Welcome to the PGCE Secondary course at the Department of Education, Kingston University. We hope that you will enjoy your year with us and find it stimulating and rewarding. This page provides you with a checklist of things you need to do before the start of the course.
The PGCE course consists of a challenging combination of modules designed to stimulate your thinking and develop your knowledge of the secondary curriculum. It will prepare you to teach your own subject specialism(s) as well as considering how overarching themes, such as creativity, critical thinking, identity and cultural diversity are necessary components of a pupil's experiences at school. Specifically, you will develop your understanding of how teachers encourage their pupils to be successful learners and confident individuals who can make positive contributions to the school and wider communities.
The course is challenging, combining taught components with experience in school and wider educational contexts. In addition, there will be many opportunities to work collaboratively with your peers, tutors and teachers to help you meet the demands of post-graduate study leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status. You will work with your peers within your own subject specialism(s) and also across the curriculum with colleagues from other secondary subjects. Working in this way reflects the high priority given in the teaching profession to working in a team with colleagues.
The masters level modules will support your ongoing professional development beyond the course and into your career as a teacher.
There are further opportunities to develop your areas of interest through personal research and seminar discussions supported by reflections on school experience. This work, together with visits and a course programme enriched with input from school colleagues and your tutors, will enable you to extend your skills and your knowledge of innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
This introductory material provides you with important information and also outlines some required activities, to be undertaken before you commence the course in September. This will start to prepare you for what will be a demanding but exciting year, in which it will be essential that you carefully organise your time in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Your tutors are looking forward to meeting with you on what is a challenging but rewarding course.
In the meantime, if there is anything further you wish to know or have clarified, please get in touch.
James Wright
PGCE Secondary Lead
Action | When | |
---|---|---|
1 | Complete and submit your Occupational Health questionnaire | Within two days of receiving Fit 4 Jobs email |
2 | Complete online DBS application and take original documents to Post Office for verification | As soon as you receive the online DBS activation email from First Advantage Know Your People. |
3 | Sign up to the Update Service and submit completed form | Within 19 days of your DBS certificate issue date |
4 | Obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct if you have spent time living overseas for more than 3 months in the last 5 years. | Submit as soon as possible. |
5 | Upload outstanding qualification certificates to OSIS in order to meet offer conditions. | As soon as possible. |
6 | Complete the School Experience Placements form | Within five days of receiving the pre-course website link. |
7 | Read and submit completed Placement Policy Form | As soon as possible. |
8 | Preparatory reading and complete pre-course tasks. | July to September 2024. |
Term | Term dates | Reading Week |
---|---|---|
Term 1 | 2 September 2024 to 13 December 2024 | 28 October 2024 to 1 November 2024 |
Term 2 | 6 January 2025 to 4 April 2025 | 17 February 2025 to 21 February 2025 |
Term 3 | 22 April 2025 to 27 June 2025 | 26 May 2025 to 30 May 2025 |
These are provisional dates and may be subject to change.
You may find that your school half-term does not fall in the same week as the reading week, particularly in October. If this is the case, you will be expected to go into school during the reading week.
Please also note that although the course finishes on Friday 27 June 2025, you are advised not to book any holidays for a further two weeks in case you have to make up any missed days at school.
Please complete these forms for your School Experience placements:
You will be able to download the pre-course reading list and tasks for your subject, as listed below.
Name | Title | Email address |
---|---|---|
James Wright | Citizenship Subject Leader | j.t.wright@kingston.ac.uk |
Hazel Joannides | English Subject Leader | h.joannides@kingston.ac.uk |
Su Kler | Mathematics Subject Leader | s.kler@kingston.ac.uk |
Charlie Paton | PE Subject Leader | c .paton@kingston.ac.uk |
James English | Science Subject Leader | l.english@kingston.ac.uk |
Please visit the DBS and Occupational Health page to complete your DBS, Update Service and Occupational Health information.
University department | Contact number | Email address |
---|---|---|
Department of Education | 020 3308 9932 Press Option 4, then 2 and 2 again to get through to Education Admissions. |
education@kingston.ac.uk |
Main Switchboard | 020 8417 9000 | |
Accommodation services | 020 8417 7311 | accommodation@kingston.ac.uk |
Fees and funding (undergraduate) | 020 8417 7312 | studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk |
Fees and funding (postgraduate) | 020 8417 7312 | studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk |
Student life advisory | 020 8417 7312 | |
Disability and mental health support | 020 8417 7314 | disability@kingston.ac.uk |
Contact details for external organisations | Contact number |
---|---|
Kingston Hill | |
Student Finance England | 0300 100 0607 |
Disabled Students' Allowance | n/a |
First Advantage Online Disclosures | 0115 969 4600 |
Your course will be taught at the Kingston Hill campus, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB.
View campus information, directions and public transport options on the Kingston Hill webpage.