Why study this course?

If you're a practising social worker with at least two years of experience this course will enable you to learn how to supervise, teach and assess social work students up to (and during) their last placement. The course has been designed to conform to the professional requirements and competencies for Stage 1 and 2 (combined) of the Practice Educator Professional Standards for Social Work (PEPS), TCSW (2012) and The British Association of Social Workers (BASWA, 2020).

More about this course

If you're an experienced social worker, this course is designed to further develop your knowledge and skills as a Practice Educator (PE), with opportunities to share different techniques and understanding with other PEs. We aim to:

  • transfer your knowledge and skills of social work practice to practice education
  • develop your understanding of the principles of adult learning, supervision processes, methods of assessment planning and decision making within an explicitly anti-oppressive framework
  • help you reflect critically on supervision and teaching techniques

You'll be taught through a combination of lectures, our online learning tool Weblearn, seminars and workshops. You'll also have the support of a personal tutor.

On completion, you’ll have the authority and capability to recommend, using appropriate evidence, whether your students are fit to practise once qualified, and you will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Practice Education.

Assessment

You'll be assessed through a range of tools and expected to maintain a regular reflective learning log of your experiences of teaching and assessing your student, in order to plan and monitor your student's progress as well as reflect on your own learning from the experience.

Assignments will include individual and group activities, case-study work, presentations, progress exercises, coursework and direct observations of your practice.

You'll also be assessed via a portfolio which evaluates the ways in which you managed the student learning and assessment process, it includes your evidence-based recommendation as to whether your student is fit to practise once qualified. Other elements include a report by a practice assessor who will assess you twice during the course, as well as a feedback report from your social work student on your performance as a teacher, assessor and supervisor.

On successful completion, you will attain 30 credits at postgraduate level (Level 7) and be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Practice Education.

Professional accreditation

The course has been designed to conform to the professional requirements and competencies for Stage 1 and 2 (combined) of the Practice Educator Professional standards for Social Work (PEPS), (TCSW, 2012).

Fees and key information

Course type
Short Course
Entry requirements View
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Entry requirements

You must be:

  • able to offer practice learning opportunities that are appropriate to London Metropolitan University social work students
  • a registered social worker with at least two years’ experience post-qualification, but at least three years at the point of qualifiying for the PEP
  • currently working in a social care setting

Course structure

The course will involve:

  • understanding learning and teaching in higher education from a range of theoretical frameworks, identifying and meeting workforce development needs, and understanding research methods
  • ongoing critical analysis of up-to-date policy development and practices, in order to encourage and build on reflective practice learning and teaching in the field
  • reviewing professional codes of ethics, underlying ethical concepts and methods of ethical decision-making
  • supervising a social work student against the Professional Capability Framework (PCF) (The College of Social Work, 2012) for 70 or 100 days
  • assessing a social work student against Social Work England and the KSS for Children and Adults
  • participating in interviews of potential candidates for entry onto our courses
  • offering live supervision to current students with two-way feedback
  • delivering teaching sessions on reflective practice and reflective writing
  • role-playing case scenarios from practice with students' participation

What support will I receive?

You will be allocated a practice assessor who will provide verbal and written feedback on your performance when practice teaching a student. You will also be given formative feedback on your assessed university assignments prior to summative assessment. Teaching will be held at the University’s Holloway campus.

Questions?

If you have any questions at all please email pe@londonmet.ac.uk

Fees

To discuss the cost of the programme, please email pe@londonmet.ac.uk

How to apply

To apply, please download the Enrolment form 2024/2025 and the Practice Educator Programme Application Form 24/25 

Please email the completed forms along with supporting documents (see below) to pe@londonmet.ac.uk.

You must include:

  • enrolment forms (both of the above enrolment forms)
  • copy of your passport
  • a passport-sized photograph
  • a line manager’s reference (if applicable)


When to apply

The official closing date for September intake is 26th of August 2024 and the official closing date for January 2025 intake is 9th of  December 2024. We advise that you apply as early as possible, as we will only consider your application if there are places available on the course.

All classes take place at London Metropolitan University at 10am to 4.30pm. Please note that some classes may be delivered virtually.

There are two intakes offered in 2024 - 2025 academic year. The dates are as follows:

September 2024 - Practice Educator Flyer September 2024

  • Monday 9 September 2024
  • Tuesday 10 September 2024
  • Monday 16 September 2024
  • Tuesday 17 September 2024
  • Tuesday 23 September 2024
  • Tuesday 5 November 2024
  • Tuesday 12 November 2024
  • Tuesday 14 January 2025
  • Tuesday 21 January 2025
  • Tuesday 11 March 2025
  • Tuesday 6 May 2025
  • Tuesday 13 May 2025

Hand in portfolios from June  2025

January 2025 - Practice Educator Flyer January 2025

  • Tuesday 7 January 2025
  • Tuesday 28 January 2025
  • Tuesday 4 February 2025
  • Tuesday 11 February 2025
  • Tuesday 25 February 2025
  • Friday 11 March 2025
  • Tuesday 18 March 2025
  • Tuesday 25 March 2025
  • Tuesday 8 April 2025
  • Friday 11 April 2025
  • Tuesday 29 April 2025
  • Tuesday 13 May 2025

Hand in portfolios from  June 2025