Special Educational Needs and Inclusion PgCert
Subject and course type
- Education and Teaching
- Postgraduate
Kingston University’s Special Educational Needs and Inclusion PgCert will give you the skills you need to advance your practice and progress in your field.
You are reading:
Advance your practice and improve lives
Make a real difference for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Currently working in education, health or social care? Keen to deepen your knowledge of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)? This course will give you a clear overview of the field in the contexts of policy, practice and professionalism.
Through a blended learning approach, you’ll earn while you learn, fitting 12 taught days and a networking event around your existing work commitments.
You’ll study the perspectives that impact SEND in a range of settings. You’ll access evidence-based approaches, and have plenty of opportunities to learn from expert academics and practitioners.
Studying this Special Educational Needs and Inclusion PgCert at Kingston University will give you the enhanced SEND knowledge needed to refine your practice and provision. Previous graduates have gone on to pursue job opportunities and promotions, or even complete further study.
During the course, you’ll work at masters level, benefitting from scaffolded learning, peer-to-peer networking and reflection through e-Portfolios and blogging.
You’ll also have the chance to join the Inclusion and Social Justice Special Interest Group and participate in multi-disciplinary, local projects and specialist SEND training.
When you graduate, you’ll be able to put your credits towards an Education MA.
The interactive mode of learning is very positive. It allows for an exchange of ideas, knowledge and skills. The programme brings together a rich diversity of experiences and skills, which improves and enhances the learning process.
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’ve also got 100 years’ experience of educating educators.
Research is a big part of our work in the Department of Education, which means your tutors bring best practice and cutting-edge thinking to their teaching. Staff members here have undertaken research on different age phases, as well as on professional and interprofessional practice in the HSSCE faculty.
Course content
Year 1
Core modules
30 credits
This module is designed to enable you to develop the process of enacting change both professionally and interprofessionally. Throughout the module, a research-informed approach will provide the context for examining the complexity of SEND leadership and range of factors which impact directly and indirectly upon professionals' and settings' ability to successfully deliver and sustain change. Factors include the process of commissioning, securing and deploying specific resources and the interconnectedness of working intra and interprofessionally as part of multi-agency teams.
30 credits
In this module you will gain an overview of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) with regard to policy, practice and professionalism. The module will include critical examination of discourse related to SEND, including analysis of policies which will allow you to reflect upon practice within your own setting in addition to the broader educational context. Databases and other specialist information sources will be used to critically evaluate the interplay of policy, practice and professionalism to understand the range of perspectives which inform identity, experience, reflection and research at the workplace. Exploration of and reflection on theoretical frameworks for pedagogy will provide students with opportunities to critically examine ways in which they might promote learning and participation of pupils with specific needs within the practice-based setting.
Careers opportunities
After you graduate
You’ll complete this course with the knowledge needed to improve your practice and provision across a range of interprofessional community sectors. Previous graduates have gone on to employment and promotion in the field. Others have used the 60 credits from this course to progress directly onto the second year of the Education MA.
Teaching and assessment
You will learn about leading on special educational needs through interactive lectures, seminars and online work in our Virtual Learning Environment (CANVAS). You will also have flexible group and individual tutorials.
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 preparing coursework assignments and presentations. 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.
10% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity.
- Scheduled learning and teaching: 60 hours
- Guided independent study (self-managed time): 540 hours
Contact hours may vary depending on your modules.
Assessment comprises coursework such as essays and posters. There are no exams.
- 100% coursework
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
Each module features six days of learning activities. These include a mixture of on-campus events, live online events and on-demand events throughout the year, enabling you to fit your learning experience around your work commitments.
Fees and funding
| Fee Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | Part Time £3,000 |
| International | Part Time £3,800 |
| Fee Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | Part Time £2,900 |
| International | Part Time £3,600 |
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.
How to apply
Before you apply
Please read the entry criteria carefully to make sure you meet all requirements before applying.
How to 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.
Application deadlines
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Applications will close when the course is full.
After you apply
If the admissions tutor needs more information or wants to invite you for an interview, we will be in touch directly.
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.
What our students and graduates say
It provides an excellent opportunity to network with other people from different local authorities and I have enjoyed feeling part of a postgraduate community.
We had Ofsted this week. It went incredibly well and SEND was their main agenda. It's not often I blow my own trumpet but they said, ‘the leadership of SEND has been transformational!’. I just wanted to say a big thank you as I went into it feeling confident and up to date on current research as a result of the support through my qualification.
