Study Details: PGCE 1 year full-time
This course will prepare you to teach National Curriculum at KS3 and KS4 (11-16), specialising in English.
Learn to be an effective teacher, and gain an insight into the key skills your students will need across English, drama, media and ICT.
Get to grips with up-to-date thinking and the latest research in teaching and learning.
Choosing your path
You can choose to study this course as a University of York PGCE trainee or through our partnership with Pathfinder Teaching School Hub. The following routes are open to you:
Pathfinder trainees work with University of York PGCE trainees at the University for Curriculum Area sessions. Whole School Issues sessions are usually delivered in the partner school.
Each route has a different course code and institution code. Please see our information on applying for details.
Accreditation
On successfully completing this course you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which is awarded by the Department for Education (DfE).
2:2 or equivalent in English. We also accept combined honours degrees where English makes up at least 50% of the award.
If your undergraduate degree is not in English or a related subject, we may still may be able to offer you a place if you also have a postgraduate degree in English or Grade B in A level English Literature and/or English Language.
If your undergraduate degree is not at least 50% English, we may require you to undertake a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course prior to starting your PGCE.
For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more
Most of our graduates become teachers, but the skills you learn will open other career paths too.
Placements
Over the course of your two secondary teaching placements you’ll have the opportunity to work with different age groups (including gaining some post-16 experience), with different abilities and with students of varying dispositions. You’ll experience a variety of schools and subject departments.
You’ll experience the pastoral side of each school through active involvement with a tutor group. You will be able to engage with the wider life of each school by participating in school trips, parents’ evenings, open evenings, events such as school concerts and lunchtime/after school clubs.
First placement
Observation
You'll undertake a number of observations both within your subject specialism and more widely. You may also get the opportunity to teach a small number of lesson segments.
Teaching Placement Block 1
You’ll teach approximately 8-12 lessons over the course of about five weeks.
Teaching Placement Block 2
You’ll teach 10-12 one hour lessons per week. This is about 50% of an average teacher’s timetable.
Second placement
At the beginning of your second placement, you’ll carry on teaching about 50% of an average teacher’s timetable. Towards the end of the placement, you might be given the opportunity to take on additional teaching, up to 75% of a teacher’s timetable.
Additional placements
Primary
In addition to the two teaching placements in contrasting secondary schools, you will also participate in a primary placement which will develop your understanding of primary and secondary transition issues.
Professional enrichment
Towards the end of your course, you'll participate in an additional one-week placement which will give you experience of areas you haven't already worked in. This could mean taking part in exciting and relevant curriculum-based projects in schools, or gaining experience of non-mainstream education settings such as Pupil Referral Units or schools for young people with additional needs.
Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.
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