PGCE (Secondary): Design & Technology

College-based work

There are seminars examining the nature of Design and Technology education, and workshops designed to develop your subject expertise. By the end of the programme you must offer a second area of competence to teach to the end of Key Stage 3, as well as your specialist area at Key Stages 4 and 5.

You engage in two design activities: one in the first term, and the second throughout the year.

The first activity is mirrored by the same project being undertaken by Year 9 pupils in a local school, and culminates in a shared presentation.

The second activity culminates in a presentation of a personal design-and-make project to your peers, to consider and reflect on the nature of the process of designing.

School-based work

During the Autumn Term you are placed in your first school, usually with a partner Design and Technology student teacher. The aim is induction, both into schooling and the teaching of design and technology, and into learning and teaching practices.

You do this by:

• observing teachers working and pupils participating in learning activities
• learning about whole school policies and practices
• studying the Design and Technology curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 (examinations)
• progressively taking on teaching activities, initially in tandem with the class teacher
• Spring and Summer terms are devoted to teaching practice in a second school, developing your competence to meet the Professional Standards.

You design a scheme of work for the Key Stage 3 curriculum, and develop your understanding of pupil learning styles, National Curriculum requirements, assessment and examinations.

Download the programme specification. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office.

Between 2020 and 2022 we needed to make some changes to how programmes were delivered due to Covid-19 restrictions. For more information about past programme changes please visit our programme changes information page.

You apply for this PGCE through the Department for Education’s Apply for Teacher Training website. More information about the process can be found on the Get into Teaching website.

Please take a look at the information on applying, including the specific qualifications or experience you need for this course.

There's no closing date for primary or secondary applications, but we advise you to apply early to avoid disappointment.

A range of teaching methods is employed across all our PGCE programmes, including:

• Taught subject sessions
• Practical workshops
• Compulsory lectures
• Seminars
• Group and Individual tutorials
• Individual and group presentations
• Supported self-study

You'll need:

• to meet our fitness to train requirements
• a GCSE Grade C/4 or above in English and Mathematics. Please note, we can only accept some UK and international GCSE equivalent qualifications. A complete list of accepted UK GCSE equivalencies can be found here: link. If you have a non-UK qualification that you believe is GCSE equivalent, you must check this with the Admissions team.
• an undergraduate honours degree, at 2:2 or above from a university in the United Kingdom or an international equivalent in a subject related to Design and Technology, such as theatre design, product design, graphics, silversmithing, or architecture

In some special cases, an unrelated degree may be acceptable if you have worked in a field related to Design and Technology. Each year the programme contains a good mixture of graduates with a broad spread of specialist expertise, and we welcome applicants with experience of working in business and industry.