PGCE Secondary Geography with History

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COURSE OVERVIEW

Obtain Qualified Teacher Status with Ofsted outstanding-rated initial teacher training
Teach the locally agreed syllabi, Key Stage 3, GCSE, AS and A2-level study
Cover the essential areas of behaviour management, special education needs and English as an additional language
Gain experience of planning, teaching, assessing and evaluating your practical teaching
Be informed by current research and grounded in a practical understanding of Holocaust Education, the teaching of emotive and controversial issues, and citizenship
Option to gain Masters level credits
Accredited by the Department for Education (DfE)

The University of Winchester has a long history in teacher education and is recognised by Ofsted as an ‘Outstanding’ provider. The University offers a stimulating and supportive learning environment that challenges and inspires trainees. Our passion is to provide a university experience that helps you reach your full potential and make a real difference to children’s lives.

Throughout the course, you develop an understanding of both the theory and practice of teaching RE using a range of learning and teaching approaches. You are supported in developing practical classroom skills both in teaching RE and in the teacher’s wider professional role.

Our programme prepares you to teach across the age range 11-16 or 11-18 and is structured around five modules - a combination of taught modules based at the University and placement modules based in schools or educational settings. Classroom practice is assessed through placements, totaling 120 days. You also have the opportunity to gain Masters level credits (up to 60 credits).

We place significant emphasis on enabling you to apply your learning to teaching in the classroom. During your teaching placements you will have the opportunity to work alongside some of the best and most inspiring teachers predominantly in Hampshire secondary schools. However, we also offer a number of placements in neighbouring counties, such as Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Surrey. If you opt for the 11-18 pathway there is an opportunity to teach in a 6th Form setting.

Accreditation

Accredited by the Department for Education (DfE) for the purpose of delivering initial teacher training programmes to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).

Careers

The programme leads to a PGCE Secondary Geography with History with a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Graduates go on to obtain teaching positions in various secondary schools and other school settings (such as special schools, independent schools, pupil referral units and sixth form colleges) as highly successful RE teachers and future leaders.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Suitable for applicants from:

UK, EU, World

Work placements

The course includes school experience totalling 120 days.

Learning and teaching

Start date: September

Teaching takes place: Daytime

The teaching team includes University staff with specialisms in RE and in Initial Teacher Education; local authority advisers and staff; diocesan advisers; and secondary school teacher tutors. Students are supported through a combination of face-to-face university-based teaching and directed self-study/ research. Seminars and workshops are supported by school-based tasks to enable theory and practice to be integrated.

Attendance regulations

There is a requirement for students to complete 120 days in school - students cannot be recommended for QTS unless we have evidence that they have completed these days. The penalty for not completing 120 days in school is that they cannot be recommended for QTS but students can still receive the academic award. For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures library.

Location

Taught elements of the course take place on campus in Winchester.

Assessment

All modules are assessed either by assignment or by achievement of success against the teachers' standards during school experience. Assignments are varied to capture students' differing strengths and include essays, presentations and portfolios.

Feedback is given for all assignments in order that students can improve their academic writing as the programme progresses.

School placements are assessed through graded observations measured against the teachers' standards. The observations include detailed feedback, usually made by the class teacher and a university link-tutor.

Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.

We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes.

Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found by attending an open evening or contacting our teaching staff.

Feedback

We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.

Further information

For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures section.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

A First or Second Class Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in Religious Studies, Theology, Philosophy, History, Geography or a related field in Humanities.

GCSE English language and mathematics at grade C or 4 or above, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the University.

You will need to provide original certificates to the University. If you only hold a ‘statement of provisional results’ and do not hold original certificates, please contact the relevant awarding body to obtain a ‘certified statement of results’ as soon as possible. Further information about obtaining a replacement exam certificate is available on the gov.uk website.
Functional Skills, Key Skills, Adult Numeracy and Adult Literacy qualifications are not accepted by the University as GCSE equivalents.
If you do not hold GCSE qualifications, please contact us to confirm that we are able to accept the qualification you hold.

If English is not your first language: IELTS 7.0 overall (including 7.0 in academic writing) or equivalent is required.

If you have completed your qualifications outside the UK, the Department for Education (DfE) are able to help you obtain a UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) statement of comparability for free. For further information, please visit the get into teaching website.

We will look for evidence of a commitment to the teaching profession, an understanding of professional requirements, and an awareness of current educational issues in an application. Prior experience in a school is not required, however prospective students may find experience in a school useful for obtaining insights into the primary education classroom. Experience in a school or similar setting may also provide reassurance to prospective students that teaching is the right choice for their career.

We will also look for you to demonstrate competency in Fundamental skills in English and mathematics during the selection process.

If you meet all of the above criteria or are expecting to meet the criteria prior to the course start date, you have a strong chance of being invited to interview.

Additional requirements

If you are offered a place after attending an interview you will need to meet the following additional requirements. The University will send you more information about when and how you need to complete each of these tasks if you accept our offer.

Obtain enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance check after accepting an offer. Please note, the cost of the clearance check is covered by the applicant (£40 at the time of publishing).
If you have spent over 6 months outside the UK in the last 5 years you will be required to obtain criminal records checks from each of the countries you lived in for over 6 months continuously. Further information about obtaining a criminal records check from outside the UK is available on the gov.uk website. Please note, obtaining criminal records checks from other countries can take a long time.
You will also be required to complete an occupational health check to confirm that you are fit to teach.

How to apply

The way to apply for postgraduate teacher training in England has changed. You can now use Apply for teacher training, a new GOV.UK service.

Apply for teacher training is easy to use and gives clear guidance to help potential teachers make strong applications.

To learn more about the new service and to get help with your application, visit Get into Teaching.

Get in touch

If you have any questions about the course or studying at Winchester, please get in touch using our Ask a Question form and we will get back to you shortly.

Alternatively, you can call us on:
+44 (0)1962 827234 – UK/Channel Islands/Isle of Man students
+44 (0)1962 826427 – International students

Visit us

Explore our campus and find out more about studying at Winchester by coming to one of our Open Evenings.

Year 1 (Level 7)

Modules Credits

Curriculum Studies	20
This module will focus on subject knowledge for teaching and support you in updating and improving your subject knowledge per se. It will look at a range of curriculum issues: design of an engaging curriculum; subject specific pedagogical approaches and resources, including digital technologies; assessing learning; and, teaching post 16. It will also introduce you to the external environment relating to subject and curriculum knowledge, policy and statutory requirements. You will engage with a range of pedagogical approaches, developing your ability to reflect on practice using research to evaluate and improve aspects of your teaching. The module supports the UNESCO Goals 4: Quality Education (UNESCO, 2017). Educational Sustainability Education Goals underpin student learning, emphasising the importance of teachers’ capacity to help others to develop sustainability competencies through innovative teaching and learning practices (UNESCO, 2017).
Inclusion and Diversity	20
This module invites you to consider the aspects of background and development of pupils. Inclusion and additional needs is the focus. The module draws attention to significant changes in recent years in the way pupils with additional needs are supported, and emphasises the importance of the classroom teacher in identification of need and response to need. In addition, English as an additional language (EAL), class, gender and ethnicity are considered, using research evidence to highlight differences in performance. Finally, adolescence, health and well-being are explored, and how teachers have the opportunity to contribute to the healthy development of pupils and engender the self-confidence in young people to take control of these aspects of their lives. The module supports the UNESCO Sustainability Goal 4: Quality Education, 5: Gender Equality and 10: Reduced Inequalities (UNESCO, 2017) and the teacher’s responsibility to further social justice by embracing cultural diversity and supporting gender equality as integral elements of high quality educational processes (UNESCO, 2017).
Professional Studies	20
This module is designed to enable you to explore your personal values, views of the purposes of education and the role of the teacher. It considers the importance of psychological perspectives for effective teaching, learning and classroom management. It provides you with an overview of the framework for external assessment and examinations. The demands, teaching skills and strategies of teaching examination classes are considered. You will develop your ability to reflect on practice based on evidence from research and prepare to write at Master’s level.
Placement Learning and Reflection 1
Students will be introduced to the professional expectations and responsibilities associated with being an educator through a taught course, ahead of a professional placement. The course will develop students’ knowledge about the profession and their pedagogical craft. Whilst on placement in a school setting, students will work under the direction of staff, learning through participant observation and then progressing from teaching small groups and single lessons to planning and teaching sequences of whole class lessons. Students will be required to engage in continual reflective practice, collecting evidence and evaluating and recording their personal and professional progress.
Placement Learning and Reflection 2
Students will consolidate and extend their understanding of the professional expectations and responsibilities associated with being a teacher through a taught course, ahead of a professional placement. The course will further develop students’ knowledge about the profession and their pedagogical craft, using reflections on earlier placements. Whilst on placement in a school setting, students will work under the direction of staff, progressing to taking full responsibility for the pupils they are working with for the majority of time. Students will be required to engage in continual reflective practice, collecting evidence and evaluating and recording their personal and professional progress.

Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing, for full-time students entering the programme in Year 1. Optional modules are listed where applicable. Please note the University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. For further information please refer to the terms and conditions at www.winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions.
The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed above.

Progression from one level of the programme to the next is subject to meeting the University’s academic regulations.

2023 Course Tuition Fees and Additional Costs

UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man

Full-time
Total Cost: £9,250

If you are a UK student starting your degree in September 2023, it will cost £9,250. Remember, you don't have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year. If finance is a worry for you, we are here to help. Take a look at the range of support we have on offer. This is a great investment you are making in your future, so make sure you know what is on offer to support you.

International Students

Full-time
Total Cost: £14,700

International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £122.50 and a 15 credit module is £1,837.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities.

Mandatory

Placements

The programme includes a significant number of days on placement, these placements may be closer or further from your home than the University of Winchester. Currently the University expects students to travel up to 90 mins to reach their placement and to cover the costs of travel themselves.

Printing and Binding

The University is pleased to offer our students a printing allowance of £5 each academic year. This will print around 125 A4 mono pages. If students wish to print more, printer credit can be topped up by the student. The University and Student Union are champions of sustainability and we ask all our students to consider the environmental impact before printing.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

Bursaries of up to £9,000 are availble to trainees in Secondary Religious Education. More information is available from Get Into Teaching.

We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards section.

Key course details

UCAS code: A109
Duration: Full-time: 1 year
Location: On campus, Winchester