(Secondary) Physical Education PGCE

Course structure

All teaching takes place at the School of Sport and Health Sciences, based in Eastbourne, where there are extensive sports facilities such as six badminton court-sized sports halls, two gymnasiums, plus a fitness suite, Astro turf pitch and swimming pool.

When studying with us at the university, you’ll experience and learn how to teach practical physical education through The A-list of physical activities. These include physical activities considered to be less conventional compared to more established types of activities. The A-list includes the following non-conventional physical activities: 

• Alternative – Physical activities that depart from or challenge traditional norms and are considered to be non-traditional in a UK context such as tchoukball, kin-ball and korfball.
• Adapted – Physical activities suited to pupils with additional learning needs but that can also be practiced by all pupils within secondary schools such as boccia, goalball and new age kurling.
• Artistic – Physical activities related to cultural and artistic forms of dance.
• Aesthetic – Physical activities that are creative and involve a combination of movements requiring precision, fluency and control such as urban gymnastics, cheerleading and trampolining.
• Aquatic – Physical activities that take place in or on the water such as swimming, synchronised swimming, water aerobic dancing, water polo, life-saving and personal survival.
• Athletic – Physical activities that require physical skill, agility and stamina such as street surfing.
• Adventurous – Physical activities that require precise problem-solving and decision making skills such as orienteering and climbing.
• Aerobic – Physical activities that are sustained and require low to high intensity such as jogging, rowing and cycling.
• Anaerobic – Physical activities that are non-endurance activities involving speed strength and power such as sprinting, jumping, and throwing.

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, spending two-thirds of your year teaching, under supervision. You'll also have the opportunity to visit additional schools or colleges as part of the Peer Observation programme.

Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement. You will receive comprehensive feedback during this time, enabling you to see what you are doing well and where you might need to improve.

You will have the opportunity to organise group activities which reflect contemporary expectations of physical education teachers and the individual needs of pupils from diverse backgrounds. 

The campus is excellently equipped with multimedia training materials, giving you the opportunity to develop your confidence and competence in the use of ICT. Our multimedia suites are regularly updated to keep up with technological advancements in classroom teaching provision. 

Activities which you may take part in or organise yourself include:

• inclusive festivals, in which you prepare a series of activities for pupils with moderate, profound and multiple learning difficulties. Activities will include boccia, new age kurling, goalball, parachute games and dance
• outdoor adventure days allow you to facilitate a day of on-site outdoor and adventurous activities for pupils
• active student volunteer programmes give you the opportunity to provide out-of-school-hours activities for local primary school pupils. The activities include swimming, lifestyle activities, trampolining and gymnastics.

Areas of study

This course covers the national curriculum range of content for physical education. You'll experience practical and theoretical modules that are based upon research-informed practice by the route leader, Dr Gary Stidder, who is an established academic and active researcher in the field of physical education.

The course also includes health-related exercise, the use of new and emerging technologies in physical education, thematic teaching and learning in physical education, inclusive practice in physical education and the teaching of accredited courses in physical education.

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

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

The education and professional studies strand gives 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 competency 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 teaching, learning, management and assessment strategies in order to meet the varying needs of learners
• understand how the progress and wellbeing of learners is affected by different influences and know how to take account of the principles of equality, inclusion and diversity.

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

The subject education module is specifically related to teaching PE in school, while the subject study module enables you to take your subject specialist studies to an increased depth. You can earn 20 masters-level credits through the assessment for the subject study module.

The school placements/professional practice strand is intrinsically linked to all key strands of the course and is designed to enable you to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive as creative, informed and critical professionals.

You will engage in target setting and action planning, and reflect upon your learning in order to make improvements as you progress through the emerging, embedding and enhancing phases of trainee teacher development towards meeting the Teachers’ Standards and the award of Qualified Teacher Status at the end of the course.

Placements

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 wellbeing 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.

Meet the course leader

Dr Gary Stidder

Principal lecturer and route leader: Physical Education (Secondary)

Gary graduated from Brunel University in 1986 with a BEd (Honours) Degree with Qualified Teacher Status in Physical Education and English. Gary is a former secondary school physical education teacher and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the USA during 1990-1991. Gary completed his Master’s Degree in Education in 1998 and went on to complete his PhD in 2008 both at the University of Brighton.

Gary is co-editor (with Sid Hayes) of ‘The Really Useful Physical Education Book: Learning and Teaching Across the 7–14 Age Range’ (2010) and the first and second editions of ‘Equity and Inclusion in Physical Education and Sport’ (2003; 2012) published by Routledge. Gary holds the University award for teaching excellence, and is the co-founder and Deputy Director of the University of Brighton’s pioneering Football 4 Peace International Project in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Northern Ireland, The Republic of Ireland, South Korea, South Africa and The Gambia which has been operating since 2001.

In July 2008 Gary was presented with a national award from the Association for Physical Education (AfPE) for his contribution to research and scholarship in the field of Physical Education and in 2013 was awarded the University of Brighton’s award for Staff Excellence in Community Engagement in recognition of his contribution to widening participation and social engagement. Gary’s single authored publication ‘Becoming a Physical Education Teacher’ was published in 2015 by Routledge. In 2016 Gary co-edited (With Sid Hayes) ‘The Really Useful Physical Education Book; Teaching and Learning Across the 11 – 16 Age Range’.

In 2017 Gary was appointed as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg for his contribution to the development of the National Curriculum for Physical Education in South Africa. In 2018 Gary was awarded the Honoured Members Award by the Association for Physical Education for making a difference at National and International level over a lengthy and sustained period of time. Gary received the highest accolade that the Association can bestow on a single individual at the AfPE National conference held at St Georgie’s Park in Nottinghamshire (National Training Centre of the English Football Association) on July 3rd. His award was in recognition for his outstanding and distinguished long service during which he has contributed significantly to the National and International development of physical education.

Read Gary's full profile.

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.

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.

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.

Course fees

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 2023–24.

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.

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