Level 6 Diploma in Teaching and Learning
For teachers, trainers and lecturers who learned to teach by teaching, and now want the craft examined at bachelor's level. Six units, 120 credits, awarded by OTHM. It is not qualified teacher status, and this page says so first.
Particulars
| Awarding body | OTHM Qualifications, an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation |
|---|---|
| Level | 6 on the RQF; the level of an honours degree1 |
| Qualification type | Diploma. Not a degree. |
| Credits | 120, in six mandatory units of 20 |
| Total Qualification Time | 1,200 hours, of which 480 are Guided Learning Hours 2 |
| Ofqual number | 603/6695/33 |
| Duration | 9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track) part-time; to be confirmed by LSPM |
| Study modes | Online, Blended, Evening classes (availability per intake to be confirmed) |
| Fees | From £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track) · how fees work |
| Next intake | Rolling intake — course starts when the fee is paid |
| Assessment | Written assignment per unit; no examinations |
The programmeWhat this diploma is
Teaching is one of the few professions in which a person can be excellent for years without ever having studied the thing they do. This OTHM diploma is for that person. Across six 20-credit units it takes the daily work of the classroom, training room or lecture theatre and asks the practitioner to examine it against theory and evidence: how lessons are planned, how teaching is reflected on and improved, how a class behaves and why, how a curriculum is designed, how education is made inclusive, and what technology genuinely adds. Ofqual regulates it; on the RQF it stands at Level 6, the level of an honours degree, without being one.
Learners on this diploma come from international and independent schools, from further education and adult learning, from corporate training departments and from early years settings. What they share is a body of practice and a lack of formal pedagogical study at this level. The diploma does not teach them to teach; it teaches them to account for how they teach, in writing, with reference to the literature, and that turns out to change the teaching.
The award is not a route to qualified teacher status in England, nor to a teaching licence anywhere else. It is a Level 6 credit in education studies and a certificate that the holder has analysed their own practice to a degree-level standard.
StructureUnits and credits
Six mandatory units; no optional units. Titles and credit values as published by OTHM.2
| Unit | Credits |
|---|---|
| 01Lesson Planning | 20 |
| 02Reflective Teaching | 20 |
| 03Management of Class Dynamics | 20 |
| 04Curriculum Design | 20 |
| 05Integrated Education | 20 |
| 06Technology in Education | 20 |
| Total | 120 |
Lesson Planning and Reflective Teaching open the programme together, because reflection needs something to reflect on and a plan is the natural object. Management of Class Dynamics follows. Curriculum Design and Integrated Education are taken as a pair in the second half, one about what is taught and the other about who it reaches. Technology in Education closes the programme, when a learner is equipped to evaluate rather than merely adopt.
AdmissionEntry requirements
OTHM sets the entry criteria; LSPM applies them. As published:2
- Relevant NQF/QCF/RQF Level 5 diploma or equivalent recognised qualification
- Mature learners (over 21) with management experience (learners must check with the delivery centre regarding this experience prior to registering for the programme)
- Learner must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the course
- English requirements: If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency. For more information visit English Language Expectations page in this website.
OTHM's entry wording for this award mentions management experience, which reflects a template shared across its Level 6 diplomas; in practice LSPM admits on teaching experience. Applicants without a Level 5 award are asked to evidence sustained teaching or training responsibility, in any setting, and their capacity for extended analytical writing. A teaching assistant, trainer or early years practitioner with several years' responsibility for planning and delivering learning is the typical experience-route applicant; someone who has only ever delivered material written by others should ask whether the reflective units will have enough to work on.
If you are unsure which route applies to you, enquire and say so; working that out is what the advice call is for.
MethodHow you are assessed
Every unit is assessed by written assignment against OTHM's criteria, and the briefs are built around the learner's own practice: a sequence of lesson plans with a rationale, a reflective account of a teaching episode analysed through a chosen model, a case study of classroom dynamics, a curriculum design with justification, an inclusion audit of a setting, and an evaluation of a technology in use. Learners are asked throughout to observe their own teaching and to write about it honestly, which is harder than it sounds.
The general arrangements for marking, moderation, feedback and resubmission are described on the how LSPM teaches page.
Time, honestly estimated
The published figure is 1,200 hours, 480 of them guided and 720 your own. Spread across the period you choose:
| If you finish in | Hours per week |
|---|---|
| Twelve months | about 23 |
| Eighteen months | about 15 |
| Twenty-four months | about 12 |
AfterwardsProgression
The usual top-up destination is a bachelor's degree in education studies, education and training, or a related professional field, entered at the final year with advanced standing. Universities offering such programmes generally know how to read an education diploma at Level 6 and the subject match is not in question; some will ask for evidence of current teaching practice as a condition of admission to a practice-based degree.
The diploma does not lead to qualified teacher status. A holder wishing to teach in a state school in England would need to complete initial teacher training by an approved route, for which a bachelor's degree is required; the top-up therefore comes first, and the diploma is the credit that makes the top-up possible.
The mechanics of advanced standing, and the questions admissions tutors ask, are on the top-up degrees page.4 Slot: universities holding a current progression agreement for this award, verified before publication.
Not everyone wants the bachelor's. The other direction from here is a Level 7 diploma, at master's level, described on the companion site for Level 7 diplomas.
FitWho it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if you
- teach or train, in any setting, without a degree in education and want your practice examined and certificated at Level 6;
- work in an international or independent school, a college, a training department or an early years setting where the employer values degree-level study of pedagogy;
- intend to top up to an education degree and, possibly, to seek teacher training afterwards.
A poor fit if you
- want qualified teacher status or a teaching licence; this award confers neither and is not an approved route to either;
- have not taught or trained and want to learn how; the units assume practice to reflect on;
- need a subject-specialist teaching award; this is general pedagogy across settings.
QuestionsAsked about this programme
Does this diploma qualify me to teach in a school?
No. In England, teaching in a state school requires qualified teacher status obtained through initial teacher training; this diploma is not that training. Independent and international schools set their own requirements and many value it. Outside England, licensing is a matter for the jurisdiction concerned.
I train adults in a company. Is the content relevant to me?
Yes. The units are written about teaching and learning rather than about schools, and learners from corporate and vocational training write their assignments about their own sessions, curricula and learners without difficulty. The class dynamics unit translates directly to a training room.
Will I need access to a classroom during the programme?
You need a setting in which you teach or train and can observe your own practice, since most assignments are built on it. It need not be a classroom in the school sense. Applicants between posts should raise timing at enquiry so that it can be put to LSPM before registration.
How does this differ from the Qualifi Global Teaching Practice awards?
This OTHM award is general pedagogy for practitioners in any setting and admits on teaching experience. The Qualifi awards are designed for graduates seeking a teaching credential in a specific international context, include a professional placement, and require an existing degree for entry. Different audiences.
Is there a placement or observation by a tutor?
There is no formal placement in this diploma and no tutor observation is required by the specification. Assignments rely on your own documented observation and reflection, supported by LSPM's tutorials. Learners often arrange for a peer or mentor to observe them, which is worth doing.
Documents and application
Applications are made on London School of Planning and Management's own website, not this site; this site is LSPM's independent recruitment agent. Most people enquire first; the apply link is for those who have already had that conversation.
Brochure slot. The programme brochure (PDF) belongs to LSPM, is to be supplied by LSPM, and will replace this anchor.
Notes and sources
- GOV.UK, list of qualification levels (Level 6 includes honours degrees). ↩
- OTHM, OTHM Level 6 Diploma in Teaching and Learning : qualification specification (PDF) consulted 30 September 2026; qualification page at othm.org.uk. Source for units, credits, hours and entry wording. ↩
- Ofqual, Register of Regulated Qualifications, qualification number 603/6695/3. ↩
- QAA, Higher Education Credit Framework for England (credit volumes; advanced standing). ↩