• Course content
• Entry requirement
• Additional information

Course content

The course is 36 weeks long of which 24 weeks are spent on placement in a partnership school. There are five phases: Preparation (university and some school-based activities); School Placement 1 (seven week placement in school); Development (university and one week in your second school); School Placement 2 (12 week block placement and some university days); Completion (two further weeks in second school and two weeks in university).

Teaching is an inherently complex activity, and teachers choose their teaching strategies for a variety of reasons. Consequently we will equip you to analyse your ideas about teaching and understand the range of ideas that are behind all talk about teaching. You will be equipped to use the most up to date ideas about teaching but also to appreciate that these will in turn become outdated and replaced by new strategies.

You will teach classes in Key Stage 3 and 4 as well as post-16, and learn to select the most effective teaching methods. Our sessions model different teaching methods so you experience the methods you can use. Our close links with history departments in schools means we are not only able to use the 30 years of teaching experience of the tutors but get teachers in to talk about their experience of teaching too.

Assessment

All students have to complete six modules, five of which require a written assignment. In addition all students complete two teaching placements and have to pass the TDA Standards for the Award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Progression

As postgraduate programmes, PGCE courses at this university are assessed at Masters level. On successful completion of the PGCE course you will be awarded 120 credits. For those students who successfully complete their induction year there is an opportunity to transfer credits to the MEd course which is awarded on completion of a 60 credit dissertation. (Transfer is subject to a satisfactory reference from your PGCE tutor and induction tutor).

Many local schools have a high regard for history PGCE students from the University of Birmingham. Consequently we have former students in departments throughout the area. Many local schools contact us directly when they are seeking an NQT to employ. Many of our ex-students are now gaining responsibilty for citizenship, becoming Heads of History and many of the mentors in our partnership schools are ex students.

Entry requirements

All applicants to the Secondary PGCE course must hold a degree or equivalent qualification in the area they wish to teach. In addition to this you will be required to have a grade C in GCSE mathematics and English, or equivalent. DfES require us to check original certificates; you therefore cannot start a PGCE course unless you already hold these qualifications.

To make an application for our course you need 50% of your degree to be history or a closely related subject (40% for History & Citizenship). We expect an academic reference too - this reference must show us you are capable of studying a new subject, in this case education, at a Masters level.

Additional Information  

When to apply

Applications, via the GTTR (see How to Apply link on the left), can be made from 1st October for the following September start. There is one intake per year.

We are a massively oversubscribed course and are often full by February. So please apply as early as possible.