Birmingham City University Physical Education (3CJN)

PGCE with QTS full time

Financial support
Student finance if you’re eligible
Qualification
PGCE with QTS

A postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with qualified teacher status (QTS) will allow you to teach in state schools in England and may allow you to teach in other parts of the UK.

It may also allow you to teach overseas, though you should always check what qualifications are needed in the country you’d like to teach in.

Many PGCE courses include credits that count toward a Master’s degree.

Course length
1 year
Date you can apply from
13 October 2020
Date course starts
September 2021
Website
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/education

Contents

About the course

If this is a subject you’re knowledgeable and passionate about, our Secondary Physical Education PGCE will allow you to become a highly skilled graduate teacher with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning, enabling you to demonstrate the highest levels of professional practice.

You will be trained to become a confident and reflective practitioner, and will be able to teach contemporary methods and practices. You’ll learn techniques to inspire students with Physical Education, making it enjoyable for all and ensuring they’re equipped with skills and understanding they’ll need for a positive approach to physical activity in the future.

Central to the curriculum is the study of PE pedagogy and professional practice, which you will access through a synthesis of practical workshops, lectures, seminar groups and individual study.

Curriculum workshops are a key element of your course. Dedicated PE lecturers and teachers deliver these in our specialist education classrooms and lecture theatres. The workshops enable you to experience and develop your understanding of subject pedagogy through topics such as: Physical literacy, growth mindset through PE, dance in the curriculum, gymnastics, invasion games, net and wall games, target games and athletics, health and safety, as well as Key Stage 3 National Curriculum topics, GCSE and A Level PE topics.

All aspects of the PGCE including your school experience will be assessed through our Core ITE Curriculum.

School placements

You will spend two-thirds of your time – at least 120 days – working in schools on block placements gaining valuable real-life experience in schools. You will gain direct teaching experience and work with experienced practitioners in the classroom. School placements are predominantly in West Midlands secondary schools. You will be assigned a trained mentor and/or a tutor while on placement, who will support and guide your work, as well as provide training and feedback.

Entry requirements

Qualifications needed

  1. An undergraduate Honours degree at 2:1 or above from a UK higher education institution, or a recognised equivalent, in a relevant subject.
  2. GCSEs at grade C/4 or above (or its equivalent) in English language and mathematics at the point of enrolment.

Full entry requirements can be found on the page for each course on our website: www.bcu.ac.uk/education

Personal qualities

Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills?

Other requirements

Applicants must meet the Department for Education’s Initial Teacher Training criteria, which means being medically fit, successfully completing an enhanced disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and satisfying all other safeguarding checks required for this course.

While not essential, you may wish to gain some school experience before attending interview.

Fees and financial support

The course fees for UK students in 2021 to 2022 are £9,250.

About the training provider

At Birmingham City University’s School of Education and Social Work, we never give up in our aspirations for tomorrow’s teachers. Our student teachers will be ‘the village’ it takes ‘to raise a child’. Training more teachers than anyone else in the region (HESA, 2016), we educate Birmingham, teaching generations of professionals to teach generations of young people.

We’re top 20 in the UK for our undergraduate education courses (Guardian League Tables 2020). Our courses are taught by staff who are experienced professionals and maintain links with their sector to ensure you get the most up-to-date learning during your course. Many are research active, contributing to scholarship in education, childhood and youth.

Placements form two-thirds of our PGCE courses, giving you the opportunity to get hands-on and apply and grow your skills in some of our many partnership schools, ensuring you gain experience in a variety of educational settings so that you’re ready for employment when you graduate. We’re located at our City South Campus in Edgbaston, which has recently had a £41 million extension giving us excellent specialist facilities.

Our aim for when you graduate is that you can think for yourself, critically and reflectively determining what’s best, not what’s easiest. Our graduates are very employable, with many taking jobs in the West Midlands.

Join us and let us empower you to inspire future generations.

Interview process

You will be required to attend one interview. Interviews include:

  • exploration of curriculum knowledge
  • discussions about relevant experiences
  • a presentation or small teaching exercise
  • written task

We also look for:

  • good communication skills
  • potential / suitability to be a good teacher
  • robustness to cope with the demands of the course

Please note, we are currently conducting interviews online via Microsoft Teams, further details on how/when will be communicated in due course.

Training with disabilities and other needs

The University aims to provide an accessible environment and a range of support services to enable disabled students to participate fully in all activities of the University. We believe a person is only disabled when confronted by negative attitudes and environmental barriers. We are working towards creating a positive, supportive and inclusive learning environment across all the University’s sites and faculties.

Our Student Affairs team offers support and advice for prospective and current students with physical or sensory disabilities, specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia), autism or chronic medical conditions. They also provide information about additional funding such as Disabled Students’ Allowances, run a Personal Assistance Scheme and offer a dyslexia screening and diagnostic service.

Our campus is fully accessible with accessible toilets (having hoists), hearing loops in lecture theatres and networked assistive technology including Claro Read and Inspiration. In addition, we have PCs at our City South Campus which are designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.

For further information and advice, please visit: www.bcu.ac.uk/student-affairs

Contact details

Email
courseenquiries@bcu.ac.uk
Telephone
0121 331 5595
Website
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/education
Address
15 Bartholomew Row
City Centre
Birmingham
West Midlands
B5 5JU

Support and advice

For questions about this course you should contact the training provider using the contact details above.

Get support and advice about teaching

You can speak to a Get Into Teaching adviser for free. They’re all experienced teachers who can help you prepare your application, book school experience, and access exclusive teaching events.

You can also call Get Into Teaching free of charge on 0800 389 2501, or speak to an adviser using their online chat service Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm (except public holidays).

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