Training to Teach in England... in London... at St Mary s University (Strawberry Hill) St Mary s University Waldegrave Road Strawberry Hill Twickenham London TW1 4SX United Kingdom Tel +44 (0) 20 8240 4000 www.stmarys.ac.uk/pgce pgceprimary@stmarys.ac.uk pgcesecondary@stmarys.ac.uk Training to Teach at St Mary s 1
Leafy London St Mary s has all the advantages of a great London location with the tranquillity of a beautiful self-contained campus in a safe suburb. Our location is hard to beat. We are close to Heathrow Airport and within easy reach of other London airports, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted but within walking distance of a variety of local activities. You will fi nd everything you need right on your doorstep. Teddington and Twickenham offer a wide range of shops, restaurants and pubs. The riverside towns of Kingston and Richmond upon Thames are just a short bus ride away where you will fi nd cinemas, live music venues, night clubs, theatres and pubs, all of which offer discounts to St Mary s students. For fresh air, the nearby Royal Parks in Richmond and Teddington have hundreds of acres of beautiful, secluded woodland for getaway-from-it-all walks plus space for cycling or running. Also close by are historic Strawberry Hill House, The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew and Henry VIII s Hampton Court Palace. I made up my mind to come here after the open morning visit and chat with my subject tutor. It is a very pleasant environment and I value the pastoral element. PGCE Modern Languages trainee Central London is just 30 minutes away by train from Strawberry Hill to Waterloo, giving the opportunity to take advantage of everything it has to offer: from shops and entertainment to the cultural and educational benefi ts of access to theatres, galleries and the latest exhibitions. London on your doorstep 30 mins Central London 25 mins Kew Gardens 20 mins Hampton Court 15 mins Kingston 10 mins Twickenham Tour our campus You can fi nd a virtual University tour on our website at www.stmarys.ac.uk/virtual-tours For more info on our location Visit www.stmarys.ac.uk/student-life/location 2 St Mary s University Twickenham London
Welcome / Fáilte If you are thinking about becoming a teacher, this document outlines a supportive option away from home. The education provision in all countries is constantly under review and refinement and, as a consequence, so is the teacher training provision. Back in September 2014, the Irish Teaching Council introduced a new two-year post graduate certificate for education (PGCE). At the time some newly qualified teachers in Ireland had to wait on average five years to secure a permanent full time teaching post. The competition for places for the ITC s PGCE route is very competitive and you have to pay for two years of study. At St Mary s, we would like to offer you an additional opportunity to fulfil your ambition to become a teacher. In speaking with some of our present Irish students, they highlighted why training to teach in England could be an attractive proposition for some students: } Shortage of subject bursaries up to 26,000 tax free paid to you by the UK government to train to be a teacher. } The course costs compared to Ireland our one year PGCE courses cost 9,250 with student loans available. } The readily available opportunities for full-time teaching contracts on completion of the course being paid approximately 27,000 as a newly qualified teacher with the option to complete a full Masters. The Irish students have chosen St Mary s specifically because of its: } welcoming campus } speciality in Teacher Education } Outstanding OFSTED grade } Catholic foundation } competitive Gaelic Football and Hurling teams } extremely positive reputation within Ireland. Look us up St Mary s University Waldegrave Road Strawberry Hill Twickenham TW1 4SX T +44 (0)20 8240 4000 www.stmarys.ac.uk/pgce In addition, the access routes onto St Mary s PGCE courses are sometimes less stringent and more flexible than those highlighted to access the ITC s PGCE course. Our mission } The mission of St Mary s University is to prepare its students for flourishing lives, successful careers and social commitment through excellent, research-enriched teaching in a strong community of mutual respect based on our Catholic ethos and identity. } The School of Education, Theology and Leadership is committed to students personal development and enhancement and is one of only 13 Initial Teacher Education providers in the country to be awarded Outstanding by OFSTED across all areas of programme provision (Primary and Secondary). } The PGCE aims to produce teachers of the highest quality, achieved when students match the commitment and dedication of teachers and tutors throughout the programme. The course seeks to prepare teachers for both religious and secular schools. We welcome people of all faiths and those of none. Training to Teach at St Mary s 3
Richmond Train and Tube Station District Line 20 min bus/25 min cycle For trains to London and other local destinations. Twickenham 15 min walk/5 min cycle For restaurants, bars, cafés and shopping. Bus stop The R68 bus service to Kew, Richmond and Hampton Court. Library Services 24:7 Access to IT facilities. All the books, journals and online resources you need. Studios, classrooms and lecture theatres Campus Entrance and Visitor Reception Staffed 24 hours a day. Strawberry Hill Station 5 min walk For trains to London and other local destinations. 4 St Mary s University Twickenham London Bus stop The number 33 is a 24-hour service to Hammersmith, Richmond, Twickenham and Teddington. The Chaplaincy
Teddington Lock Sports Campus 20 min walk Over 16 acres of playing fields with football, rugby, cricket and all weather pitches. Kingston 20 min bus/25 min cycle For restaurants, bars, cafés and shopping. Dolce Vita Café Theatre School of Education, Theology & Leadership Refectory Classrooms, lecture theatres, laboratories and IT suites Teddington 15 min bus/5 min cycle For restaurants, bars, cafés and shopping. Sports Centre State-of-the-art Performance Hall, IFI accredited Fitness Suite, Conditioning Suite Training to Teach at St Mary s 5
Why St Mary s? We have a large number of Irish students that choose to complete their initial teacher training with us. The students highlight the following as the main reasons for choosing St Mary s University: } Our welcoming campus } Our Outstanding OFSTED grade one of only two institutions in London and one of a handful nationally } Our history } Our positive reputation within Ireland St Mary s University has a long and distinguished history for the education of teachers. It was founded in 1850 by the Catholic Poor Schools Committee to meet the need for teachers to provide an education for the growing numbers of poor Catholic children. Our history was recognised with a Papal visit in 2010 and our Irish heritage means that we have competitive Gaelic football and hurling teams. The University has about 5,500 students and currently around a third of this total have Education modules within their studies. We are London s second largest teacher training course provider. St Mary s is located between Twickenham and Teddington in South West London, yet within half an hour of the centre of London by train. We are near the River Thames, close to sports facilities and shopping centres in Twickenham, Richmond and Kingston. The campus size sustains a friendly atmosphere and we offer a variety of learning environments from traditional teaching areas to the more informal café. We make good use the University s virtual learning environment and buddy systems in place for student teachers to support each other during the course. At St Mary s, we have the strongest commitment to student teacher support, normally visiting student teachers in school at least three times over the duration of the course, and more often if needed. We see tutors retaining contact with student teachers while they are school-based as a major factor in our support of success. The PGCE course at St Mary s University The PGCE is a university-led professional training programme. Students are prepared for a teaching career in partnership with schools that are formally linked to St Mary s. This provides an excellent framework within which to develop their skills. Course structure The one-year PGCE programmes start at the very beginning of September with an induction period, and then weeks split between days at the University and days in school. The course is university-led, not university-based, as most of your time will be based in partner schools. The course ends in June, allowing employment from July. Teaching The course team uses a variety of teaching and learning approaches, including lectures, collaborative, paired and small group work, practical and resourceful approaches, workshop sessions, use of technology, individual and group student presentations and some self-supported study. External crosscurricular visits to museums and exhibitions, also take place. This range of strategies meets the needs of a range of learning styles and provides good role modelling for student teachers. Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is awarded when students have successfully achieved all the standards laid down by the Department for Education. Course work assignments complement work in schools and assist in gaining the QTS Standards. These assignments encourage you to be thoughtful and reflective, but also reinforce the evidence-based nature of the course assessment, which is continuous and developmental. Selfassessment and evaluation of both school and university-based work is important. Modules of the Catholic Certificate of Religious Studies can be completed during your PGCE year. 6 St Mary s University Twickenham London
Course overview The PGCE courses address all generic aspects of teaching including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Behaviour management, planning assessment and target setting, plus the implementation of government initiatives. The intensity of the course demands self-motivated study but strong academic and tutorial support is readily available. The courses are just under 40 weeks long, of which at least 24 weeks is spent in school. You will be allocated two different placements in partner schools organised for you by St Mary s. Whilst there, you will have weekly training sessions from an experienced subject mentor and visits from a St Mary s tutor. For Primary, importance is given to the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science. Professional studies is integral to all subjects and courses are provided in foundation subjects of the National Curriculum including Physical Education. Emphasis is also given to Religious Education in addressing the mission of St Mary s. Our Secondary PGCE is organised by subject specific courses with whole cohort learning sessions for a number of cross-curricular topics. School placements are organised and coordinated, centrally, by St Mary s staff. During school placements, trainees are supported both by teachers in their placement schools and their tutors at St Mary s. An additional 30 Masters credits can be completed as the PGCE programme finishes. This leaves our teacher trainees with a total of 90 Masters credits (45 ECTS). The minimum academic pre-requisites are normally GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grades C or above (or their equivalent) and an awarded degree, 2.2 or above. For primary, you will need a GCSE in Science at GCSE C grade or above. For applications to our secondary PGCE course, the degree classification can vary depending on the subject and you do not always need to have a degree in line with the area you would like to teach. For Secondary applications, we strongly advise that you contact us to find the precise up to date entry requirements. At present, St Mary s offers the following one year full-time courses: Geography Mathematics Modern Languages Physical Education Religious Education Science with Biology Science with Chemistry Science with Physics. Please be aware that some courses are extremely competitive and fill very quickly. Please contact us to for details of places available on each course. Assessment through the course is continuous. Written essays and audits of subject knowledge form an integral part of assessment procedures. High standards of attendance, punctuality and participation are requirements of all course elements. The opportunity to gain 60 Masters credits is embedded within the PGCE course and in most years, approximately 95% of students successfully achieve the credits, which they can later build upon during their teaching career to gain a full Masters in Education. We have a very successful student teachers employment record after the course with well over 95% of our teacher trainees securing posts as class teachers within six months of qualifying. Additionally, it is worth noting that over two thirds of our PGCE student teachers begin their teaching career in one of our partner schools a record of which we are proud and which pleases our partner schools. This reflects positively on our expertise and experience in matching our trainees with our partner schools. Training to Teach at St Mary s 7
How to apply Almost all the applications to Initial Teacher Training within England are made through UCAS Teach (www.ucas.com). The UCAS application system for teacher training opens for browsing in early October and applications can be submitted a couple of weeks later for courses that start the following September. We would encourage early applications because individual providers can close their own courses within that time scale so it is worth check with us when you apply. In general terms, a minimum of a 2.2 degree classification is required to enter the teaching profession within the UK. Funding The fee for our PGCE is 9250 but the UK government has for teaching in England a whole range of bursaries that are available to EU citizens. The level of funding can be dependent on the classification of your first degree. In addition, there are private scholarships available in certain shortage subject areas. Preparation for your application St Mary s would like every applicant to have made an informed decision about entering the teaching profession. Part of the expectation associated with making an informed decision requires you to have spent some time observing the teaching in the phase of Education (Primary or Secondary) that you are applying to, and specifically in your chosen subject for Secondary. Please check the university s website thoroughly for the particular details associated with the course that you intend applying for www.stmarys.ac.uk/teacher-training/pgce/overview.aspx. In checking that you have the appropriate GCSE qualification grades, please be aware that the following equivalence exists with the Irish Leaving Certificate. Accepted Irish qualifications equivalent to C grade at GCSE: } Irish leaving certificate (Ordinary Level) Grade C or above } Irish leaving certificate (Higher level) Grade D or above Route back to Ireland Through the St Mary s PGCE programme, you have the opportunity to complete up to half of a Masters degree. For any initial teacher training qualification, it is European Law that you must complete a probationary period within the same country. In England this is called your Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year. Additional modules from our Masters programme can be taken in order to complete your Masters qualification in full. It is possible that, by the end of your second year of teaching, you could achieve a Masters degree with St Mary s, which will support your application to teach in Ireland, where this qualification is mandatory. There may be a requirement to top up some aspect of your qualifications, for example, Irish Language qualifications, in order to meet the Irish Teaching Council criteria. A three year plan Here at St Mary s, we would ask you to consider looking at training to teach in England as a minimum of a three year plan. Year One Teacher training } Gain two qualifications (Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a PGCE). } Claim bursaries, currently up to 26000 Year Two Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) } Begin to embed the practice of teaching in your first full time role approximately 27,000 per year } Look to build on your Masters credit with St Mary s University Year Three NQT +1 } Complete your Masters degree } Check ITC expectations to complete any top ups Discover more Primary PGCE Admissions Tutor Susan Taylor T +44 (0)20 8240 4367 E pgceprimary@stmarys.ac.uk Secondary PGCE Admissions Tutor Clive Woolger T +44 (0)20 8240 4154 E pgcesecondary@stmarys.ac.uk PGCE Admissions Department T +44 (0)20 8240 4027 E pgceadmit@stmarys.ac.uk Wellbeing Team (Learning support) T +44 (0)20 8240 4353 E wellbeing@stmarys.ac.uk Fees and finance T +44 (0)20 8240 4035/4237 E feesoffice@stmarys.ac.uk How to apply All applications must be made through UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) www.ucas.com. Useful websites www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/teacher- training Get into Teaching getintoteaching.education.gov.uk 8 St Mary s University Twickenham London