Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary – (M.Sc.)

We work closely with a range of local schools to help develop good practice. The secondary PGCE course is planned, taught and assessed through a partnership, rated an outstanding Grade 1 by Ofsted. The course has been designed to link school and university work to provide you with a secure background for your first teaching post.
You will spend 24 weeks in school and spend 12 weeks in university during the year.
Throughout the year, blocks of time in school are interspersed with time in university to reflect on progress and set new targets for development. All students have to meet the requirements for ITT (Initial Teacher Training) set out by the Government in the Standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (Qualifying to Teach).
Autumn Term The idea of the course is to gradually develop your teaching skills with careful, structured support. In the first placement school student teachers normally work in subject pairs. Each pair will have a mentor in school who will guide their programme of work. Subject tutors make visits to schools to liaise with mentors and provide support. Students will begin the placement by observing and helping; move on to team teaching; and finally take on responsibility for teaching a class alone.
Spring Term The second school placement starts in a different secondary school from the Autumn Term. We seek to provide student teachers with a range of experience in their two placements. Each student teacher will have their own mentor who will develop a programme of work to achieve the standards required. Subject tutors make visits to liaise with school mentors and provide support for students. This period of practice continues after the Easter holiday until about the end of April.
Summer Term In the final part of the second school placement, student teachers undertake less teaching but seek to extend and develop their teaching skills, through an analysis of teaching performance and also by engaging with the school mentor in a classroom-based research project of their choice.
The Special Needs Pathway- It is possible for a small number of student teachers to opt for a more detailed look at working with pupils with special needs in their subject. This involves a few extra taught sessions in university time and a different emphasis to the work in the second placement.
The Citizenship Pathway- It is possible for a small number of student teachers to opt for a more detailed look at working within the school's Citizenship programme. This involves a few extra taught sessions in university time and a different emphasis to the work in the second placement.
14-19 Physical Education Pathway- It is possible for some PE student to specialise in the 14-19 age range. This works similarly to the SEN pathway, involving a few additional sessions in university.