The full-time course is particularly intensive.
Students can be timetabled from 9am Monday morning until 6pm on Friday afternoon. Students are timetabled for study across a number of areas including professional studies / principles of education and curriculum areas such as English, mathematics, science, ICT, history, geography, art, music, P.E and R.E. Approximately half of the course is spent in school where the training continues and students are given opportunities to develop and extend their skills. Four weeks of this school experience is undertaken in a primary school in Normandy, France or Seville, Spain where after a period of observation and shared teaching, students teach a variety of curriculum areas in French or Spanish as well as contributing to the teaching of English as a foreign language. Hope tutors also visit their students during the placement abroad. Both within university and in school, time is built in for students to meet with their tutors on a one-to-one basis to discuss their professional development.
The course is 38 weeks long, of which you will spend approximately 20 weeks gaining practical experience in schools. School experience is divided into periods of serial attachment (one or more days a week) and more intensive ‘block’ experiences (five days a week). During these periods you will work in primary classrooms with the guidance of trained mentors.
For further information you can download the PGCE Primary Leaflet
Course codes:
PGCE Primary (French) Course code: XR11
PGCE Primary (Spanish) Course code: XR41
This course is organised as a series of lectures, workshops and seminars, e-learning forums and distance-learning studies structured to challenge your ideas and help develop independent thought. At the same time it encourages you to contribute your own specialised knowledge and experience and work collaboratively, replicating the ways in which teachers operate in primary schools.
The topics covered will be closely linked with your experiences in school, leading to a combined understanding of both the principles underlying successful teaching and the classroom techniques necessary in the day-to-day practice of teaching. The range of topics includes:
· Child Development
· Learning to learn
· Teaching styles and strategies
· Behaviour management
· Curriculum developments and issues
· Inclusion
· Special Educational Needs
· Assessment for learning
· Child protection
· English as an additional language
· Teachers’ legal responsibilities
· Guidance on the career entry and development profile and induction
Assignments linked to the principles and practice of education will form part of the overall assessment of the course. You will be attached to a seminar tutor who will oversee the development of your professional skills and your completion of a Profile of Professional Development, evidence of which will be recorded in a career entry and development profile.
Preliminary attachment
At the beginning of the course, all student teachers spend a compulsory preliminary ‘attachment’ period of two weeks in schools close to where they live. Students on the KS1/KS2 course will spend part of this time in a KS3 setting. This attachment is arranged by successful candidates before the start of the course in September. Some candidates will be required to complete part or all of this attachment in the Liverpool area. You are given detailed guidelines to help you focus on such issues as observational techniques, classroom organisation, management of behaviour, establishment of routines, teaching strategies and resources during this period.
Professional Placement Learning
You will further develop your knowledge, skills and understanding through placements in primary schools. This takes the form of serial attachments followed by an extended teaching block in the same school. You will teach in consecutive key stages, planning and teaching across the curriculum. Our partnerships with local schools are strong with tapered development programmes and close guidance and support are offered by mentors, teachers and Hope staff. You will be encouraged to participate fully in school activities such as staff meetings, school visits and extra-curricular activities. You are required to complete this element of the course successfully in order to be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status.
All student teachers are formally assessed during placements, with some being observed by external moderators/examiners. Placements on the full-time route are likely to be in Local Education Authorities in and around the Merseyside area. But you should anticipate some degree of travelling during the school placement periods. Close links are established during this period between theories of education, curriculum studies and classroom teaching. You will experience teaching in different situations with the support of class teachers and mentors. This partnership provides you with:
· Models of good practice – observing the class teacher
· Team teaching experience – working alongside teachers in a shared teaching situation
· Research into your area of special interest
· Experience of planning – creating weekly and lesson plans
· Individual, group and whole class teaching
Curriculum Pedagogy Courses
On the one-year PGCE (Primary) route you will be provided with an introduction to teaching across the primary curriculum with emphasis on the Foundation Stage and/or National Curriculum as appropriate to your course. You will have the opportunity to observe and research children’s learning in different subject areas/areas of learning and be introduced to a variety of different teaching strategies. The aim of the curriculum pedagogy courses is to give you the confidence and competence to plan, teach, monitor and assess, report and record each subject effectively. Learning in these areas comprises of lectures, workshops and independent study supported through the Virtual Learning Environment.
Curriculum pedagogy courses provide an introduction to the nature and pedagogy of the following areas:
· English
· Mathematics
· Science
· Information & Communication Technology
· History
· Geography
· Music
· Physical Education
· Art
· Religious Education
A modern foreign language (French or Spanish) as an area of special interest
There are a number of places available for students wishing to specialise in Primary Modern Foreign Languages (PMFL). Those applying for this option need to have at least 50% of their undergraduate studies in the foreign language of their choice and/or a high level of fluency through other means e.g. living abroad, family circumstances etc. Student teachers with a special interest in this developing area of the primary curriculum attend additional university-based sessions in order to gain an understanding of MFL pedagogy and policy including a range of practical ideas for the classroom. An additional feature of the course is a four week placement spent teaching in primary schools in France or Spain, and ‘buddying’ with a foreign student teacher. Funding is available for accommodation and travel costs. The programme has run successfully for a number of years, during which time we have developed excellent relationships with our partners in Normandy or Seville. We are also very fortunate to be partnered with primary schools where modern foreign languages have been part of the curriculum for several years and in some cases have been highlighted at national level as examples of good practice.
Essential:
Applicants must fulfil the following entry requirements:
An Honours Degree 2:2 or above with at least 50% in Spanish or French or a 2:2 Honours Degree in a national curriculum subject if you are Spanish or French.
Grade C in English, Mathematics and Science at GCSE (or equivalent) achieved before application
Minimum 10 days primary school observation within the last 18 months
The ability to communicate clearly, fluently and accurately in spoken and written standard English.
Good level of Spanish/French linguistic competency
It is a government requirement that you take the numeracy and literacy skills tests as part of the application process. You must ensure you have passed them both before the start of the course, please click here for further information.
Desirable
Evidence of experiences of the world of work outside of education
Range of interests and skills
Other experiences of working with children, young people and/or adults
