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PGCE SECONDARY HISTORY

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Full Time: 10 months

Start date: September 2018

​Addresses all aspects of secondary history education, benefit from tutors whose research directly informs the course content, and benefit from our consistently high employment rates.

This Post Graduate Certificate Education (PGCE) Secondary English course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), qualifying you to teach the 11-18 age group in secondary schools in England and Wales.

Your tutors are active researchers in matters relating to history education. They are regarded as experts in the field, both nationally and internationally, and have been consulted by a number of national and international organisations, such as the Historical Association, QCA and QCDA, the TDA, Ofqual, the Department for Education and Council of Europe on matters relating to the history curriculum.

Your assignments are designed to help you plan your teaching effectively and imaginatively and to evaluate your skills, particularly in terms of the quality of learning achieved by pupils. Tutors weave together personal experience, practice and research into challenging but highly practical and relevant sessions.

You will learn in first-class facilities through a series of practical seminars and workshops, where interactive and discussion-based techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge. Sessions may include:

  • participating in workshop style sessions with your peers
  • attending presentations by subject experts
  • working on tasks in groups
  • having individual tutorials
  • visits to schools or other education settings
  • visits to theatres, museums, galleries or sites of educational interest
  • writing assignments on aspects of subject teaching and Professional Studies

These learning activities will help you to develop a toolkit of knowledge and skills, ensuring you are well prepared to tackle challenges and opportunities throughout your training and your career.

Alongside the University tutors, you will be taught and guided by a team of committed and experienced University-trained school mentors.

Placements

Placements enable you to develop the skills and knowledge valued and desired by employers - you will build your confidence in the classroom and gain practical teaching experience. Placements also provide you with the opportunity to connect with potential employers and build your professional network.

At Secondary level we have strong relationships with around 80 schools in the local and surrounding area. It is a testament to the strength of these partnerships and the regard with which our graduates are held, that most schools in Berkshire employ at least one graduate of the Institute of Education.

On your Secondary PGCE course you are required to carry out three placements in two different age groups - ensuring you receive a broad range of experiences. Two placements must be undertaken in a school setting but the third can be taken in a different setting - allowing you to sample teaching in an alternative environment.

We offer our students an unusually flexible and broad range of settings and educational environments - you will have the opportunity to gain experience in special needs schools, Pupil Referral Units, independent schools, museums, and charities.

You will have plenty of opportunities throughout your course to apply your developing skills in real settings. In schools, you will be involved in:

  • observation of other teachers
  • planning and teaching parts of lessons/small groups
  • planning and teaching lessons and sequences of lessons
  • reflecting on and evaluating your teaching
  • receiving feedback on your teaching
  • gaining experience of the range of responsibilities of classroom teachers

Facilities

The Institute of Education is based in our historic London Road campus, which has undergone a £30 million refurbishment of the classical Oxford-cloistered quadrangle to create a dedicated world-class education centre.

We have created custom-built spaces for the teaching of specialist subjects, including:

  • modern laboratories
  • musical studios, including an electronic drum kit room and a recording studio
  • well-equipped art studios and facilities for the practise of work in drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media
  • studios for wet photography and printmaking, including silk-screen.

Alongside these fantastic facilities you will also find places to eat and drink as well as plenty of green space to relax in.

The Learning Hub

We have an incredible collection of teaching and research resources housed in the Learning Hub. A treasure trove for teachers and researchers, the Learning Hub contains every type of teaching aid imaginable for loan or for reference, from big books to puppets. A printing and binding facility, and technical equipment library are also available for your use.

Research

The quality of our research was recognised in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2014), the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, which placed the Institute of Education in the top quartile of Education departments in the UK. Over 80% of our research publications were rated as world leading or internationally excellent. The impact of our research on educational policy and practice in first and second language education was judged to be world leading.

School Direct

This subject is also available via School Direct as well as the University-based route. Those students following a School Direct route may be studying for a PGCE or for QTS only. However, all students come together as a subject group in University sessions.

Those taking the PGCE will spend more time in the University than those taking the QTS-only course. The PGCE will involve writing assignments that are designed to help trainees to plan their teaching effectively and imaginatively and to evaluate their developing knowledge and skills, particularly in terms of the quality of learning achieved by pupils. Successful completion will result in 60 Masters-level credits.

Entry requirements

IELTS Requirements:  6.5 overall with no element less than 5.5 (or equivalent).

Description of entry requirements: You are normally required to have a good undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent from a university outside the UK) plus grade C or above in GCSE mathematics and English or equivalent. You will need to demonstrate sufficient understanding of and insight into the role of the teacher, the classroom environment and the processes involved in learning and teaching. In order to show such understanding and insight it may be beneficial to undertake a visit to a maintained secondary school. You will be required to pass the QTS skills tests and undertake a criminal record and occupational health check.

 


What will you study?

Sample modules:

  • The reflective teacher
  • Action research

Please note that all modules are subject to change. Please see our modules disclaimer for more information.

How much will it cost?

How much will it cost?

New UK/EU students: £9,250 per year

New international students: £15,680 per year

Please note

The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated, and relate to courses starting in the 2018/19 academic year. Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information on fees and funding, including for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

Additional Costs

These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

The fees given are for entry in the academic year starting in September 2017, and will be confirmed in your offer letter. You can find more information on fees and funding, including for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.

What career can you have?

What career can you have?

The majority of our graduates go into schools and inspire children to develop into happy confident and well-informed individuals. Other alumni take their educational skills to the worlds of business, culture, art, healthcare, human resources, adult learning and further varied fields.

The support and training we give our students enables them to develop into resilient and creative teachers with the ability to adapt and the transferable skills and strengths they gain are also recognised and desirable in many different areas of employment.

The placement opportunities and careers support we give our students ensures they are attractive to employers; this is qualified by the consistently high employment rates our students enjoy in local and regional schools.

Want to apply for a PGCE?


For more information on how to apply for a PGCE, please read How to apply.

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