PGCE Secondary: History

The PGCE History course at Roehampton is based on a successful partnership with local schools, where experienced mentors join university tutors in teaching the programme. The course sets out to give you a sense of the place of history in a multicultural society. It also equips you to teach across secondary and to foster learning across the wide spectrum of abilities found in local schools. You will enter the lively debates surrounding history teaching and the place of history in the whole school curriculum, including history’s contribution to literacy and citizenship.

The course is an active and demanding combination of teaching and learning methods, including simulations of classroom activities, individual tutorials, and group sessions. You are encouraged to share your own expertise and experience. We take advantage of developments in e learning to stay in touch during placements, to encourage collaborative and creative teaching, and to promote reflective and effective practice. Written assignments give you the opportunity to explore the most recent developments in research into teaching and learning, while building upon your grounding in history at undergraduate or master’s level.

Many of our subject rooms are set up to resemble classrooms, ensuring that from your first day at university you will be in a school environment. This is important for your full immersion into the school environment and familiarity with the way classrooms are structured, and the type of resources teachers need daily.

All our academic staff have extensive teaching experience in schools, and many have served in local authorities or subject associations as advisory teachers, as Ofsted inspectors or as consultants. This means that our programmes are based on the reality of the classroom and the education system. Many works at the cutting edge of research in teacher education, which has a positive impact on the quality of provision for all our students.

Applicants should have an approved degree in history or in a closely related subject that has a large percentage of history content (at least 50%). Early application is advisable. Applicants are encouraged to gain some familiarity with schools through work experience or observation, prior to interview, where possible. Interviews will include written and practical tasks related to the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3 in History.