Physiotherapy Apprenticeship

The documentation is regularly updated throughout the year so please use the links to the online documents, rather than printing or saving copies in student folders, which may go out of date.

The fully completed PDF copy of the Common Placement Assessment Form (CPAF) should be emailed by the educator to the apprentice by the last day of placement after their final appraisal. Apprentices must submit them electronically via Blackboard by the deadline.

If the educator is not able to add their electronic signature to the CPAF for any reason, a copy should be emailed to Julie Halligan at julie.halligan@uwe.ac.uk by the educator as verification.

Both the educator and the apprentice should keep a copy for their records.

Absence reporting whilst on placement

If an apprentice is unable to attend their placement as planned, they should call the absence reporting line on +44 (0)117 32 83283 and leave a message. The call will not be returned but the absence will be recorded. Students should also contact their practice educator to inform them of absence in a suitable way for their placement. Apprentices also need to inform their employer of any absence.

For further support, or to report other issues whilst on placement, students should contact the confidential practice support line on +44 (0)117 32 81152 or email the team at hscpsl@uwe.ac.uk.

Assessment for all placements

There are five placements across the four-year apprenticeship programme. The placements are spread over the first three years:

All placements are assessed using the Common Placement Assessment (CSP) form. More information can be found in the following places:

• CSP website – all CPAFs and information 
• Summary of CPAF Learning Outcomes (PDF)
• CPAF Marking Quick Guide (PDF)
• Clinical patterns sheet (DOC).

Pass mark

The pass mark is 40% for all placements for the UWE Bristol BSc(Hons) Physiotherapy programme, including:

• Placement 1 Level 4 CPAF
• 2a and 2b Level 5 CPAF
• 3a and 3b Level 6 CPAF

You should always tick ‘Graded’ not ‘Pass/Fail’ on page one for all placements, even though some placements do not contribute towards the degree classification.

Resits and trailing placements

Please check with the UWE Bristol Placement Team and coordinators about correct assessment paperwork for any resit or trailing apprentice.

Programme specification (PDF)

Practice educator training sessions

• Practice educator training session dates and booking form 2022/23 (DOC)
• Recommended development pathway for practice educators (DOC)

For all enquiries about educator training sessions, please email the Practice Support team at HSCPracticeSupport@uwe.ac.uk.

There is also more information about the Practice Learning and Student Support professional course and about supporting, supervising and assessing students in practice.

Grading in Practice Quiz

The Grading In Practice Quiz has been created to ensure that practice educators are aware of how to support and assess apprentices on physiotherapy placements. This forms part of our quality assurance processes. Successful completion by practice educators is required because some of the placements undertaken by apprentices count towards their overall degree classification. We wish to ensure that practice educators are consistent in how they provide feedback and mark apprentices they support. Completion is compulsory for practice educators supporting students on their 2b, 3a, or 3b placement, although it is useful for all practice educators to complete the quiz.

Practice educator virtual drop-in sessions

The sessions are for educators to access if they have any last-minute questions or need support ahead of the next placement. Each session lasts 60 minutes. Booking is not required. The session can be accessed via the links below.

2022 cohort

2023 cohort

Additional information for supporting apprentices

• Ramadan factsheet (DOC)
• Supervision:
  • Guidance for students with Specific Learning Difficulties (PDF)
  • Student supervision - information for patients/service users (PDF)
  • Student weekly supervision notes template (DOC)
• Reflective practice:
  • Useful questions to prompt reflection (DOC)
• Peer review and feedback examples:
  • Peer review form (DOC)
  • Selection of feedback record sheets (DOC)
  • Student observation and appraisal sheet (DOC)

External resources

The following resources are available on the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) website:

• Clinical education placement guidelines (2003)
• Supporting students on placement with a disability
• Insurance cover for students on placement
• Students in a community placement and lone working
• Code of Conduct for Chartered Physiotherapists
• Guidance on Health and Good Character
• Guidance on Conduct and Ethics
• Information, support and guidance on Practice Education

All placements can be in any speciality or setting despite being linked to a specific academic module.

Dates for resit or delayed placements are subject to availability (for example, for a similar speciality), so dates can only be confirmed nearer the time and may not be during the period initially stated.

If you have any queries or questions about the Physiotherapy programme or require support, please contact a member of the programme team.

Programme team

Placements coordinator

• Julie Halligan: julie.halligan@uwe.ac.uk

Programme leader

• Anna Gould: anna.gould@uwe.ac.uk

Placements team

• Email: ppoallocations@uwe.ac.uk

Find out more about supporting, supervising and assessing students in practice.