PGCE in Secondary Education (Science with Chemistry) with recommendation for QTS

Program Overview

Overview

Whether it’s heating up their first test tube over a bunsen burner or staged explosions on children’s television, chemistry is a fascinating subject for all ages.

Of course, there’s so much more to learn about chemistry and a very real industry need for skills in the subject as evidenced by the government’s promotion of STEM subjects to children and young adults.

Most pupils entering secondary school are excited at the prospect of working in a fully equipped laboratory, and as a secondary school chemistry teacher you will have to build upon and sustain this interest for the subject as they journey through the chemistry national curriculum.

As a chemistry teacher you will foster an appreciation of the achievements of chemistry in showing how the complex and diverse phenomena of both the natural and man-made worlds can be described in terms of a number of key ideas which can be applied universally.

The need for qualified, enthusiastic teachers with an understanding of the demands society places on young people has never been greater. The opportunity to educate children and young people, and learn from them in return, is immensely rewarding.

Schools are seeking teachers with high levels of pedagogical competence and skill, as well as advanced subject knowledge for teaching as well as knowledge of the theories, policies and systems relevant to education.

The focus of your studies will be on the principles and methods of teaching and learning delivered through three core modules, together with compulsory, practical school-based teaching placements.  Your progress will be assessed in both areas.

As part of your teacher education, you will be taught how to use subject knowledge and relevant course specifications to plan and deliver the curriculum for pupils from 11-16, including examination and vocational courses.

Your placement will typically take you into Brunel partner schools or other educational settings in and around London for at least 120 days in block placements in two or more different contexts working with a school-based mentor.

Links with schools across our Partnership enable you to undertake placements that will equip you with the skills to work with young people in a diverse range of educational contexts. The Education Department at Brunel was highly praised for this Partnership work in the 2015 Ofsted inspection – Ofsted graded Brunel’s Initial Teacher Education Partnership as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas.

As you progress through your own development and learning on the course, you will be encouraged to reflect critically and constructively on your own and others’ teaching practices in relation to a range of aspects including national and regional priorities and policies, and current research.

At the heart of the programme is the commitment to ensuring that your practice will impact positively on pupil progress over time, and Brunel Partnership activities with schools will contribute to school improvement in which you will play a central part.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive both a postgraduate certificate in Education (PGCE) and a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

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Program Outline

Course content

The PGCE in Secondary Education (Science with Chemistry) will equip you with a critical understanding of the issues that impact upon the education of children and young people as well as theory and practice in teaching, learning and assessment as you learn to specialise in the teaching of Chemistry.

The taught part of your course will be structured around three core modules which share generic General Professional Education (GPE) and subject specific teaching components:

The course is structured to balance the taught elements with independent professional learning activities (PLAs) of which your placements will be a key part in relation to the Teachers’ Standards for Qualified Teacher Status.

This course can be studied 1 year full-time, starting in September.

Year 1

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel

Careers and your future

A Brunel PGCE with recommendation for QTS is a recognised symbol of high quality Initial Teacher Education (ITE). This is demonstrated by Brunel’s outstanding employment rates over time and feedback from Brunel alumni student teachers, our partnership schools and Ofsted inspectors.

Brunel PGCE graduates have gone on to work in our partnership schools, and many in schools where they undertook a placement experience. This allows the department to retain links with former students and often they become school-based mentors for Brunel PGCE students. The department also has a network of alumni in positions of responsibility in schools across the country.

After you graduate, your relationship with Brunel doesn’t stop there. As alumni,  you can remain involved in the Partnership in a range of ways including mentoring, and can also sign up to receive invitations to Brunel public lectures, Education Department research seminars, events and steering groups, to ensure you continue to develop through a community of professional practice within, and beyond the school in which you work.

If you decide to pursue further study after your PGCE course, (perhaps an MA, a taught Doctorate of Education or a research based PhD), you will be warmly encouraged by the department with the opportunity of discounted fees as a Brunel graduate.

Assessment and feedback

The PGCE course carries 60 master’s level credits and requires you to complete successfully three assessed pieces of work during the year. You will be supported with these through a range of activities in lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, tutorials, portfolio preparation and simulation of classroom practice.

The master’s level credits you earn on your PGCE will provide an excellent foundation for future academic and professional study.

Qualified Teacher Status is achieved by meeting the government’s Teachers’ Standards. During both the school-based work and university provision you will build your knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a teacher and put this into practice. You will work with your tutors and school-based mentor to develop an evidence-base for this in line with the Teachers’ Standards, which will be assessed.