PGDip

SEN/ALN (Additional Learning Needs)

Offering an in-depth focus on contemporary perspectives of dyslexia and inclusive practice.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

The Postgraduate Diploma SEN/ALN course offers an in-depth focus on contemporary perspectives of dyslexia and inclusive practice together with the opportunity to widen students’ theoretical understanding through research and evaluation within their respective professional roles.

DESIGNED FOR

Ideal for those who are working with children, young people or adults with specific learning difficulties and want a recognised qualification in this field.

Career Paths

  • Speech and Language Therapist
  • Occupational Therapist
  • School and College SENCO
  • LEA Advisor

Skills taught

  • Research 
  • Evaluation

Module Overview

The modules on the Posgraduate Diploma SEN / ALN course aim to widen students’ theoretical understanding through research and evaluation within their respective professional roles.

  • SEN/ALN: Contexts and Concepts
  • Dyslexia theory and assessment
  • Working with Dyslexia: Linking theory, Assessment and Practice
  • Research Methodology

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

The course offers an in-depth focus on contemporary perspectives of dyslexia and inclusive practice together with the opportunity to widen students’ theoretical understanding through research and evaluation within their respective professional roles.

Teaching staff

  • Amanda Kelland

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

Qualified Teacher Status plus teaching experience or a minimum of two years’ experience of supporting students with literacy difficulties in further or Higher Education.

Additional requirements include:

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child Workforce and Child Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants)

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

Teaching practice observations are compulsory for the Post Graduate Diploma.

Cost: £400

Associate Membership of British Dyslexia Association (AMBDA) (British Dyslexia Association).

Cost: £800

 Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £64.74

Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate

Cost: £16

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Following successful completion of the this SEN qualification, students have gained posts as school and college SENCOs, specialist tutors in SPLD services, set up their own SpLD consultancies, or become LEA Advisors. Others have published books and papers on the subject and gained doctorate awards.

Possible career paths

It is important to list a broad range of possible career paths that students could enter after completing the course. Consider those career paths which may be both directly and indirectly linked to a career to give a variety of options and ideas to a prospective student. Many students may have a very clear pathway in their minds, whilst others might be seeking inspiration around what possible career options are available to them. If you need inspiration for possible career paths relating to your subject area, have a look at prospects.ac.uk. 

 

Careers support

The University’s Career Services offers a range of advice and guidance to students, and references to the services available to all listed at southwales.ac.uk/careers will be added to the course website by default. However, if there are other important course or subject specific initiatives run at local a level, there is an opportunity to add further details here. Whether this includes connecting with professionals, industry experts or mentors, or strategies to enhance their competitiveness and aspirations in the job market, further details will provide prospects with the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to commit to applying. 

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.