PGCE Secondary Drama

Our full-time PGCE Secondary Drama course spans from the beginning of September to the beginning of July. You'll gain experience in a wide variety of schools including primary and special schools. The programme is structured to ensure that you acquire expertise in core teaching skills and attributes, but also contains enough flexibility to allow you to individualise your training during professional development weeks.

You'll graduate with a PGCE with QTS and 60 Master's Level Credits - these can contribute to a full Master's qualification to further develop your professional and academic expertise.

Overview

At the heart of the PGCE Secondary programme is the notion of the teacher as a reflective practitioner. The course nurtures and develops a reflective approach to teaching and learning, and encourages BSTs (Bath Spa Teachers) to take a critical stance in their work. The Professional Studies programme is at the core of the PGCE Secondary programme, which integrates both University and partnership training.

You'll be organised in mixed subject groups, positioning you as a BST in the broader context of professional practice. The key generic and pedagogical issues addressed take you beyond the confines of the traditional subject curriculum.

The PGCE year starts with an initial preparatory period which tackles the notion of the role of the teaching professional, with an emphasis on the Drama practitioner. Through Professional Studies, and subject and pedagogical teaching modules, you'll begin to develop an understanding of the breadth of the role of the teacher as well as becoming familiar with the subject knowledge, skills, and pedagogies associated with your own particular subject.

Throughout the PGCE year, you'll track your experiences. Towards the end of the programme, you'll have the opportunity to undertake your own personalised professional development, through the opportunity to experience situations you have not yet come across. These may include schools in challenging circumstances, or working with pupils with English as an additional language - depending on the setting you have worked most closely with thus far. Furthermore, these weeks offer you the opportunity to enrich your profile, for example by teaching a subsidiary subject or specialising in working with pupils with special educational needs.

Careers

This Secondary teacher training course produces outstanding teachers with the relevant skills, knowledge, understanding and experiences necessary to face the challenges of the twenty-first-century teacher.

On successful completion of the programme, you'll be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Level 7), with a recommendation to the Department for Education for the award of Qualified Teacher Status. This enables qualified Bath Spa Teachers to apply for a wider range of teaching posts and other education-based employment.

In order to apply you'll need to have completed, or be in the final year of a UK degree (or an equivalent qualification). You’re required to have a good honours degree or above in Drama or a related subject with at least 50% suitable drama content. You'll also need GCSE passes at grade 4/C or above (or recognised equivalents) in English and Mathematics. In addition, for some Secondary programmes you are also required to have an A-level in the subject.