PGCE M (Secondary 11 - 18) Computing with QTS

• You must have at least a lower second class (2:2) honours degree (or equivalent). If this is not in a subject aligned to computing then you may be required to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement Programme (SKE) to ensure you meet the minimum subject expertise to begin your Initial Teacher Training. A further skills audit will identify subject specialist skills and will inform your action plan for your training programme.
• You must also have GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English and Mathematics. Please contact us for a list of acceptable GCSE equivalents.
• If your qualifications aren’t from a recognised UK education institution, advice will be taken from the International Office on comparability.
• You'll be required to attend a selection day as part of the application process. This will involve written assessments for English and mathematics, a presentation, a group task, and a face-to-face interview.
• You’ll need to satisfactorily pass a fitness to practice assessment.
• This course involves working unsupervised with children and/or vulnerable young people and adults and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
• You'll need to provide satisfactory references, a satisfactory health declaration and a satisfactory student agreement prior to enrolment on the course.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
• We'll also consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
• Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

If you have a degree and wish to pursue a career in teaching computing (and related subjects) in secondary schools, then this course is for you. It offers a strong grounding in teaching computing and examines how this can support a career as a secondary school teacher. Some key transferable skills you could gain include planning, time management, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, analytical and modelling skills, research and self-discipline.

What can I do with this qualification?

This course offers you an exciting opportunity to turn your passion for computing into a career in teaching. Graduates of this course will be qualified to teach Computing in secondary schools.

Teachers are often employed by state-maintained schools, where your employer is usually the local authority. Alternatively, you may be directly employed by an institution. This will be the case if you choose to work for an academy, free school, independent school or college.

After graduation, you may wish to undertake further study. Popular topics include education management, theory and policy. You could follow a master's in education, pursue a PhD by research or study for a professional doctorate.

Alternative career options

This course is designed to give you Qualified Teacher Status and entry into the teaching profession. However, as a graduate, you will also be able to use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of the roles listed below, both relevant experience and/or alternative postgraduate study may be required.

• Risk analysis
• Insurance
• Data analysis
• Market research
• Data engineer
• Project management
• Statistics
• Banking
• Educational consultancy
• Youth work
• Community education
• Early years
• Education administration
• Learning mentor
• Social work
• Careers advice
• Family support
• Play therapy
• Student services
• Educational writing

Useful information

As a trainee teacher, you may qualify for help to fund your studies from the Department for Education (DfE). Please visit the Government's Get Into Teaching Funding my teacher training webpage for more information.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

We aim to support your progress towards successfully meeting the DfE Teachers' Standards so that you can be recommended for the award of QTS when you complete the course. Rather than offering formal 'lectures', we prefer to engage our students in small groups. This allows our teacher trainers to model and share good practice effectively and offer you personalised and meaningful support.

You will be expected to participate in individual and group work during classroom sessions, and we will offer tutorials to supplement class-based learning. For some elements, we will use specialist equipment to develop and consolidate your practical teaching skills ready for the secondary sector. We will encourage you to reflect on your practice and identify your strengths and weaknesses. Reflective practice is an effective way to support your progress and help cement your learning.

Our assessment strategy supports your professional development and reflective practice. The modules are assessed in various ways, including portfolios of evidence of lesson planning and teaching resources, written essays, project, action plans, reflective writing, collaborative work, and presentations.

School-based experiences will be arranged for you and form a core component of the programme. Your learning and progress throughout the PGCE will support your learning and progress towards your recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status. During school placements, your teaching practice will be measured and assessed against the Department for Education Teachers' Standards and documented through session planning, observation reports and reflective journals. You will receive informal feedback on your performance to help you assess your progress and improve your practice, as well as formal assessment that will contribute to your overall grade for the course. You will evidence your progress on our online learning platform. This will form the portfolio of evidence for you to be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status if you successfully meet the Teachers' Standards at the end of your course.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Secondary QTS Computing
• Pedagogy and Inclusive Practice
• Action Research and Creative Approaches to Curriculum Delivery
• Developing Professional Practice and Promoting Wellbeing

Assessment methods

Learning activities

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.