Programme Specification for Secondary Religious Education Postgraduate Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE):
This programme is no longer recruiting
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Final award |
Postgraduate Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE): |
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Intermediate awards available |
None |
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GTTR code |
E28 V6X1 |
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Details of professional body accreditation |
Recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status(QTS)to the General Teaching Council (GTC) |
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Relevant QAA Benchmark statements |
Education Studies |
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Date specification last up-dated |
February 2012 |
Profile
The summary - programme advertising leaflet
Programme content
Aims
The PGCE Secondary RE programme is designed to meet the Standards required for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and to develop specialist secondary teachers in ICT.
It aims to do this in the context of our Secondary Partnership schools many of which are situated in east London where skills of educating children in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual urban environment are paramount.
Overall the programme aims to produce effective teachers who are able to operate as reflective practitioners. To fit this description you should:
- develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of what it means to be a professional in school
- engage in practical and theoretical enquiry as a key element of your development as teachers. Whereby you are expected to:
- be able to critically review, using a range of research and scholastic skills, a systematic and coherent body of knowledge related to education and subject pedagogy;
- be able to evaluate critically new information, concepts and evidence from a range of sources;
- be able to exercise appropriate judgement, by applying appropriate diagnostic and creative skills, in a range of situations;
- be able to accept accountability for determining and achieving personal and/or group outcomes by reflecting on and taking responsibility for your own professional development
- develop your ability to read and write critically at Masters level
PGCE: Secondary Religious Education at UEL
The PGCE: Religious Education is a partnership programme. This means that it has been written and developed in collaboration with Local Authorities and local schools. The majority of your time will be spent in schools observing, planning and delivering teaching and learning, considering how the theory and the practice link together and, of course, working with children in classroom settings.
You will be studying in a diverse community of trainees from a range of different subjects as well as studying alongside fellow RE trainees. You will take part in the Virtual Schools project which involves working as a team with fellow trainees from different subject areas to address real life issues and challenges which may arise in schools.
Many themes such as equal opportunities, bilingualism, meeting the needs of children with special educational needs etc. underpin the taught programme.
The subject studies elements of the programme focus on teaching RE as a curriculum subject. These sessions aim to:
- Provide an introduction to RE as a curriculum subject.
- Enable you to develop high levels of teaching skills and classroom management, as well as the capacity for reflection and further professional development.
- offer theoretical perspectives on the principles of syllabus design and evaluation, and the assessment and recording of children’s progress in both classroom and workshop situations
- provide knowledge and understanding of the National Curriculum and the framework of statutory requirements.
You will be engaging with research at Masters Level in two of the three available modules, one on Reflective Practice one on the potential uses of new and emerging technologies in secondary education and the third on developing subject expertise and subject pedagogy.
Admission requirements
Application is through the Graduate Teacher Training Register (GTTR). You will need to demonstrate through the GTTR form and at interview that you:
- are an effective reader and are able to communicate clearly and accurately in Standard English, both spoken and written
- possess the appropriate personal and intellectual qualities to be a teacher
- have achieved a standard equivalent to Grade C in the GCSE examinations in English and Mathematics
- hold a first degree in an appropriate subject from a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution or an equivalent qualification.
The process of selection will involve:
- scrutiny of the GTTR form
- a face to face individual interview
- a subject audit
- a literacy task
- a numeracy task
- a short presentation
- a subject task.
UEL is also required to ensure that potential entrants:
- satisfy the Secretary of State’s requirements for physical and mental fitness to teach;
- undergo an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure to ensure that they do not have a background which prevents them from working with children or young persons or that they have not been previously excluded from teaching or working with children.
Programme structure
The programme normally runs over 36 weeks from September to July. Twenty-four weeks will be spent in partner schools – generally split into two separate and contrasting placements. The remaining time will be taken up in seminars, tutorials and assignment activities designed to support your professional development. The UEL Secondary Team also offers additional subject knowledge development courses in RE which are designed to give our trainees the basic knowledge of the six principal religions in the UK, Philosophy of Religion and Sociology of Religion in order to embark on their school experience with confidence. The subject knowledge booster courses start before the full PGCE programme in early September.
Learning environment
Effective learning requires a range of teaching strategies. So within the course of the year you will be engaged in seminars and workshops as well as attending more traditional lectures. Central to the RE PGCE at UEL are visits to places of worship and opportunities to meet with faith leaders. UEL is also a member of the London PGCE RE Consortium. Each year the Consortium arranges joint lectures and we invite leading academic figures in the world of RE to give a lecture on the philosophical foundations in RE. These activities will be supported by web-based learning. The school placements are supported by external training visits, as well as by school based mentors.
Assessment
For the award of PGCE all of the required assignments need to be passed. In order to be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status you have to demonstrate that you have met all of the Professional Standards for Qualified Teacher Status. To this end there is ongoing assessment of your planning, teaching and assessment of pupils which will be logged in your QTS File which you are required to keep. The School Experience Placements are assessed by observation carried out by UEL and school based staff.
Relevance to work/profession
The whole programme is designed around a set of Professional Standards that are nationally agreed as the first step in building an effective career in teaching. All of the assignments are professionally based and designed to assess aspects of the Standards as well as your level of academic engagement.
Each trainee has an assigned mentor in school whose role it is to support, monitor and assess you.
Thesis/Dissertation/project work
Added value
Your future career
Successful completion of the programme enables you to apply for teaching posts. There is a very high success rate for our trainees securing these posts. There is a clear career structure in place within the teaching profession, with a number of different paths available. The Professional Standards provide a framework for a career in teaching, from initial training, through induction and the threshold and on to Advanced Skills Teacher and Excellent teacher status. Some move along the management path - through middle management in subject or pastoral issues to senior management, and headship. Some wish to concentrate on teaching and develop this to become Advanced Skills Teachers.
How we support you
You receive mentor support within schools supplemented by visits from your UEL tutor. Tutorial support is also available and this will be negotiated around your individual development needs. The programme is designed to support you in meeting the Professional Standards for QTS through focused seminars, lectures and assignments.
Bonus factors
Trainees who successfully complete the programme are highly sought after for employment in local schools. It is not uncommon for trainees to secure employment in their placement schools. This is because, as UEL Secondary PGCE programmes are all graded as ‘Outstanding’, head teachers of local schools realise that the programme provides trainees with the skills and confidence to work effectively in the context of East London. On programme trainees will also have the opportunity to develop their e-learning skills through experience of new and emerging technologies. The skills and knowledge that trainees gain during this programme are highly portable.
Your qualification will include 60 credits at M level which may be used as credit towards the MA Education programme at UEL under our Accreditation of Experiential Learning (AEL) policy.
Outcomes
Programme aims and learning outcomes
What is this programme designed to achieve?
This programme is designed to give you the opportunity to:
Overall this programme has been designed to produce effective teachers who are able to operate as reflective practitioners. To fit this description you should:
- have appropriate subject knowledge and understanding for teaching in RE, demonstrate knowledge and understanding at an appropriate level of the underpinning theories of professional practice appropriate for a beginning teacher
- have an understanding of relevant pedagogy and be able to relate this to teaching and learning
- have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the relevant National Curriculum and frameworks
- be aware of expectations, typical curricula and teaching arrangements in the Key Stages before and after the ones you are trained to teach
- be aware of, and work within, the statutory frameworks relating to teachers' responsibilities
- be able to exercise appropriate judgement, by applying appropriate diagnostic and creative skills, in a range of situations
- be able to accept accountability for determining and achieving personal goals.
The programme aims to provide you with an understanding of the education system in England, as well as an understanding of how to teach RE in secondary schools. You will become familiar with the requirements of the National Curriculum, the Secondary Strategy, GCSE and 14-19 qualifications. You will also consider the various resources, including ICT, available for teaching your subject. The initial sessions at UEL will prepare you for your first period of school experience. For example, planning, behaviour management and assessment will be the focus for several of the taught sessions. You will also consider the legal and professional requirements of being a teacher. UEL sessions later in the year build on your experience and understanding and develop further your ability to plan, organise and manage pupils’ learning experiences.
The programme has been designed to allow you to meet the Standards required for recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status.
What will you learn?
Our programmes of initial teacher training and education focus on broad professional issues, and on subject content and subject pedagogy. Through these you will develop the following:
Knowledge and understanding of:
- the English education system
- professional values and practice
- the statutory documentation including the National Curriculum in KS3 and 4, the secondary strategy, GCSE and 14-19 qualifications for RE and how they are assessed. Through the programme and your school experience you will gain an understanding of the National Curriculum for Citizenship and PSHE
- health and safety issues in the classroom
- Every Child Matters legislation
- Have a knowledge and understanding of the potential of new and emergent technologies in secondary education
Thinking Skills enabling you to:
- analyse and synthesise evidence from research, inspection and professional debate to develop a personal philosophy of teaching
- theorise key issues relating to educational practice
- be reflectively critical about transferable skills and personal progress in professional development
- engage in educational debates in a professional manner
- exercise critical judgement on professional ideas
- be able to reflect critically on the relationship between theory and practice in order to inform professional decision making
- examine critically the ethical and moral aspects of education
- examine critically a variety of teaching practices
- be able to read and write critically at Masters levels
Subject-Based Practical Skills enabling you to:
- be an effective class teacher of secondary aged children
- teach effectively in inner city schools and be responsive to the needs of a multi-ethnic and multilingual community and to the differing backgrounds of children
- assess pupils' progress accurately
- accept professional accountability for determining and implementing informed pedagogical judgements;
- take responsibility for teaching a class over a sustained and substantial period of time
- record pupils' progress and achievements systematically
- produce coherent short term and medium term plans based on the NC for RE
- present and communicate subject content effectively, using appropriate resources and taking account of the differing learning needs of your pupils
- develop strategies for behaviour management
- develop appropriate methods of monitoring and assessing pupil attainment
- Implement and evaluate a small scale project in a chosen specialist area of educational practice
Skills for Work and Life which will enable you to:
- develop your ICT skills for professional use, including skills in using new and emerging technologies
- identify and address your subject knowledge needs in order to meet the requirements for the award of QTS
- take an evaluative and active role in your continuing professional development
- develop time management strategies
- develop positive relationships with other adults/professionals and children
- communicate effectively orally and in writing
- make decisions in complex and unpredictable situations
- take responsibility for one’s own professional development
- work co-operatively in a group or as part of a team
- systematically gather and use data for decision making
Structure
The programme structure
Introduction
All programmes are credit-rated to help you to understand the amount and level of study that is needed.
One credit is equal to 10 hours of directed study time (this includes everything you do e.g. lecture, seminar and private study).
Credits are assigned to one of 5 levels:
- 0 - equivalent in standard to GCE 'A' level and is intended to prepare students for year one of an undergraduate degree programme
- 1 - equivalent in standard to the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 2 - equivalent in standard to the second year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- 3 - equivalent in standard to the third year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme
- M - equivalent in standard to a Masters degree
Credit rating
The overall credit-rating of this programme is equivalent to 120 credits, 60 credits at level 3 and 60 at M level to be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.
Typical duration
The typical duration of this programme is 36 weeks full time with up to 10 days subject knowledge development offered from the start of September.
How the teaching year is divided
The teaching year is divided into three school terms, the school's half terms are designated as directed study time.
The teaching year begins in September and ends in July.
What you will study when
The backbone of the programme is the core General Professional Studies sessions delivered at UEL and delivered through the framework of the Virtual Schools Project with pre and post session associated tasks addressed in role as members of staff in a Virtual School. These sessions are consolidated by subject-based workshops and seminars which look at the implications of particular issues to subject teaching.
The majority of time on the programme is spent on placement – you must complete 120 days in schools in order to comply with regulations for the award of Qualified Teacher Status. The first school experience placement usually takes place in the Autumn and early Spring Term whilst the second school experience will be undertaken during the second half of the Spring Term and the Summer Term.
Some time within the programme is used flexibly for tutorial and ongoing professional development in areas such as subject knowledge updating and ICT skill development.
Indicative Core General Professional Studies Session Titles
- Introduction to Teaching and Learning (Learning Styles)
- Teaching in East London
- Introduction to Key Stage 2
- Observing Teaching and Learning
- The National Curriculum: principles and framework
- Introduction to the role of the teacher and support staff
- Introduction to the Secondary National Strategy for school improvement
- Introduction to Behaviour Management
- Introduction to lesson planning and evaluation
- Safeguarding children and Every Child Matters
- Introduction to Assessing Pupil Progress
- Literacy across the curriculum
- Child Development and Influences on Learning
- Introduction to Differentiation
- Introduction to Special Educational Needs
- Introduction to English as an Additional Language
- Applying for teaching posts
- Raising achievement: tracking pupil progress
- Working with other adults in the classroom.
Requirements for gaining an award
In order to gain a Postgraduate Certificate, you will need to pass the two programme assignments set at level three and the two modules set at M level. These modules are chosen from the three available:
- Developing Subject Expertise and Subject Specialism (30 credits at M level)
- Becoming a Reflective practitioner (30 credits at M level)
- The Use of New and Emerging Technologies in Secondary Education (30 credits at M level)
Assessment
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching and learning
Knowledge is developed through
- taught sessions
- group seminars
- subject knowledge audits
- directed tasks and collaboration in the Virtual Schools project
- observations of experienced practitioners
- subject related reading used to inform assignment writing and teaching practice
- discussions with peers and professional colleagues.
Thinking skills are developed through
- workshop discussions
- contributions to team planning in partner school
- reflection on practice
- research around set tasks and activities
- development of arguments in assignments
- written assignments
- professional dialogue in seminars and on placement
Practical skills are developed through
- school based tasks
- role play
- observations of demonstration lessons by experienced tutors and teachers
- constructive feedback on your practice from mentors and tutors
- reflection on practice.
Skills for life and work (general skills) are developed through
- maintaining a QTS File
- writing an Individual Development Plan
- completing the Career Entry and Development Profile
- working in peer groups within the Virtual Schools
- observing professional behaviour in others and modelling this in your own behaviour.
Assessment
The QTS File is used to record all evidence towards each of the Professional Standards required for the conferment of Qualified Teacher Status. All of this evidence is seen by a mentor and/or UEL tutor to check that the quality of the evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that the Standard has been met. Examples of the sorts of evidence that might be appropriate include:
- observations and feedback by mentors
- lesson plans and evaluations
- assignments
- directed tasks
- lecture and seminar notes.
Quality
How we assure the quality of this programme
Before this programme started we checked that:
- there would be enough qualified staff to teach the programme
- adequate resources would be in place
- the overall aims and objectives were appropriate
- the content of the programme met national benchmark requirements
- the programme met any professional/statutory body requirements
- the proposal met other internal quality criteria covering a range of issues such as admissions policy, teaching, learning and assessment strategy and student support mechanisms.
This is done through a process of programme approval which involves consulting academic experts including some subject specialists from other institutions.
How we monitor the quality of this programme
The quality of this programme is monitored each year through evaluating:
- external examiner reports (considering quality and standards)
- statistical information (considering issues such as the pass rate)
- trainee feedback.
Drawing on this and other information, programme teams undertake the annual Review and Enhancement Process which is co-ordinated at School level and includes student participation. The process is monitored by the UEL’s Quality Standing Committee.
Secondary Initial Teacher Training Programmes are subject to scrutiny by Ofsted on a regular basis – the reports are published on the Ofsted website. UEL has now been designated as a Category ‘A’ provider (Outstanding) by the TDA following three successive Grade 1s (Outstanding) during Ofsted reports.
Once every six years UEL undertakes an in-depth review of the whole field. This is undertaken by a panel that includes at least two external subject specialists. The panel considers documents, looks at student work, speaks to current and former students and speaks to staff before drawing its conclusions. The result is a report highlighting good practice and identifying areas where action is needed.
The role of the programme committee
This programme has a programme committee comprising all relevant teaching staff, student representatives and others who make a contribution towards the effective operation of the programme (e.g. library / technician staff). The committee has responsibilities for the quality of the programme. It provides input into the operation of the Review and Enhancement Process and proposes changes to improve quality. The programme committee plays a critical role in the University's quality assurance procedures.
The role of external examiners
Each programme within Secondary Initial Teacher Training is monitored by one external examiner with one of these offering, in addition, an overview of core provision. External examiners have two primary responsibilities:
- to ensure the standard of the programme
- to ensure that individual students are dealt with in accordance with the regulations.
External examiners fulfil these responsibilities in a variety of ways including:
- approving assignments
- attending assessment boards
- reviewing samples of student work and moderating marks
- ensuring that regulations are followed
- providing feedback to UEL through an annual report that enables us to make improvements for the future.
Listening to the views of students
The following methods for gaining student feedback are used on this programme:
- trainee representatives on the Programme Committee
- trainee focus groups and trainee voice surveys
- trainee elected representative on School Board
- end of placement and end of programme evaluation
- trainee involvement in programme development.
Students are notified of the action taken through:
- trainee representatives feeding back to trainees
- relevant information posted on VLE or wiki noticeboard
- email.
Listening to the views of others
The following methods are used for gaining the views of other interested parties:
- questionnaires to former students
- close liaison with partner schools
- questionnaires to employing headteachers
- mentor working groups
- TDA questionnaire to newly qualified teachers.
Further Information
Where you can find further information
Further information about the programme is available from:
- Secondary Teacher Training
- The Training Agency for Schools
- Ofsted Provider Report
- The GTTR
- The PGCE Secondary trainee handbooks
- UEL Manual of General Regulations and Policies
- UEL Quality Manual
- Current External examiners
- External examiner reports (available from UEL virtual learning environment (UELPlus or Moodle))
