PGCE (Secondary) Standard Programme, Goldsmiths, University of London

PGCE (Secondary) Standard Programme

"I always felt that there was also a focus on my personal development rather than just the skills and knowledge required for the profession. There was a unified process in which you could scaffold, experiment and analyse various situations, which I feel truly prepared me for the educational environment. This was crucial in my development as a practitioner and has allowed me to confidently explore, deliver and reflect on my practice both in and outside the classroom."

Charmaine, PGCE Secondary (Drama)

Entrance requirements:
See general entrance requirements.

Fitness to train:
See Fitness to train: criminal convictions.

Applying:

How to apply

Financial Support:
Please see further information on fees and costs.

Careers:
At the end of the programme, we complete a Career Entry Development Profile with you to help you prepare for your first teaching post. Employment opportunities are excellent, with the majority of students gaining a first teaching appointment in London or elsewhere.

Assessment:

This takes the form of continuous assessment, carefully phased throughout the year. There are two broad components: school-based work and College-based work.

Your progress in school-based work is assessed over the course of the three terms. You also need to pass computer-based tests in literacy, numeracy and ICT. These tests are an important part of your training, and are normally taken alongside the taught element of the PGCE. Further information about these and examples of test questions and support materials are available on the TDA website at www.tda.gov.uk.

The assessment of College-based work is in three units, and depends on your subject areas. Your tutors will give you details of this at the beginning of the year, and we set clear dates for the submission of work to help you spread your workload throughout the year.

For the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you are also formally assessed on your competence in the classroom and your ability to meet Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) standards.

Contact the Department:
Contact the Department of Educational Studies +44 (0)20 7919 7360.

About the department:
Educational Studies

Application enquiries:
UK and EU students admissions or call +44 (0)20 7919 7050. International (non-EU) students or call +44 (0)20 7919 7702.

Our students

Graduates come to Goldsmiths with a wide range of experiences and degree backgrounds. Many of our students are mature, and we are proud of the fact that the social mix of our students is as varied as that of the schools with which we work. We regard this social diversity as a strength, both of the schools and of the programme.

The programme

The programme starts in September, and lasts for 36 weeks with the equivalent of 24 weeks spent in schools, check term dates here. College-based courses are normally timetabled between 9am and 4pm. In school, you are expected to attend from 8.30am (earlier in some schools) until the end of the school day. Successful completion of the programme leads to a PGCE and recommendation for the award of QTS. This is provisional until you have satisfactorily completed an induction period in your first post.

What you study

Autumn term
The first four weeks of the autumn term are usually college-based, although you may begin regular visits to your first teaching experience school from the fourth week onwards. In College, you spend most of your time in a subject group with your subject tutor, who has overall responsibility for your professional development. These sessions introduce you to the basic principles and approaches to teaching and learning in your subject. There is also a block lecture programme, General Professional Studies (GPS), which explores issues common to all teachers. Within GPS you have an opportunity to study an option in more depth.

From around the fifth or sixth week until the end of the term, you are based for four days a week in a school, working largely within your specialist subject department. Your school-based tutor is responsible for a programme in school that enables you to relate what you have learned in College to the context of the particular school, and to gradually build up your confidence and expertise in teaching. Throughout the term, you continue to come into College on Fridays to work with your subject tutor
and group to reflect on your experience in school and develop particular areas of expertise.

Spring and Summer terms
The first two weeks of the spring term are usually based in College, where you build on the experiences of the autumn term to develop your expertise further so that you will be ready to undertake an extended block of teaching.

From around the third week of term until the spring half-term holiday, you spend four days a week in your second school, coming into College on Fridays to reflect on your experiences and develop your expertise with your subject tutor and fellow students. Between the spring and summer half-term holidays you are based full-time in the school.

In effect you work as a full member of a school team, with responsibility for all aspects of planning, teaching and assessing the learning of a number of classes. During this period, you have the opportunity to investigate in greater depth one of the areas introduced in the autumn term lecture programme, and to relate it to the specific context of the school in which you are based.

The three or four weeks at the end of the summer term are used flexibly for both school and College activities to ensure that all aspects of your professional development have been addressed.

Register your interest

If you register your interest in this programme we will keep you informed about open days and send you relevant further information.