PGCE Secondary, English  PGCE Secondary, English University of the West of England, Bristol ../webroot/files/Institutions/cover_photo/1534159324University-of-the-West-of-England,-Bristol.jpg

The Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one academic year (36 week) course that trains graduates to be secondary school teachers of English. The PGCE programme has been designed to train teachers for the full secondary age phase (11-18). Trainees are assessed against the standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in two key stages, normally KS3 and KS4. In the first half of the Autumn term, some trainees may seek to change this to Key Stage 4 and post-16 this will be subject to discussion with the programme leader. The course is active and practical, allowing trainees to develop professional competence through work undertaken in schools and in the University. Trainees work with young people, develop expertise in their specialist subject area, share and discuss educational issues and study relevant educational research. The course is just the beginning of what we hope will be a process of continual professional development throughout a challenging and rewarding career. The PGCE Secondary Programme has been awarded a Grade 1 (outstanding) for Management and Quality Assurance from OfSTED (Office for Standards in Education) and all of the nine subjects have received good or very good OfSTED grades. The course is part of the School of Education's programme for Initial Teacher Training. Units studied are: Enabling Learning Meeting Curriculum Challenges Becoming a Teacher These units are studied in both the school and the University-based parts of the course, the work on each site being complementary. During the 12 weeks of University-based time, you will study the teaching of your main subject in relation to the above components. This includes consideration of a range of teaching styles and resources, including the use of appropriate information and communications technology (ICT), and preparation in all aspects of the National Curriculum including pupil assessment. During this time you also attend sessions in mixed subject groups where cross-curricular issues are covered, such as pupils' learning, classroom management, the organisation of schooling, the broader professional role and theories underpinning decisions and policy in the field of education. On this course you will be encouraged to investigate ways in which you can help young people to learn. You will analyse the dynamics of what happens when people talk together about an issue that concerns them, or how they use talk to advance their own learning, and you will investigate ways in which you can make this happen in the classroom. You will consider how you might assess the learning that takes place. You will be asked to read and to understand, analyse and evaluate the wide ranges of texts which you read. Placements 24 weeks are spent on placement: a total of eight weeks in one placement during the Autumn term and 16 weeks in a second placement during the Spring and Summer terms.