Applications from candidates from all sectors of society are welcomed. Overseas candidates who meet the entry requirements are also invited to apply. Students are required to undertake some practice training and to be available for pre-placement visits during the Easter vacation in the first year. The assessment of academic work is carried out periodically throughout the programme by means of short assignments in the first year, a dissertation produced at the end of the summer, and a Practice Study submitted after the end of the second placement. These assignments, though assessed, are seen also as opportunities to consolidate learning.
Prior consultation is offered and detailed feedback provided on the completed work.
Practice is similarly assessed openly and at intervals throughout each placement, with a formal interim report midway through each placement, using the School's Practice Curriculum. Again, the emphasis is on evaluation for learning, with full student participation and feedback on performance. As this is a professional education and training programme, students are expected to attend their time-tabled teaching, and to advise tutors in advance if this is not possible. Application forms are available from mid-August onwards and the selection process begins in January 2001. Early application is advisable.