What will I study?
You will start with an extensive subject knowledge and understanding audit. This will identify your main strengths and weaknesses, and enable your tutor to focus on your individual development needs.
During a significant period of study on campus, you will develop:
- Understanding of the role RE can play in promoting inter faith dialogue and community cohesion;
- Knowledge of essential educational and pedagogical theory in RE;
- Awareness of appropriate and innovative teaching and assessment methods, including collage and display work, active learning strategies, role play, effective use of IT and presentations, videos, and the requirements of examination boards;
- Strategies to develop students’ understanding of various religious and ethical issues through discussion and debate, research, and field trips to faith communities;
- Understanding of the curriculum and Local Agreed Syllabi*, which influence the teaching of Religious Education according to the concerns and values of the faith communities within a particular area;
- Ability to plan lessons effectively;
- Excellent working knowledge of the latest ICT tools and software used in schools;
- Greater subject knowledge, reflective professional and academic skills such as research methods and methodologies;
- Wider awareness of your role within the teaching profession through study of professional values;
- Knowledge and understanding of RE as Key Stage 3 and Religious Studies at Key Stage 4 and post-16.
How will I study?
A combination of academic study, group discussion and reflection, and practical, work-based learning in the classroom will give you all the knowledge and skills you need to become a creative and innovative teacher. The programme also aims to develop a reflective and a critically analytical approach to education.
You will spend up to 26 weeks on placement in schools, colleges and settings, putting your training into practice through assisting in and taking responsibility for classes, and working alongside mentors and peers to further your professional development. The focus initially is on observation and supporting teaching and learning. Your teaching timetable will increase as your training progresses and you become more confident and competent in the classroom.
You will also develop your subject knowledge and gain useful contacts with religious communities that could help you during your teaching career, by visiting places of worship and meeting faith practitioners from the six main world religions represented in the Local Syllabi.
How will I be assessed?
A balanced combination of coursework and observed classroom experience will be assessed against academic criteria at Level 7 and the QTS Standards. Various other tasks will enable you to show your competence in ICT and other areas of Religious Education.
Before the end of your PGCE you will need to complete a Career Entry and Development Profile (CEDP) which acts as a useful bridge between your initial teacher training programme and your Induction Year as a Newly Qualified Teacher.
Who will be teaching me?
You will be taught by a dedicated team of knowledgeable, experienced, friendly and supportive tutors who have the welfare of their trainees as a number one priority.
A Great Study Environment
The Faculty of Education has been at the forefront of teacher education for more than 130 years and today enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of education, training and research for the children’s workforce.
Housed in a state-of-the-art £9m building, the Faculty of Education’s facilities include a 300-seat lecture theatre, five well-equipped ICT suites, and 18 teaching rooms complete with the latest technology.
The Faculty has a strong commitment to practice-based learning and has developed partnerships with over 2,000 schools and colleges, local authorities and professional associations.
Entry Criteria and Requirements
To join this PGCE, you will be expected to have:
- A degree equivalent to UK first-class or second-class honours in a relevant subject. Non-relevant subjects may be considered if you have an A Level (or equivalent qualification) in Religious Education and a willingness to engage in subject knowledge enhancement;
- GCSE English Language and GCSE Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent qualification);
- Satisfactory levels of Information and Communications Technology competence;
- A commitment to, and understanding of, secondary education, demonstrating the personal attributes, values and motivation required to train as a teacher.
Please note, for the purposes of initial teacher training, level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications are not considered as equivalent to GCSE Grade C or Grade 4 in English Language and Mathematics.
EU students can get country-specific information about the University’s entry requirements and equivalent national qualifications at www.edgehill.ac.uk/eu.
If you accept a formal offer from Edge Hill University you will be required to meet the Department for Education’s standards for physical and mental fitness to teach and clearance to work with children. Further information, including a Declaration of Health questionnaire and details of how to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.
English Language Requirements
International students require IELTS 6.5, with a score no lower than 6.0 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
Are there any alternative ways to meet the entry requirements?
If you want to teach Religious Education but have an insufficient level of the subject in your degree, our subject knowledge enhancement course in Religious Education could help prepare you to train to teach the subject effectively.
Some offers will be conditional upon completing a subject knowledge enhancement course but the enhancement programme does not necessarily qualify you for a place on the PGCE Secondary Religious Education (Age Phase 11-16) with QTS unless this is made clear at the time the offer is made. This will be discussed with you if you are called for an interview.
An early application to join this PGCE is advised if you wish to have the option of completing a subject knowledge enhancement course.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Edge Hill University recognises learning gained elsewhere, whether through academic credit and qualifications acquired from other relevant courses of study or through recognition of an individual’s professional and employment experience (also referred to as ‘experiential learning’). This may include credit or learning undertaken at another university.
Previous learning that is recognised in this way may be used towards meeting the entry requirements for a programme and/or for exemption from part of a programme. It is your responsibility to make a claim for recognition of prior learning. For guidance, please consult the University’s academic regulations (sections C7 and F3.1) or contact the faculty in which you are interested in studying.
