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(Secondary) History PGCE

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Intro

The University of Brighton is one of the UK's largest teacher training universities, rated Outstanding by Ofsted in our most recent inspection.

This PGCE prepares you to teach history in the 11–16 age phase, often with enrichment opportunities to teach age 16–18.

The course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which enables you to teach in schools in England - it is also recognised in Wales once registered with The Education Workforce Council (EWC).

Studying with us, you will have access to excellent resources and gain practical experience in two contrasting schools. We have partnerships with over 600 schools and colleges in the south east offering opportunities in large, small, urban and rural settings.

You will be mentored by a successful teaching team with an outstanding national reputation and comprehensive research profile that informs course content.

Tips on applying for teacher training.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

Course code V1X1

Full-time 1 year

Book your place: Postgraduate Train to Teach event

See all of our upcoming events

Apply now with DfE Apply

Course content

Course structure

Two-thirds of your year will be spent teaching, under supervision, in schools. Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement. You will receive comprehensive feedback during this time, enabling you to see where you are doing well and where you could improve.

The university works in partnership with schools and colleges to provide a high quality programme of support, ensuring a sound relationship between theory and practice. You will benefit from undertaking two placements in two schools or colleges, with the opportunity to visit additional schools or colleges as part of the 'Peer Observation' programme.

In your teaching role you will introduce pupils to key developments of the past and support them in becoming critical thinkers with a deep understanding of how Britain and the wider world has been shaped. You will empower pupils to ask complex questions, gather and weigh evidence, work through arguments and develop perspective and judgement.

You will be encouraged to approach your teaching strategies creatively, to aid the progress of your pupils and your own emerging skills as an history teacher. You will learn and practice a variety of teaching approaches and innovative classroom practices on this programme. Your learning will involve:

  • tutor and student-led seminars and presentations
  • practical workshops
  • group-work
  • drama and role play
  • media-based activities
  • tutorials
  • sessions by visiting specialist lecturers
  • independent directed study
  • external national courses
  • active learning and a range of history pedagogies.

You will have access to multimedia training materials, giving you the opportunity to develop your confidence and competence in the use of digital technologies. Our multimedia suites are regularly updated to keep up with technological advancements in classroom teaching provision. The Curriculum Centre and Falmer Library on campus contain a wealth of history materials that you can draw upon to use in the classroom.

Please enable targeting cookies in order to view this video content on our website, or you can watch the video on YouTube.

We will support you in the development of your subject knowledge by:

  • the use of a subject audit
  • skills exchanges
  • the maintaining of an ongoing subject knowledge folder.

Areas of study

A number of support systems are put in place before and during the course, to help students develop their subject knowledge in key history curriculum areas. 

There are four strands to this course: history subject study/subject education, education an professional studies, school placements and professional development.

Course content is kept up to date with changes in local and national initiatives and legislation, so you will be confident that your working knowledge is based on current theory and practice.

The subject study/subject education strand builds upon your existing expertise in history and provides you with the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of history in the secondary school context. You will consider the learning and teaching strategies that are relevant to the specialist subject in supporting pupil progress. 

You can earn 40 masters-level credits through the assessment for the subject study/ education module.

The education and professional studies strand will give you a thorough understanding of the learning process itself, including an appreciation of individual differences. The study of the principles and practices of learning and teaching is through both school and university settings, allowing you to develop practical competencies, supported by analytical skills. By the end of the course you will:

  • refine your understanding of pedagogy, including an appreciation of current and emerging educational theories and debate
  • understand how to use and adapt a range of teaching, learning, management and assessment strategies in order to meet the varying needs of learners
  • understand how the progress and well-being of learners is affected by a range of influences and know how to take account of the principles of equality, inclusion and diversity.

Professional development is intrinsically linked to all key strands of the programme and is designed to enable you to evaluate critically and reflect upon your learning in order to make improvements. You will be expected to gather and justify evidence of your achievements on a regular basis and develop and implement improvement plans.

Students use an e-portfolio to record their achievements, and this is reviewed throughout the course. An action plan is used to support professional development during placements and makes up a significant part of the improvement planning process.

At the end of the course, the e-portfolio helps to provide evidence that you have met the Teachers’ Standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

Four students walking in front of the Checkland Building at Falmer, casting long shadows

School-based training

Ofsted identify our approach to training in schools as a key strength of this course, with an excellent balance between university tuition and school-based training.

You will spend a minimum of 120 days on school-based activities, with your training shared between the university and the partner school. 

Your school-based training will include observing teachers, working with individual pupils and groups of pupils, team teaching and independent teaching. Your training will also entail completing specific subject tasks and developing your knowledge of school policy and effective practices.

You will maintain a professional training portfolio and be supported to review your work critically and analytically as well as to set appropriately challenging targets. We will also develop an action plan with you to identify strengths, development needs and actions, so that your practice is continually developing.

Key aims of the school-based training:

  • advance the development of your professional attributes, skills, knowledge and understanding
  • provide practical and specific experiences that enable you to critically analyse your professional practice and take responsibility for your own professional development
  • enable you to work collaboratively with colleagues in order to develop an understanding of the ways in which the attainment, development and well-being of all learners can be achieved with a unified support and teaching system
  • provide opportunities that enable you to adopt a creative and constructively critical approach towards your practice, supported by appropriate reading and research.

During your school-based training, university tutors, school mentors and teachers will support you and take shared responsibility for your professional development.

Your progress will be observed and assessed throughout your placement by university and school staff, followed by feedback sessions to discuss your development. Your e-portfolio will also be evaluated as part of the overall assessment.

Organising your school-based training

Our Partnership Office will organise the school-based training for you. Each year we organise over 2,500 placements for our students. We work hard to ensure that you have placement opportunities that will give you valuable and varied experiences in the area of education in which you are interested.

How it works

We will ask you to complete a placement information form when you start your course, and will use this information to match you to a suitable placement. We will consider your previous experience, travelling distance, the age ranges you wish to teach, and your current needs.

Once we have matched you with a placement, the team in the Partnership Office will confirm the placement as quickly as possible with the school or organisation. They will then contact you with the placement details. Almost all of our placements will be with partner schools or organisations in south-east England, most of them in East and West Sussex.

Ofsted

In our most recent Initial Teacher Education inspection report, the University of Brighton was graded 'outstanding'.

Ofsted identified some of our key strengths as:

  • the very high attainment of the majority of trainees
  • the expertly designed and diverse range of programmes that respond to trainees' backgrounds, needs and interests as well as to national priorities
  • the outstanding progress made by trainees as a result of training, which enables them to fulfil their potential
  • inspirational teaching, tutoring and mentoring that model the best teaching and give trainees the ambition to reach the highest standards
  • highly reflective trainees who demonstrate good subject knowledge and a breadth of understanding of how to teach
  • an excellent range of training experiences that effectively prepare trainees to teach in a diverse society
  • the excellent resources available to trainees
  • leadership that is dynamic in its approach to anticipating change and solving problems
  • a visionary approach to innovation and change.
Ofsted Outstanding provider

School Direct 

School Direct is an alternative route to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and the University of Brighton is working with a number of schools to deliver this programme across a range of secondary subjects as well as in the primary phase. 

To train as a teacher through the School Direct programme you need to apply directly to a school for a School Direct training place, with schools advertising their vacancies on the UCAS Teacher Training website. The University of Brighton supports School Direct through providing training and assessment opportunities at the request of participating schools.

Find out more about School Direct and view vacancies.

Secondary education student teacher in a classroom

 Study here 

Why choose teaching at the University of Brighton?

  • We were rated Outstanding by Ofsted in our 2018 inspection
  • Our graduates benefit from excellent employment rates that are consistently above the sector average
  • We have 600 partner schools and colleges, offering varied placement opportunities to our students
  • We work closely with local authorities, schools, colleges and educational organisations ensuring that our students are kept up to date with the changing world of education
  • Our tutors are experts in their area of research and have published numerous academic publications
  • We offer several routes into teaching with the opportunity to engage in professional development after graduating
  • We have a dedicated team to help you after you qualify, through our NQT support programme
  • We’re one of the UKs largest teacher training universities, educating teachers and leaders for over 100 years
Two students having a discussion in a classroom

Careers

Preparing for your teaching career

You will graduate from this course equipped with the skills and knowledge to become a confident and competent secondary school teacher.

As well as gaining a PGCE, you will be assessed against the national Teachers’ Standards in order to be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

You’ll benefit from our partnership with over 600 schools, where you’ll gain practical school-based experience in a wide range of settings – large, small, rural and urban.

You will gain a knowledge and understanding of your specialist subject in the secondary school context. You will consider the learning and teaching strategies that are relevant to this subject and develop leadership and management skills.

If you are considering whether a career in teaching is for you, and you are a UK resident, the Department for Education’s School Experience Programme offers between one and 10 days’ classroom experience in a secondary school.

male trainee teacher with group of pupils in a classroom

School-based training

Each phase of your school-based training will give you supported experience and help you gain confidence in your teaching ability.

Our staff will ensure that you are well prepared before your school-based training, and that you have all the support and guidance needed to make the most of these opportunities.

We have partnerships with over 600 schools and settings which offer you opportunities in large, small, urban and rural settings ensuring you will have a well-rounded experience. You will experience time in two contrasting schools during your course.

Your school-based training experiences will include:

  • writing lesson plans and evaluations for the classes you teach
  • engaging in both formative and summative assessment of pupils learning and performance
  • completing your e-portfolio as supporting evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

Each year we organise over 2,500 placements for our students with partner schools and colleges, offering varied placement opportunities. We work hard to ensure that your school-based training will provide you with learning opportunities and valuable experience with the age group you are qualifying to teach.

School-based experience will enable you to demonstrate and grow your knowledge. You'll also make valuable contacts in schools which will help when you are looking for your first teaching role.

secondary religious education students

Facilities for learning

Our facilities include a curriculum centre which contains more than 30,000 specialist resources for trainee teachers including books, DVDs, games and an online catalogue.

Our Falmer campus also houses specialist classrooms that replicate those used in schools so you’ll feel at home when you go on your school-based training and start your career.

Teaching facilities include:

  • science labs
  • art classrooms
  • kiln room
  • dark room
  • design and technology workshop
  • performance studio.
Teaching students in library

Click the image to view a virtual tour of some of our facilities

Graduate destinations

Our teaching graduates benefit from excellent employment rates that are consistently above the sector average.

Career prospects are good; most graduates gain their first teaching posts in school settings as soon as they qualify.

University of Brighton trained teachers are highly sought after by our partnership schools. They are known for their creative and innovative approaches to teaching.

Many of our graduates take on mentoring and leadership roles, or opt for specialist roles such as special education needs.

Our careers service holds an annual teaching recruitment fair on campus which our partner schools attend as they are looking to recruit newly qualified teachers for the next school year.

Group of pupils and fealle trainee teacher walking along a corridoor in school

Early career support

We will continue to support you after you qualify through our early career support programme.

We’ll offer resources, advice, events and drop-in sessions to help you overcome the challenges that many new teachers face in their first few years of working as a qualified teacher. We’ll help you with the next stage of your journey and offer support that will enable you to develop and thrive in your early career.

Our website provides guidance and support for after you graduate, including the latest teaching job vacancies, personal statement feedback, short mock interviews, useful contacts for advice and a variety of helpful resources including videos.

student in classroom

Further study

After completing your NQT year we offer opportunities for you to continue your studies. 

Successful completion of this course means you'll be awarded 60 masters-level credits which can be used towards our Education MA which further integrates academic study with work-based learning and research.

We also offer specialist PGCerts which will enable you to develop in-depth knowledge of a particular subject.

  • Autism PGCert
  • Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) PGCert
Group of students sitting outside on the Falmer campus

Supporting your employability

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and re-discover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick, and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that's not just while you are a student, our support carries on after you've graduated.

Find out more...

Coloured background with the words Be More, Connected, Skilled, Emlployable

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2022. They should be used as a general guide. 

Degree
Normally an honours degree, or equivalent qualification, with at least half of the content having a history focus. 

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and maths. Equivalence tests are available for suitable candidates.

Interviews

Interviews for this course can be in-person at the university or online. Applicants invited to interview will be able to choose a date and which option suits them best.

Experience

While experience in a school is not a condition of entry for initial teacher education courses we recommend that you take up opportunities to gain a realistic understanding of whether teaching is right for you. The Get Into Teaching School Experience Programme offers opportunities across the country to book a day’s worth of experience.

Other

  • All offers of places are subject to a satisfactory health check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check.

  • Applicants from minority ethnic and other groups under-represented in the profession are particularly welcome.

English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 in all elements.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 14,892 GBP

As a postgraduate trainee teacher there is a range of funding available which you could be eligible to receive whilst you are studying:

  • Tax-free bursaries and scholarships – these depend on the subject you are training to teach and your highest relevant academic award. 

On our website you will find information about other funding including:

  • the student finance package from Student Finance England – tuition fee loans and maintenance loans
  • Parents’ Learning Allowance
  • Childcare Grant
  • Care leaver’s bursary
  • Disabled Students’ Allowance.

If you're not a UK citizen, you are unlikely to get help funding your training unless you have permission to live permanently in the UK.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2022–23.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. 7,000 students are based here taking subjects including criminology, English, education, nursing and medicine, paramedic science, psychology and sociology. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources and clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students. Psychology students learn in our applied cognition and flexible creative method labs.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes, and a students' union shop and bar.

The campus sports centre has a fitness suite, activity studios and a sports hall. There is also a floodlit astroturf football pitch, netball and tennis courts.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre and there is a BTN BikeShare hub on site. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine minute journey to central Brighton.


Newly refurbished atrium in the Checkland Building

Accommodation

Brighton: Falmer

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • Falmer campus is linked to the halls on Falmer campus and at Varley Park. All halls are self-catered.
    • Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls are on Falmer campus and offer a range of rooms
    • Varley Park offers a mix of rooms. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent.

Private renting
There's plenty of support if you opt for private renting. This is an option which offers choice and flexibility – enabling you to choose where you live and who with. Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

Falmer campus

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Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Cricket Academy

New for September 2023, our Cricket Academy offers aspiring players the opportunity to continue their cricket development alongside studying for a degree. The programme offers a world-class training environment with the highest quality coaching.

Find out more about the Cricket Academy.

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Book your place: Postgraduate Train to Teach event

See all of our upcoming events

Ask a question about this course

Read our application advice for postgraduate teacher training. The DfE has also produced a helpful short film: what to know when applying for teacher training.

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644
Message the team.

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