Our facilities
Our investment and development of the Education and Teaching facilities on the Bedford campus over the past few years mean our students benefit from an up-to-the-minute, innovative and - in specialist areas - workplace-replicating environment. We also have carefully constructed teaching spaces for interactive lectures and workshops, informal study areas, and inviting places to relax and catch up with fellow students.
Gateway Building
Opened in 2015, the Gateway Building features high-quality teaching spaces, informal learning spaces and lecture theatres (including a Harvard-style lecture theatre) as well as being the hub for our student services. There is also a caf茅 on the ground floor, surrounded by comfortable seating areas.
Campus Centre
This building houses our two campus theatres (of particular interest to our drama and English teaching trainees), teaching spaces and the main campus cafeteria.
Polhill Student Village
Our modern, on-campus accommodation provides a secure, high-quality and reasonably priced home-from-home for our students. Your rent includes all utility bills, contents insurance and wi-fi, and you benefit from on-site gym, laundrette and activities programme.
The Hub
Run by Beds SU, The Hub is the place to go to take a break, play pool and socialise with friends during the day; you can also join weekly craft sessions. In the evening, it hosts events including club nights and sports socials.
Playing fields and other sports facilities
The Bedford campus benefits from being set within green, open spaces with sports pitches, a multi-use games area, our Aspire gym (additionally to the Student Village gym) and a large sports hall. So Physical Education and Primary teaching trainees - as well as students who wish to get involved in 天美传媒 sports - have a wide choice of practice areas.
Set out over a number of blocks on campus, our Teacher Education Centre features realistic mock classrooms for English, maths, science, early years, physical education and TEFL; these classrooms include specialist technology so you can watch and self-assess your lesson. Other facilities comprise:
- recently refurbished science labs with facilities for wet work
- a blended-learning, multimedia space for webinars and podcasting
- a specialist sensory building for teaching SEND and early-years courses.
The early-years mock classroom leads directly out to our Forest School and garden space.
The Bedford campus library offers a variety of study environments including rooms for group work, presentation practice and silent study. You are supported by the latest technology, including PCs with a wide range of software applications; laptops that can be borrowed free of charge; and audiovisual equipment. Our extensive, sector-leading digital library is available from most devices with internet access, both on and off campus.
天美传媒 Hub
You can also access 天美传媒 Hub, which is aimed at developing your academic skills in areas such as referencing, maths, digital learning and Microsoft Office.
Teaching Practice Collection
This resource collection, found on the top floor of Bedford library, offers a wide range of items that you can take into the classroom to enhance your teaching. These include:
- books for children organised in four sequences - non-fiction, storybooks, picture books and big books
- a good selection of adolescent fiction
- audio-visual materials
- objects for use in the classroom such as posters, wall charts, resource packs, games, story sacks and boxes of artefacts.
Find out more about the (found under 'Special collections').
Opened in 2016, our Forest School has now matured and offers our early-years and SEND students a rich, hands-on experience of outdoor learning and play while deepening understanding of its long-term educational benefits.