Secondary Education English PGCE

Course Overview

We offer students an exceptional training experience – if you’re looking for a lifelong, challenging and exciting career, teaching may well be for you.

During the training year, you will engage with and be exposed to a range of pedagogical approaches to enable you to become an outstanding teacher. As a part of our distinctive and ambitious curriculum, you will understand and apply your knowledge of:

• Dramatic Interpretation

• Canonical texts

• Textual Analysis

• Imaginative Interpretation

In the context of the core English curriculum in theory and on placement.

The PGCE will provide you with the opportunity to gain a deep understanding of key stages 3, 4 and 5. This will prepare you to adopt a range of learning, assessment and behavioural strategies to support consistent and engaged pupil progress.

You’ll be supported by a range of experienced professionals, both during school placements and by academic staff at the university. The programme aims to help you become an engaging and effective teacher within the 11–16 age range, and provides the input and opportunities that could enable you to teach post-16. Successfully completing this PGCE course will enable you to teach at Secondary age, as well as at Primary and A Level.

We were founded as a teaching college 175 years ago, and following the introduction of new quality requirements, our Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), have successfully achieved reaccreditation in 2022 by the Department of Education.

Our ITT courses have also recently been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, with inspectors highlighting their ‘unique’ emphasis on sustainability and the University’s strong partnership with schools.

Developing phase

During this phase of the curriculum, trainees will attend centre-based lectures and be introduced to Curriculum Key Themes;

• Behaviour Management and High Expectations

• Subject Knowledge and Curriculum Design

• Adaptive Practice and Inclusion

• Children’s Learning, Classroom Practice

• Assessment

• Professional and Ethical Practice.

During School Experience 1, trainees will be immersed in Adaptive Practice and Inclusion in a special school setting. During School Experience 2, trainees will start to apply their knowledge from the centre-based taught programme. During school-based training, trainees will revisit specific Curriculum Key Themes and attend centre-based training once a week.

Broadening phase

During this phase, trainees will build upon and extend the knowledge, skills and experience from School Experience 1 and 2 and the centre-based taught programme.

During the Broadening Phase, trainees will be expected to revisit and broaden their knowledge and practice of the 5 curriculum areas and Curriculum Key Themes introduced at the Developing Phase, and will engage with new Curriculum Key Themes, such as:

• Curriculum Design

• Subject Knowledge

• Sustainability

• Employability

• Research Informed Practice

During this phase of the curriculum, trainees will be supported to take on wider responsibilities as a part of the role of a trainee teacher and have opportunities to discuss, analyse and observe expert colleagues to support their progression through the Broadening Phase.

Trainees will broaden their knowledge and experience of the primary phase, decolonising the curriculum, sustainability for education and other contemporary issues in education.

Enhancing phase

During this phase, trainees will enhance and extend the knowledge, skills and experience gained during School Experience 2 and the centre-based taught programme. During the Enhancing Phase, trainees will be expected to revisit and extend their knowledge and practice of the 5 curriculum areas:

• Behaviour Management

• Pedagogy

• Curriculum

• Assessment

• Professional Behaviours

During this phase, trainees will plan and deliver an enhancement project such as ‘Primary Sustainability Project’, which will promote a love of learning and intellectual curiosity. Trainees will enhance their knowledge across the curriculum and demonstrate their ability to be:

• Graduate Ambassadors of Education

• Leaders of Learning

• Outstanding Teachers

• Subject Experts

At the end of the secondary programme, our highly employable trainees will be able to further enhance their professional development and draw upon their essential ECT Toolkit gained during the course.