Celebrating 80 years of Education at Bath Spa University

If you are considering training to become a teacher, where you train matters. In 2026, Bath Spa University marks 80 years of teacher training, celebrating a long and rich history of educational excellence. This milestone offers future trainee teachers the reassurance of training at a university where teacher education is well-established and shaped by decades of practice.

Teacher education has been a core part of BSU’s identity since 1946, when BSU established the Newton Park Teacher Training College. Founded in response to the urgent post-war demand for teachers in the UK, the College quickly gained a reputation for the quality of its teacher training. BSU still continues to prepare teachers for the classroom, combining academic study with practical, classroom-based experience.  

Today, the BSU School of Education remains one of the top-rated providers of teacher education in the country and the largest provider of teacher education in the South West. Working with over 670 schools, colleges and early years settings across the region, BSU provides research-informed and experience-based training to over 500 trainee teachers every year. 

BSU offers a comprehensive range of Teacher Training programmes including PGCE Primary and Early Years and PGCE Secondary. Training is supported by an experienced academic tutor and school mentors who work closely with trainees as they develop:

"Bath Spa are so supportive. They hold your hand when you need it and push you when you need it … I feel like my mentor and my academic tutor are always there for me ... I've felt supported all the way through."

Sarah Baddeley, PGCE Primary and Early Years

There is also a variety of Master’s level study, including Professional Practice in Education, Inclusive Education and SEND, National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (SENCO), and Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies.

Research is an important part of the School of Education, with trainee teachers encouraged to engage with current research and professional debate to strengthen their practice. The school carries out a range of research itself, with strengths in social justice, creative education, and practitioner-led research. Regular research events hosted by the school are open to the wider community, encouraging collaboration across the sector.

When Newton Park Teacher Training College was founded, it was described as the finest training college in the country. Eighty years on, BSU continues to uphold that reputation; teaching is taken seriously, taught thoughtfully, and passed on with care. For PGCE students, it is a chance not just to train as a teacher, but to become part of a well-established and respected institution built on teaching excellence.

Find out more about Teacher Training at Bath Spa University or book onto an Open Day to meet our team and tour our facilities.