School Experience Information

The BEd degree is primarily a teaching degree in which classroom practice and the development of teaching skills have a high profile.  School Experience is therefore an integral part of the course.  Students have an opportunity to visit and work in schools during each year of the degree.  The BEd degree is awarded only to those students who can demonstrate a satisfactory classroom performance

The BEd degree is competence-based and each year as students gain in experience and confidence, they are asked to demonstrate increasing levels of competence in the classroom.   Each year group has a different focus, and over the course of study students will have the opportunity to teach children of varying ages, in a range of different contexts.

• GTCNI Teaching: the Reflective Profession

2012/13 School Experience will take place on the following dates:

19 November - 23 November 2012 (observation week)

14 January 2013 (one day visit)

4 February - 22 March 2013

The staff in the Schools Office will be happy to help you with any queries.

BEd Primary School Based Work

Primary students normally undertake 32 weeks of School Experience over the four years of the course. There is an initial one week placement in Semester One, usually in the last week of November followed by a seven week block placement before Easter.  

In year one students will be placed in a Foundation or Key Stage One class and the year focus will be on Literacy and Numeracy.  

In year two students will be placed in a Key Stage Two class and the year focus is on assessment.

Year three students have a choice of Key Stage and at present students may opt to undertake a Nursery course, that may enable them to complete their School Experience within a Nursery context.  The year focus in year three is on differentiation.

Final year students again have a choice of Key Stage and some students who have chosen the Special Educational Needs option have the opportunity to undertake their school based work within a Special Education context.  The year focus is on the role of the co-ordinator within schools.

BEd Post-Primary School Based Work

Post-Primary students normally undertake 32 weeks of School Experience over the four years of the course. There is an initial one week placement in Semester One, usually in the last week of November followed by a seven week block placement before Easter.  

BEd Post-Primary students are placed in Key Stage 2 classes (primary school) in their first year School Experience as an introduction to teaching.  This will allow them the opportunity to plan, prepare for and teach the class in which they are placed while also enabling them to observe appropriate teaching methods and approaches for children at this stage. The year focus will be on Literacy and Numeracy.  

In year two, students will be placed in post-primary schools.  They will teach their main subject, subsidiary subject and RE.  The year focus is on assessment.

Year three students are again in post-primary schools and they may have the opportunity to gain experience teaching some exam classes.  There is a greater emphasis on main subject teaching.  The year focus in year three is on differentiation.

Final year students focus is on the role of the co-ordinator within schools. Some students who have chosen the Special Educational Needs option may have the opportunity to undertake part of their school based work within a Special Education context.