Post Compulsory Education and Training Pre-Service ProfGCE

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Overview

The Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) Pre-service course is a professional teacher education degree that will qualify you to teach in the post compulsory education and training sector.

This part-time PCET course is designed for graduates with degrees from a wide range of subjects, including those not widely taught in secondary schools (such as sport science, health and social care, and dance). If you would like to pursue a career in teaching, but are unable to attend university on a full-time basis because of other obligations, for example, work and family commitments, then this part-time course could be for you.

This Pre-service PCET course will equip you with the necessary tools to teach adults and young people and give you the opportunity to share your knowledge in a way that helps others to fulfil their potential. The degree benefits from its direct link to the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT), one of only 10 Centres for Excellence in this Sector. The programme is directly informed by both the national and international educational research and development work of the team. There is also a certificate route available for entry onto this course.

The course may be suitable for people who have not necessarily had any previous experience as a teacher, but who want to make a positive difference in the further, adult and vocational education sector. If you are already employed in the PCET sector, we offer an In-Service Part-Time (PCET).

Why us?

The course is led by a highly qualified team who are extremely research-active and lead on a number of sector research projects
Graduate with a qualification that will enable you to teach within Further Education colleges, sixth form colleges, and other organisations

Complete a minimum of 100 hours of teaching practice placement with the support and guidance of a subject specialist mentor
Study part-time around other work and family commitments with just four hours of contact time on campus

Course structure

Contact time is four hours per week in an encouraging and productive learning environment that provides you, as a student teacher, with opportunities, time, and space to develop your knowledge of theory and refine your teaching practice alongside highly experienced and research-active teachers and teacher-educators.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods, including interactive teaching, lectures, seminars, practical teaching workshops, tutorials, directed learning, and group work.

You will also be expected to successfully complete a minimum of 100 hours of teaching practice placement over the two year course (50 hours per year).

Assessment methods include assignments, seminars, presentations, and formative and summative observations of teaching practice.

This course is for people who don’t have previous experience of teaching. If you are already employed in the Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) sector, you may be interested in our part-time Post Compulsory Education and Training In-service course.

Course modules

Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (20 credits)

Explore the roles and responsibilities of being a practitioner in the Further Education sector. Identify appropriate teaching and learning approaches in your subject specialist area and learn the basics of delivering inclusive and motivating sessions. Focus on reflection, planning, curriculum intent, curriculum sequencing and assessment theory.

Practical Teaching and Professional Development (20 credits)

Develop your ability to reflect upon and evaluate your own teaching and gain an introduction to the key principles that impact on how we teach and assess learners. Demonstrate effective planning and management of learning through a series of professional observations and work with experienced subject specialist mentors to refine your craft. Learn to justify and demonstrate your ability to develop, improve and sequence the lessons you deliver in practice.

Developing Theories of Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Post Compulsory Education and Training (20 credits)

Continue to develop your knowledge of teaching, learning and assessment. Gain a sound understanding of the principles related to Assessment for Learning and explore a range of strategies that you can use to support your learners’ progress. Explore classroom and behaviour management strategies in depth and refine your ability to creative inclusive learning environments. Critically interrogate key texts to enhance your subject knowledge, pedagogy, and awareness of your subject curriculum.

Contextualising Policy and Curriculum in Post Compulsory Education and Training (20 credits)

Examine the wider policy context of education and training in the post compulsory sector. Investigate how current policy developments inform how you adapt your curriculum to ensure an inclusive and effective approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Study further the prior knowledge around theories of learning and investigate how your students learn by reviewing traditional educational theories and concepts, as well as explore thinking and discussions that are more contemporary, such as strategies to support memory.

Enhancing Subject Specialist Learning through Innovation and Change (20 credits)

Explore the wider context of curriculum design, considering models of inclusive curriculum development, as well as the policy initiatives and key theories that have significantly influenced post compulsory education and training. Focus on collaborative approaches to evaluation and problem solving to identify potential areas for innovation and change in teaching, learning and assessment. Investigate what is available in your own institution within this context, particularly for SEND. Develop your own teaching practice to promote key skills in English and Maths and discover how technology can be used to enhance teaching and learning. Research inclusive practice that will help you to implement a range of strategies in the field of inclusion.

Advancing Subject Specialist Teaching and Professional Development (20 credits)

Reflect upon your approaches to teaching, learning and assessment in your subject specialist area, as well as your journey as a student teacher, setting targets for future progression. Demonstrate your ability to develop, improve and sequence your lessons and further refine your knowledge and awareness of the wider curriculum as it applies to your subject specialism and professional practice. Work collaboratively to investigate and improve an aspect of your subject curriculum and teaching practice. Learn how to conduct research in a way that will allow you to judge the effectiveness of your teaching and take informed steps to implement a curriculum intervention you have developed.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Facilities

You'll be based at the recently refurbished Wearside View, situated on the award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's. This stunning riverside location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

For the Professional Graduate Certificate, you'll usually need to hold a 2:2 (or above) honours degree from a UK Higher Education institution or an equivalent qualification and be deemed suitable to train to teach by the School of Education at the University of Sunderland.

For the Certificate route (part-time on-campus), the entry requirements are as follows:

HNC, an advanced NVQ Level 3/4, or Professional Qualifications
Evidence of work experience.

It's an entry requirement for both part-time on-campus qualifications that you must also have:

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
Completed a medical pro forma (based on DFEE Circular 8/92).

You'll also need English and maths GCSEs at grade C or above or equivalent. If you've studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

Applicants invited for an interview will be asked to complete a pre-interview written task, participate in a group activity, and complete a short in-house literacy assessment.

If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Fees and finance

The fee for this course is £2,750.

This part-time course isn't available to international students.

If you're unsure whether you qualify as a UK, EU, or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

When you complete this PCET course you will have a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) qualification or a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (ProfGCE) depending on which route you follow. Please note that this course does not lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Previous graduates of this PCET course have gone on to employment within Further Education colleges, sixth form colleges, training organisations, and prison education.

Following successful completion of the course and once in a teaching post, you will be able to apply to the Society for Education and Training (SET) who provide the recognition route to Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status through their professional formation process.

Teaching practice placement

We will help to arrange a minimum of 100 hours teaching practice placement in the Learning and Skills sector over the course of your two years of study (minimum of 50 hours teaching practice per year). Your practice placement will provide you with valuable opportunities to work alongside experienced teachers and to learn how to design, deliver, assess, and evaluate teaching and learning in the sector. You will be supported and guided by a subject specialist mentor who will be allocated to you through the University of Sunderland’s Placement Office. Please note that you will be expected to pay for your own travel to and from placement.

Related courses

ProfGCE Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) Pre-Service

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Education and Society.

Page last updated: 21 February 2024

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.