Course Overview

This part-time, two-year course includes time spent on placement in schools or Early Years settings- more than 120 days will be based in a placement school or neighborhood. Orders are carefully structured to ensure the gradual development of your confidence as an effective teacher through building up experiences working with university-based mentors and school/setting-based mentors. Students on this route will undertake three placements over two years. In the first year, students undertake the ‘Introductory placement’ with two consecutive days a week spent on the post, leading to a 6-week block (5 days a week) which usually takes place after Easter. In the second academic year, two more placements will follow a similar structure whereby students are in school for two consecutive days a week, leading to a more extended 6-week block in each.

The course allows for integrated academic and professional preparation for teaching, combining study at either postgraduate or professional level with practical training to meet the Teachers’ Standards by the end of the course. The goal is that you should become a reflective practitioner – a teacher who thinks about their experiences and learns from them to improve their practice. This course focuses on teaching and learning to support children and on the importance of your professional role. You will carry out a series of study tasks that link theory to practice and provide a focus for reflection. You will be supported in your learning by university tutors, school/setting-based

mentors and your peers. Practical teaching is introduced gradually, allowing you to build confidence and skills in a structured way.

There is a strong emphasis on linking theory and practice, with the academic modules supporting you in developing your practice. All placements form an integral part of the course, leading to a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by the end of your training. At Bishop Grosseteste University, our PGCE program is underpinned by an ambitious curriculum, carefully sequenced to provide you with the knowledge and skills to succeed in your training. There are also opportunities for enrichment experiences to develop your breadth of experience in different schools and settings.

Our Ofsted Report (2016) found that high-quality training, provided through an effective partnership between the university and schools/settings, ‘ensures that teachers trained by the university present as confident and effective practitioners valued by their employing schools.

General Eligibility

You will generally need the following:

• GCSEs at grade 4 (previously C) or above (or equivalent) in English Language, Mathematics, and Science.

• An honors degree at a 2:2 classification or above (Where the degree result is to be awarded in the year of application, we will require a predicted degree classification as part of an academic reference provided on the application)

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• N/A