Education (Postgraduate Certificate in Education)

The Primary PGCE team is looking forward to welcoming you to The University of Manchester for the start of what will undoubtedly be a very rewarding year of training and teaching!

You will be able to register online from 1 September and your university teaching timetable starts on Monday 5 September. Key dates are as follows:

• 1 September - Online registration starts
• 5 September to 9 September - Induction week and the start of the course
• 5 September to 23 December* - Term 1 taught sessions and placement
• 24 December to 2 January - Independent study and Christmas break
• 3 January to 31 March - Term 2 taught sessions and placement
• 3 April to 14 April - Independent study and Easter break (indicative)
• 17 April to 30 June - Term 3 placement

Please note that any school half-term breaks (in October, February, and May) are University weeks so please do not assume that you will be able to book holidays during these weeks.

*Trainees will follow the same pattern of Easter break dates as their placement school. The dates on this table are indicative only and may not be the same for all schools. We do not advise booking holidays/flights during this time until you know which dates your placement school will take for the Easter break. 

Before the start of the course, you received a pre-course handbook with reflective activities and initial course information.

The main course handbook will be available for you to download from the VLE Blackboard, after registration.

If you still have any outstanding documents to complete or send in, please do so as a priority as this can delay your registration in September and subsequent access to the VLE Blackboard and email.

Most of our university-taught course curriculum sessions will be on campus with the exception of a few whole cohort lectures which may be online.

The first week includes some crucial sessions such as an introduction to your assessment and assignments for QTS, safeguarding in schools, professionalism, effective learning environments, and an introduction to the Teachers’ Standards and Trainee Portfolio.

You will also have your first teaching sessions in maths, English, and science.

Core trainees will meet your university professional tutor and tutor group colleagues.

School Direct (SD) trainees will meet the University School Direct lead.

The first lecture for all trainees will start promptly at 10am on Monday 5 September in Kilburn Building Room 1.1.

Please arrive in good time.

The first day will finish at approximately 4pm.

If you are not familiar with the University campus please refer to the interactive campus map which you can find online.

All university-taught course timetabled sessions usually begin at 9.30am and finish by 4pm.

We will use the TEAMUP calendar app to share the timetable with you and this will include the link to all Zoom sessions and the building/room numbers for campus-based sessions.

Please download the app onto your computer, phone, or tablet before the course starts.

Instructions for this will be sent to you via Blackboard announcements on 1 September.

I am delighted to welcome you to the Secondary PGCE course here in The University of Manchester Institute of Education (MIE), a vibrant and diverse community of staff and students working on educational research projects in classroom pedagogies, inclusive education, mental health, disadvantage and poverty, educational leadership, as well as in teacher education and development.

Much of the research and scholarship that goes on in MIE is with and for teachers and trainee teachers.

The PGCE course that you will soon be joining is recognised as outstanding by our trainees and by Ofsted, and also by our many school and college partners in the North West.

The course is embedded in practice and is part of a successful, energetic, and committed academic and postgraduate community.

Week beginning Monday 5 September

Core PGCE trainees should aim to organise a five-day primary school placement this week, and complete the Primary School Placement assignment.

If you find this placement difficult to arrange at this time, it can be completed at the end of the course, or sometimes during one of your vacation weeks.

School Direct trainees will be contacted by your lead school, with details of arrangements for this week.

Monday 12 September

This is the first day of the University course, marking the beginning of an initial, focused period of just over three weeks of preparing for your first main placement.

Much of the Secondary PGCE course is organised around subject groups.

You are training to be a teacher with a particular specialism, working with your peers and with specialist staff in that subject - but you are also training to be a teacher with wider professional responsibilities, and so another important strand of your training, Educational and Professional Studies (EPS), will take place in cross-subject groups.

Whilst EPS, and some elements of your subject course may take place online we expect most sessions to be face-to-face this year.

Your subject leader will be sending more details of the session course shortly.

Please note, the first day may be online, or may be in-person on campus – your subject leader will be sending more details of this shortly.

You will find information and suggested pre-reading for both your subject and for the EPS strand available on this site, as well as a subject knowledge audit to help you focus your subject knowledge development (you may have received this already).

To become more familiar with the course, its requirements, and the timetable, please read through the mini-handbook.

The main course handbook, and specific subject handbooks, will be available for you to download from the VLE, Blackboard, once you have registered for the course.

Dr Andrew Howes
Course Director, PGCE Secondary
andrew.j.howes@manchester.ac.uk

For all students planning to travel to the UK, it is important to be aware of the current rules and requirements relevant to your circumstances before travelling. The situation is changing on a regular basis, so we strongly advise you regularly check the advice available from the UK Government. There is also support available and useful information on the EU and international students FAQs page. 

Further support for international students can be found below:

• Multicultural Manchester 
• Travel and Visas 
• Accommodation Guarantee 
• International Society 

Our students offer insights on their experiences at The University of Manchester in the resources below. 

• My top tips for preparing for university 
• Preparing to study in the UK as international student 
• My advice for new students from my personal experience 
• Top tips for making the most out of your course: socially and academically 
• AMBS student blogs