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 180 credits across a year (typical for a postgraduate course) would equate to 1,800 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- 77% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
Assessment methods include coursework, essays, reports, self-assessment, practical assessment in the workplace and a portfolio. The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows:
- 100% coursework
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
Fees and funding
Fees for 2025/26 modules
- Practice Education Stage 1 £1,994 / Free*
- Practice Education Stage 2 £1,994 / Free*
All modules are worth 30 credits.
* We are offering Practice Education Stage 1 and Practice Education Stage 2 free to social workers who enrol on our PG Cert Practice Education pathway and are able to be allocated Kingston University social work students for both placements.
If the sponsoring agency is unable to provide a practice assessor for each trainee, an additional Practice Assessor Fee will be applied for this assessment service.
Recognised Partner Agencies: Achieving for Children, NSPCC, Welcare, Surrey County Council and the London Boroughs of Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth, Sutton, Croydon, and Merton.
Fees for 2024/25 modules
- Practice Education Stage 1 £1,994 / Free*
- Practice Education Stage 2 £1,994 / Free*
All modules are worth 30 credits.
* We are offering Practice Education Stage 1 and Practice Education Stage 2 free to social workers who enrol on our PG Cert Practice Education pathway and are able to be allocated Kingston University social work students for both placements.
If the sponsoring agency is unable to provide a practice assessor for each trainee, an additional Practice Assessor Fee will be applied for this assessment service.
Recognised Partner Agencies: Achieving for Children, NSPCC, Welcare, Surrey County Council and the London Boroughs of Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth, Sutton, Croydon, and Merton.
Funding support for postgraduate students
If you are a UK student living in England and under 60, you can apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree on the government's website.
Scholarships and bursaries
Interested in studying Practice Education PgCert at Kingston? The following funding support is available:
The Inspire the Future Scholarship offers a 40% reduction in fees for taught masters or postgraduate diploma courses with September start dates. 20 scholarships are available for progressing Kingston University graduates.
For more information on how to apply for this scholarship, visit the Inspire the Future Scholarship page.
International postgraduate students could receive up to £5,000 towards tuition in their first year of study.
For more information on how to apply for these scholarships, visit the International Scholarship page.
If you are a Kingston University 2024/25 undergraduate progressing to a 2025/26 postgraduate degree (taught or research), you could get a 15% reduction in tuition fees.
For more information on how to apply for this scholarship, visit the Postgraduate Progression Scholarship page.
Kingston University offers a 10% discount on full and part-time postgraduate degree course tuition fees to our alumni.
For more information on how to apply for this discount, visit our alumni discount page.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our free intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
Apply for this course
Before you apply
Please read the entry criteria carefully to make sure you meet all requirements before applying.
Apply online
Use the course selector drop down at the top of this page to choose your preferred course, start date and mode, then click 'Apply now'. You will be taken to our Online Student Information System (OSIS) where you will complete your application.
If you’re starting a new application, you’ll need to select ‘new user’ and set up a username and password. This will allow you to save and return to your application.
Trainee PE Placement Information Form
You will need to complete the Trainee PE Placement Information Form as part of your application.
Application deadlines
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Applications will close when the course is full.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
