Information and Documents
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You'll find useful and important documentation uploaded to this site.
Information and Documents
Programme Overview
Practice Education Handbook
Placement Dates 2026 - 2027
|
Year of Study |
Placement |
Start Date |
End Date |
Duration |
|
1 |
1 |
10 August 2026 |
25 September 2026 |
7 weeks |
|
1 |
2 |
12 October 2026 |
4 December 2026 |
8 weeks |
|
2 |
3 |
10 August 2026 |
25 September 2026 |
7 weeks |
|
2 |
4 |
12 October 2026 |
4 December 2026 |
8 weeks |
|
Flexible Catch Up |
Any Level |
January 2027 |
March 2027 |
8 weeks |
Practice Education Assessment Forms
This section contains the assessment forms for each placement, including the relevant placement learning outcomes. Each form provides guidance on how to complete it and supports a structured appraisal of every learning outcome. There is space for comments where you can provide examples demonstrating how the criteria were met.
The forms are provided as Word documents for easy download. It is the student’s responsibility to upload the final agreed assessment report, signed and dated, along with the completed timesheet, at the end of placement.
Please Note: All placements are full time. Some forms currently reference a full-time pattern of 37.5 hours per week. This is no longer typical and will be updated at the next programme accreditation. Students are expected to follow the usual working pattern of their practice educator or placement provider.
MSc OT PP1 Assessment Document
MSc OT PP2 Assessment Document
MSc OT PP3 Assessment Document
Models of Practice Education
There are a variety of models that can be successful used to provide student placement opportunities. These models offer flexibility, support diverse learning experiences, and can often be combined to complement one another.
For further information and examples, please refer to the NES Turas resource.
If you are interested in exploring any of these options within your practice area, please get in touch.
Signposting to Useful Resources
The following resources provide guidance and support for practice educators in facilitating student placements:
• AHP principles of practice-based learning – Co-badged by 10 professional bodies, these principles act as a catalyst and framework for conversations across practice and education as well among many other professions. Their purpose is to support the development of quality, sustainable placement opportunities for pre-registration AHP students and apprentices.
• The AHP Practice Education Development Framework – Outlines the knowledge, skills, behaviours, and recommended learning across four levels of practice education experience.
• The AHP Practice Educator Handbook – Provides practical guidance and resources for AHP teams, practice educators, and placement coordinators delivering Practice-Based Learning (PrBL) in Scotland.
• Being and Becoming an AHP Practice Educator – Turas learning resource to support practice educators in taking on the role of supporting students on placement.
• Practice Educator Training – A Sway document detailing upcoming AHP practice educator preparation and development opportunities in Scotland.
• The AHP PrBL Virtual Community – Connects AHP practice educators across Scotland, offering opportunities to collaborate, problem-solve, and network. The community also provides short, informative CPD sessions on a range of topics supporting PrBL.
• Reasonable Adjustment Guidance – Resources to guide practice educators working with students who require reasonable adjustments to safely perform during practice placement.
• Underperforming Learner Resources – Practical guidance for supporting students who may be underperforming during placement in the practice setting.
ENU Student Support Services
• Personal Development Tutor (PDT) – for academic and personal guidance
• Academic Skills Team – for study and writing support
• Wellbeing and Inclusion Team – for health, wellbeing, and accessibility support.
If you have any questions or would like further information about these services, please contact Ashleigh Gray: a.gray2@napier.ac.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section is designed to answer frequently asked questions. If you need further information having read this section, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Attendance and Work Patterns
What are the typical/expected working hours? A typical working week ranges from 35 to 37.5 hours, depending on the placement setting. Students are expected to follow the usual working pattern of their practice educator or placement provider. This may include starting earlier or finishing later to accommodate appointments or specific learning opportunities. This should be discussed and agreed upon at the beginning of the placement. As per the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) governing body, each student is required to complete a minimum of 1000 hours over the programme.
If a student is doing work at home, does that count as clinical placement hours? This time can count as clinical placement hours, with the prior agreement of the practice educator, as long as it is directed learning which is appropriate to the clinical area. Students should be able to evidence the work completed if requested. Students are not expected to take time away from the clinical area to complete University work.
Do students need time off to study? Students are entitled to up to 3.5 hours of self-directed study per week, provided the study is relevant to practice-based learning. The timing of this study time should be agreed with the practice educator at the start of placement. Self-directed study time is counted as part of the overall placement hours. Students should be prepared to evidence how this time was used if requested.
Can students take annual leave or holidays? No, annual leave is incorporated into the student’s programme at intervals throughout the year so there is no provision for annual leave while in practice learning environments. If a Bank or Public holiday occurs during the placement, student should follow the team’s usual practice (e.g. whether the team works or takes the holiday). If the holiday is taken, those hours do not contribute to the total placement hours.
What happens if a student is sick? If a student is unwell and unable to attend placement, they should follow local absence procedures, contacting the placement area directly to report their absence. They should also inform their University placement co-ordinator as soon as possible.
Assessment
Each practice education placement (PP1-PP4) has a tailored assessment report aligned with the specific learning outcomes. Each learning outcome includes a set of criteria that illustrate how the learning outcome is met. To successfully achieve a learning outcome, all criteria must be consistently and successfully demonstrated.
Students and practice educators should familiarise themselves with the relevant assessment report appropriate for their placement, which can be downloaded from the Practice Education Assessment Forms section of this website.
Placements are assessed on a pass/fail basis. To pass the placement overall, students must pass every criterion within all learning outcomes. Students will receive feedback on each of the assessment criteria, highlighting both areas of strength and areas for development.
How can I become a Practice Educator? In the first instance, we would encourage you to review the AHP Practice Education Framework which supports all HCPC registered and non-registered AHP staff contributing to Practice-Based Learning (PrBL). This can be a helpful starting point in considering the knowledge, skills, behaviours and recommended learning over 4 levels of practice education experience and contains links to many beneficial resources such as the Being and becoming an AHP practice educator programme.
What mandatory training will a student complete before they go on placement? As per the practice placement agreement, all students will complete the following essential online learning modules, in advance of placement: Fire: Theory; Basic Life support (BLS); Information governance : safe information handling; Moving and handling; Violence and aggression de-escalation; Adult support and protection and child protection; Equality and diversity; Duty of candour; Healthcare Associated Infection Scottish Infection Prevention and Control Education Pathway (SIPCEP Foundation Layer); and Whistleblowing.
