PGCE Primary (3-7)

Core Curriculum – English

Semester 1
This module introduces you to the content, pedagogical, and curricula knowledge, along with the attitudes necessary to be a teacher of English in primary and early years settings. In doing so, the module supports you in developing the foundational knowledge required to be a teacher of English.

Through seminar sessions, students will examine good practice in the teaching of reading and writing whilst addressing the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and EYFS.

Strong links will be made between theory and practice, as you explore the value of different texts in school.

Integral to the module is an understanding of progression in English and how to teach this through drawing upon the language modes of communication, reading and writing.

Semester 2
This module builds upon semester 1 and School Experience A. It is designed to allow you to extend your substantive, syntactical and pedagogical curriculum knowledge through the exploration of communication, reading and writing. In doing so, you will learn how to be an effective teacher of English within the context of developing as a professional.

Core Curriculum – Mathematics

Semester 1
This module introduces you to the subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and curriculum knowledge that contribute to becoming a teacher of mathematics in primary and early years settings.

The module will explore how these elements interplay and will draw on your own experiences of being a learner of mathematics.

Strong links will be made between relevant theory and current practice, encouraging students to critically evaluate these.

The module will provide an opportunity for you to develop your professional understanding of effective approaches to teaching mathematics.

Semester 2
The subject matter, pedagogical content and curriculum knowledge acquired during semester 1 and School Experience A will be built upon to develop your skills and confidence to plan and teach sequences of mathematics lessons.

Knowledge and understanding of progression and complexity in mathematical learning will be central to the module and support your ability to respond to and meet differing needs.

You will explore strategies that support connections within and between mathematical procedures and concepts in more depth.

The professional use of source material to inform and critique practice will be developed further to include more focused evaluation and support decision-making

Core Curriculum – Science

Semester 1
This module introduces you to the content, pedagogical, and curricula knowledge, along with the attitudes necessary to be a teacher of science in primary and early years settings.

The module seeks to develop your understanding of science whilst addressing the statutory requirements of the national curriculum and EYFS.

Good practice in teaching primary, and early years curriculum is dependent on well-developed subject knowledge; as such, this module will partially focus on developing your scientific understanding of key concepts.

In addition, the module will begin to explore the importance of the interplay between substantive and disciplinary knowledge and science-specific pedagogy in order to enable you to teach practical investigative science.

You will also identify how theory and practice are linked so that you can recognise how research informs practice.

Integral to the module is an understanding of progression and how to challenge misconceptions.

You will understand the need to create an inclusive learning environment (e.g. will begin to learn how the science capital teaching approach applies to lesson planning).

Semester 2
This module builds upon learning in semester 1 and School Experience A. You will be expected to continue to develop your knowledge of less familiar, but important, concepts in science and will deepen your understanding of how learners learn and create more complex schemas over time.

In addition to this, there will be an emphasis on developing your ability to know that curriculum design is underpinned by a deep understanding of how children learn and utilise key insights from current thinking on cognitive science.

You will apply knowledge and understanding of when and how to use models and worked examples in combination with verbal exposition and other strategies (e.g. dual coding and concrete representations).

The module will consolidate the importance of the interplay between substantive and disciplinary knowledge and science-specific pedagogy in order to enable you to teach practical investigative science.

You will also identify how theory and practice are linked so that you can recognise how research informs practice.

Integral to the module is an understanding of progression and the importance of building on foundational knowledge.

Wider Curriculum

This module complements the core and professional studies module in that it raises a number of key issues that are applicable across all subjects, e.g. curriculum organisation, creativity, inclusion etc.

It provides a thorough introduction to the primary curriculum that will enable you to gain the curriculum and pedagogical knowledge necessary to critically evaluate and successfully teach the wider curriculum.

Semester 1
This module introduces the foundation subjects to student teachers. You will develop your understanding of the teaching and learning of the range of foundation subjects taught in primary schools and early years.

The module explores the uniqueness of each subject area by drawing upon key literature to emphasise pedagogical underpinnings, subject knowledge and the skills that children need to acquire during the primary and early years.

This module allows you to experience the distinctive challenges and affordances of each subject area.

Semester 2
This module builds upon semester 1 and School Experience A. You will continue to develop your substantive and pedagogical knowledge of foundation subjects throughout the module through discussions, and engagement in personal reading and research.

The module will enable you to develop coherent learning sequences in the foundation curriculum in the primary and early years.

You will consider how to adapt, develop and deepen learner’s knowledge in each of the foundation subjects. Drawing on current educational research and inspection evidence in the foundation subjects, you will critically reflect upon the effectiveness of the approaches used.

School Experience A

This module aims to introduce student teachers to the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to become an analytical, effective and reflective primary teacher.

It is designed to enable you to relate the taught curriculum to your teaching and the broader role of the teacher. The experience will draw on your own prior experiences and skills and develop them within the partnership of school-based and university-based training and support.

You will be introduced to the professional practice of teaching and enable you to apply theories from university-based courses to the classroom setting. You will be based in a partnership primary school and supported by a university link tutor and school-based mentor. You will begin by observing and reflecting on practice in the school including classroom teaching and the wider responsibilities of the class teacher.

Over the course of the placement, you will be expected to plan, teach, evaluate and assess lessons. Initially, you will focus on teaching small groups of pupils the core curriculum subjects but over the course of the placement, and in negotiation with the mentor, this will be extended to whole class lessons.

By the end of the placement, you will be expected to show growing independence in your lesson planning and use some of your own planning across the curriculum whilst still working to the class teacher’s weekly plans.

Throughout the placement you will be expected to demonstrate the appropriate values and professional conduct associated with becoming a teacher, sufficiently secure knowledge about the curriculum, personal subject knowledge, and classroom management skills. You will maintain detailed records of your planning, assessment and reflections.

School Experience B

This final school experience is intended to enable you to gain proficiency in whole class teaching of subjects across the primary curriculum. By the end of the placement, you will be able to demonstrate that you have met all of the Teachers’ Standards.

You will have a broader understanding of the relationship between theory and practice in education, and the wider context within which schools operate.

You will also be able to identify areas for future development during your teaching career.

Over the course of this placement, you will take on the responsibilities associated with being a class teacher. You will plan, teach, evaluate, assess and monitor pupils’ progress across the curriculum over a sustained period.

You will be expected to evaluate your progress and demonstrate how you have achieved the targets set for you.

You will make a significant contribution to planning, teaching and assessing the pupils in your class.

Teaching and learning in Early Years

This module enables you to develop an in-depth understanding of the role of the Early Years teacher and be able to reflect on the way in which children develop.

This module will develop your critical knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and how this builds foundations in preparation for the National Curriculum. You will also identify how effective early years practice and pedagogy supports the transition to KS1.

You will consider the structure and expectations of the Early Years curriculum and critically analyse current debates about early years curriculum content and pedagogy and its relevance to teaching in KS 1 and beyond.

You will be introduced to key theoretical concepts in child development and attachment theory and discuss the application of these critically.

In this module you will consider the value of play pedagogy and develop your knowledge and understanding of the role and purposes of play in schools and the impact of play on children’s physical, social, cognitive, emotional and linguistic development. Other areas of focus will include family engagement, enabling inside and outside environments and ‘the unique child’.