Bachelor of Special Education (Primary)/Bachelor of Disability Studies

This course contains 120 days of professional experience. 105 days are in a school setting while 15 of the days are in a post-school agency that provides programs for adults with disabilities. Placements in schools are embedded in the units PREX201, PREX302, PREX303, PREX906 and PREX907 while agency placements are the units PREX222 and PREX223.

All professional experience placements in a school setting must meet the following requirements to be counted for placement. The school must:

  • Assess teacher proficiency against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers;
  • Use NESA approved syllabuses or equivalent Australian syllabuses;

All placements must be in a mainstream classroom unless otherwise specified.

Before undertaking the final placement, all Teacher Education Students in this degree must complete and pass both components of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students.


Please select your unit from the list below to see more in-depth information about your placements in this degree:

PREX222 (5 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a five day placement (27.5 hours) in an approved post-school setting working with people with special needs.


Specific Requirements

The experience may require the pre-service teacher to assume the tasks and duties performed by agency personnel in the specific program. Programs may include community participation, recreation and leisure, orientation and mobility training as well as transport.

PREX222 Specific Requirements


Acceptable Venues for this Placement*

  • A post-school setting working with people with special needs

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement*

  • A school
  • Work as a home carer
  • Vacation care
  • After school care

*This information is currently being reviewed. Please contact the Office for Professional Learning with any queries.

PREX223 (10 days)

General Requirements for this Placement

This is a 10 day placement (55 hours) in an approved post-school setting that provides programs for adults with disabilities.


Specific Requirements

The experience may require the pre-service teacher to assume some of the tasks and duties performed by agency personnel or teachers in the specific program. Professional experience in a community setting may include community participation, recreation and leisure, orientation and mobility training as well as transport.

PREX223 Specific Requirements


Acceptable Venues for this Placement*

  • A post-school setting working with adults with disabilities

Unacceptable Venues for this Placement*

  • A primary or high school
  • Work as a home carer
  • Vacation care

*This information is currently being reviewed. Please contact the Office for Professional Learning with any queries.

PREX201 (20 days)

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a primary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

PREX201 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream primary classrooms
  • Release from Face-to-Face (RFF) placements*
  • Library placements**
  • Distance Education settings

Pre-service teachers may only complete one placement in an RFF, Distance Education or library setting in PREX201.

*The RFF teacher must be covering all of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) as part of their workload.

**The library teacher must be taking RFF as part of their workload and work with other classes must occur while administration for the library teacher is undertaken.


Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Working as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer).

PREX302 (20 days)

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a primary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

PREX302 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream primary classrooms
  • Release from Face-to-Face (RFF) placements*
  • Library placements**
  • Distance Education settings

Pre-service teachers may only complete one placement in an RFF, Distance Education or library setting in PREX201.

*The RFF teacher must be covering all of the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) as part of their workload.

**The library teacher must be taking RFF as part of their workload and work with other classes must occur while administration for the library teacher is undertaken.


Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Working as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer).

PREX303 (20 days)

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a primary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

PREX303 Specific Requirements


Graduate Level Placements

This is the final teaching placement of this course where the pre-service teacher is assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Level as per BOSTES requirements.


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream primary classrooms

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Any placement that varies from a mainstream classroom

Pre-service teachers may only complete one placement in an RFF, Distance Education or library setting in PREX201.

PREX306 (20 days)

This Placement and Special Education

This placement is in a Special Education setting where students (pre-service teachers) will be assessed against the standards in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.


Specific Information

This is a 20 day block placement in a Special Education setting where the pre-service teacher will be working with a student or students with identified special needs. 


Placements that can be accepted

  • A Special Education school
  • A Special Education unit
  • A Special Education development unit
  • An inclusive school environment which includes students with identified special needs

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Settings without students with identified special needs
  • Tutoring agencies
  • Schools or agencies not using NSW BOSTES approved curriculum
  • Work as a teacher's aide
  • Work outside of a school setting

PREX307 (25 days)

This Placement and Special Education

This placement is in a Special Education setting where students (pre-service teachers) will be assessed against the standards in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.


Specific Information

This is a 25 day block placement in a Special Education setting where the pre-service teacher will be working with a student or students with identified special needs. 


Placements that can be accepted

  • A Special Education school
  • A Special Education unit
  • A Special Education development unit
  • An inclusive school environment which includes students with identified special needs

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Settings without students with identified special needs
  • Tutoring agencies
  • Schools or agencies not using NSW BOSTES approved curriculum
  • Work as a teacher's aide
  • Work outside of a school setting