Studying Special Educational Needs at Liverpool Hope University will enable you to understand a range of different learning needs and will provide you with the knowledge and confidence to educate others about the nature of disability. The degree incorporates insights from education, as well as drawing on work in the arts, humanities and health care, to ensure you gain a broad and balanced understanding of the principal features of education in a wide range of contexts.
A central aspect of the course is an understanding of medical and social constructions of Special Educational Needs and Disability, the legal requirements regarding provision for SEN/ Disability and a critical understanding of past and contemporary practices. By completing this degree, you will have gained a knowledge and understanding of the global perspectives on special education and disability and issues relating to children and families, as well as having the ability to critically engage with professional expertise.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) at Liverpool Hope University is an interdisciplinary subject underpinned by the work of the Centre for Culture and Disability Studies (CCDS). You will become a professional who is knowledgeable and skilled in this field. You will enter your professional life recognising the importance of compassion and understanding of your work with, and on behalf of, those who are disabled and/or identified as having a special educational need.
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. You will also use the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Moodle and will have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
For the Special Educational Needs part of your Combined Honours degree, in your first year of study there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend 12-14 hours studying independently each week, as well as studying in groups to prepare for any groups assessments that you may have.
Throughout your three years of study you will have a number of assessments, including a portfolio, essays, written exams, posters, an annotated bibliography, journal analysis and information pack. In your final year you complete a dissertation research project.
You will receive formative and summative feedback. This will include written feedback with opportunities for a one-to-one discussion of feedback with your tutors.
Your first year introduces you to the history of disability and the education of disabled children. You learn about historical and contemporary policy and legislation in education. You will also explore different cultural representations of disability including those found in the news, advertising, literature, charities, comedy and film. You will explore key differences between the medical and social models of disability and there relevance to education. Finally, you look at educational ideas and practices that cause disablement and inequality.
In your second year, you learn about compulsory educational contexts and the relationship between impairment and educational provision. You will study the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice and will explore contemporary issues in provision. You will critically analyse the broad areas of need: cognition and learning; mental health; communication and interaction; physical and sensory impairment and develop alternatives ways of thinking about disability in education.
You will learn about the importance of research that is led by disabled people as well as emancipatory and participatory research and practice in researching disability. You will identify an area for your own independent research project.
During your final year, you will draw on the most recent research in disability studies to explore the range of influences which shape disabled people's lives, relationships and education. You will critically reflect on contemporary issues in disability and education and develop your own philosophy for taking this work into practice.
You will develop and design creative approaches to inclusive education, using ideas and techniques at the forefront of the field of disability studies, SEN and inclusion. You will also carry out an independent research project on a topic of your choice.
During the August/September admissions period we are able to offer some flexibility in our entry requirements for courses that still have vacancies.
We are also offering a Foundation Year on many of our courses for students who have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level to enter directly onto our degree programmes.
Please call us to discuss the options available to you: 0151 291 3636
Graduates of this degree have the opportunity to pursue a range of professional qualifications in the field of Education both within schools and in other settings. Many students choose to progress to a PGCE course at Liverpool Hope University to train as a teacher, or continue their studies through a number of Masters available at the University, including an MA Disability Studies.
The degree can also lead to work as a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), an Inclusion Support Co-ordinator, Behaviour Support Worker or Learning Mentor. In addition, this course offers opportunities for employment in areas such as disability inclusion and as a disability support worker.
Study in Special Educational Needs is also highly relevant to those who wish to work in community or charitable organisations.
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
The tuition fees for the 2020/21 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
On top of tuition fees, you also need approximately £200 to purchase key textbooks and to cover the cost of any fieldtrips.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
The International tuition fees for the 2020/21 academic year are £11,400 (provisional) per year for full-time undergraduate courses.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
This course is also available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: