Secondary English

UCAS code:: 345N
Location:: Stoke-on-Trent campus
Study option:: Full-time
Duration:: 9 Months
Start date:: 7 September 2020

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Bring your passion for language and literature to the classroom. You’ll spend time in local schools, plan engaging lessons and discover how children learn. On campus, we’ll help you reflect on your teaching and build on your knowledge of the curriculum.

English is a core subject for students. It helps them develop skills that are key for their future such as communicating effectively and thinking critically.

We’ve designed this course to help you understand how to support KS3, KS4, and KS5 students. You’ll develop the skills you need to help students express their creativity.

Throughout your training, you’ll get hands-on experience on placement, find creative ways to teach English and learn new strategies from our experienced teachers.

From getting the most out of your induction, to tips on teaching your first lesson, your personal tutor will be there to support you every step of your PGCE journey.

You can find out more about careers in teaching at our “I want to teach” event.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: PGCE Secondary English

Work placements

At Staffordshire University, we have close links with partner schools across the region.

We’ll always aim to arrange placements within 40 minutes of where you live.

We have partnership schools in Stoke, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Shropshire, West Midlands and Birmingham.

Course content

Our English PGCE takes 36 weeks to complete. This school-led course includes a one-week induction to prepare you for your placement and weekly sessions to develop your knowledge of the curriculum.

To give you experience in the classroom, you’ll spend at least 120 days working in two local secondary schools as well as visiting a local primary school. But, don’t worry, you won’t have the pressure of teaching an entire lesson straight away.

Your training will begin with observing a teacher and helping with group work. Then you’ll share the classes with the teacher and work towards teaching lessons independently.

Alongside teaching, you’ll join in with day-to-day life at the school. Each school has a professional mentor to help you understand the ethos, pastoral care systems, legal and social framework, and supporting services.

You’ll also have weekly meetings with your subject or class mentor to help you prepare for teaching, review lessons, and develop your subject knowledge.

Event

Train to Teach Stoke

Drop in any time during the event to learn all you need to know about teacher training and how to apply.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Standard route

Year 1 compulsory modules
Educational And Professional Issues	30 credits
Learning And Teaching In Subject (Reflection)	30 credits
Subject Knowledge For Learning And Teaching	30 credits
Teaching Practice 1	15 credits
Teaching Practice 2	15 credits

Entry requirements

UK qualifications

International qualifications

You can apply for this course via UCAS Teacher Training at Staffordshire University.

We also offer this course via School Direct partners including:

For this course, you need a degree in English or a related subject and a GCSE grade C/4 or above in both English Language and Mathematics, we also expect you to be confident in technology.

After you apply, we’ll arrange a selection interview. During the interview process we will assess your subject knowledge and personal qualities, such as communication skills, resilience for teaching, and how easy you’ll find it to relate to secondary age students.

If you accept a formal offer, you’ll need to meet the Department for Education’s standards for physical and mental fitness to teach and you’ll need clearance to work with children (Enhanced DBS).

Please note, the Professional Skills Tests will be replaced for 2020 entry. Details of the replacement for the tests are still to be announced, however they will be benchmarked against a defined set of English and Mathematics skills that students will be expected to have by the end of the course (rather than at the point of entry).

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country

Facilities

Libraries

We have Libraries and Service desks on all our sites in Stoke, Stafford and Shrewsbury. All have experienced and friendly staff who can answer your IT queries, help you to access resources, show you how to research for your assignments and even help with referencing.

Some libraries are open 24/7 at key times in the academic year and we have a 24 hour help line too.

Learning Spaces

We also house our new 21st century teaching and learning classrooms with integrated Wolf Vision technology to enhance interactive learning through the use of mobile technologies in theory lessons.

Careers

With a PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you’ll be ready to teach English in schools across England.

Most of our graduates secure their first teaching position while on the PGCE, with many of them securing roles within our partnership schools.

After you’ve completed this course, you can join our Masters in Education. Your PGCE gives you Masters credits which means you’ll be fast tracked and can complete this course by the end of your second year of teaching.

Teaching and assessment

Overview

Study time

Teaching

When you’re not on placement, we’ll help you reflect on your experiences, exchange ideas and overcome challenges. You’ll also:

Learn in small groups
Use roleplay to develop your knowledge of the secondary curriculum
Discuss ideas and challenges you face in group and individual tutorials
Reflect on your placement experiences

Our teaching is supported through our Virtual Learning Environment called Blackboard. This means you can access a range of materials to support your lectures wherever you are.

Assessment

Assessment for your PGCE involves portfolio work, assignments, and observed classroom practice. We’ll often ask you to reflect on approaches you’ve used in the classroom and their effectiveness.

You’ll also be regularly observed by your school-based mentor and university tutor. Working with your placement schools, we’ll identify areas of professional practice that you find challenging.

Learning support

Your course tutors will provide lots of support. But you can also take advantage of our Academic Skills team, who can help you with:

Study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills)
Written English (including punctuation, grammar)
Academic writing (including how to reference)
Research skills
Critical thinking
Revision, assessment and exam skills (including time management)

Additional support

If you have additional needs like dyslexia or a sensory impairment, then our AccessAbility Services are here to help make sure nothing stands in your way.

Feedback

We know that it’s important for you to be able to gauge your progress. So, your tutor will give you feedback on any practice assessments you do. We usually give you feedback on formal assessments within 20 working days, but the format will vary for each module.

Independent learning

You’ll complete assignments, portfolio work, and projects to expand your understanding of teaching and learning. You’ll also need to set aside time for lesson planning and marking.

While on placement, you might be expected to attend events such as parents’ evenings, extra-curricular activities, and after-school clubs.

Staff

You'll be taught by staff who have a range of academic and industry experience.

Rebecca SherrattLecturer

I'm a part-time Lecturer in Education and Course Leader for PGCE English.

Read full profile

Fees

Overview

Additional costs

Financial support

For the course starting on 7 September 2020 the tuition fees are:

Study option
Full time

UK / EU / Channel Islands
£9,250 per course

International (Non-EU)
£14,000 per course

If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.

Alumni discount

If you have previously completed an undergraduate degree with us, you may be entitled to a discount off your course fee for any subsequent postgraduate taught course. For further information please contact Graduate Relations.

Included in the fees:
If you accept a place with us, we’ll cover the cost of your Enhanced DBS check. You’ll also receive Level 1 Safeguarding training during induction week.

Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees.

For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Sources of financial support

Providing you are studying towards a full Masters qualification you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan of up to £10,609 to help with tuition fees, maintenance and other associated costs. Student loans are available for many of our postgraduate degrees and are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC). The loan can cover a wide range of postgraduate study options - part-time, full-time and distance learning.

For more information and how to apply visit postgraduate loans.

Bursaries and scholarships

You might be eligible for a scholarship or bursary from the Department for Education.

Find out how to apply on the Get into Teaching website.

Our students

Student stories

Elysia Carr
PGCE Secondary English

Staffordshire University was an attractive option to start my teaching career because of the local links with schools as well as the staff who are committed to developing and honing your skills and abilities.

The group sizes were definitely one of the strengths of the course: they were small enough for us to become a support system for one another, as well as our subject staff – nothing was too much trouble.

The placements were well organised and the support from the University in making sure that we were being treated appropriately and fairly from our placements was essential in growing us as teachers.

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