PGCE Secondary - Mathematics

Entry requirements

At UCAS, you can apply for this course by using the following code: G1X1

• The equivalent of a UK 2:2 honours degree and one of the following applies: the degree is approximately 50% comprised of Maths or a similar subject oryou have an A Level in Mathematics. If your degree is from an overseas institution you must apply for a Statement of Comparability from NARIC

• GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 (or C) or above (or equivalent) which must be achieved by the time of application. If your equivalent qualifications are from an overseas institution you must apply for a Statement of Comparability from NARIC (ecctis.co.uk/naric/).

Your interpersonal qualities and your potential to achieve professional skills relating to the Teachers' Standards will be considered when making an admissions decision. Candidates who meet the criteria, will be invited to an interview. The interview process will involve an individual interview with a pre-prepared presentation element and a series of tasks designed to illustrate your potential to meet the Teachers' Standards by the end of the course.

Successful candidates will receive an offer conditional upon successful medical and criminal record checks. The latter is carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service and full instructions on how to apply for a DBS Disclosure will be provided.

If you have a criminal record of any kind, you may contact the School of Education DBS Manager, Caroline Emery, for further advice and information. All enquiries will be treated in confidence.

We strongly encourage you to register for the DBS Update Service, which lets you take your certificate from one employer to another without having to apply for a new check.

Please note, all DBS Enhanced Disclosures for our students must be processed by Durham University unless you have applied to the Update Service.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The PGCE Secondary Mathematics course is the first phase of three-year entitlement for beginning teachers.

The first phase of the entitlement is the Core Content Framework and this is embedded into all of our ITE courses. The PGCE Secondary Mathematics course is accredited by the DfE, and upon successful completion, you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). During our last Ofsted Inspection, we were graded as “Outstanding” for all aspects of our provision.

Subject pedagogy (how to teach the subject for understanding) is explored in an innovative university / partnership model known as the POD (Professional Opportunities and Development). The POD involves a ‘hybrid space’ where university tutors and classroom practitioners work together. This model provides trainees with the ‘best of both worlds’, opportunities to work with research relevant university professionals with an abundance of experience in teacher training and school practitioners with experience of delivering the National Curriculum and experts in current classroom practice. The ITE course is delivered using a blended approach and follows a ‘knowledge rich’ curriculum that is current and evidence based.

The Durham University curriculum is known as the RRPP – Research Related Professional Practice. It develops key ITE themes that reflects the Core Content Framework; starting through a genric lens and progressing to a subject specific viewpoint which is then supported with concrete examples in a school environment (POD).

The main POD schools are Sedgefield Community College and King James 1 Academy in Bishop Auckland however there are a number of regional schools who contribute to the overarching programme.

Beginning teachers work in classrooms in POD schools with expert staff to develop

teaching skills, knowledge and understanding that are observed, deconstructed and analysed and that can the be applied during their own teaching placement.

Why does a minus times a minus make a plus? Preparing to be a secondary mathematics teacher at Durham means that you will have to question your own way of thinking and doing mathematics before teaching. Some pupils find that they have never really understood some basic procedures, but simply followed rules. On the programme, you will be strongly encouraged to find out the reasons behind rules so that you are in a better position to deal with pupils misconceptions. This can be quite unsettling, but with peer and tutor support it can be a positive learning experience.

You are encouraged to show where mathematical concepts are applied in everyday life, but also to recognise that mathematics is a fascinating and creative subject in its own right, and can be studied with no immediate application. The common thread is that pupils need to engage with purposeful activities in a supportive environment.

The Mathematics programme aims to:

• Empower you with the necessary knowledge, understanding and skills needed to become an effective and innovative teacher of Mathematics
• Extend your awareness of the range and scope of Mathematics as a subject in schools today
• Provide opportunities for you to experience and explore a variety of approaches for teaching.

Course structure

The course is organised into three modules:

• Professional Issues in School-based Education
• Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum
• Self-directed Study

The Professional Issues in School-based Education relates to the Durham University ITE Curriculum and is delivered through the Research Related Professional Practice programme (RRPP).

The RRPP is designed to bridge the gap between research and professional practice. It encourages trainees to focus on key subject specific threshold knowledge linked to deep thinking in terms of how to teach in order to have maximum impact on pupil learning.

Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum and Self-directed Study assignments are studied at Masters Level. The Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum Module draws on the international research expertise within the School of Education enabling student teachers to engage critically in issues relevant to the classroom and school community, particularly those that impact on the success of children as learners.

The Self-directed Study module draws on aspect of teaching and learning in a small-scale action research piece of work, and links this to critical engagement with published educational research.

These Masters modules provide an opportunity to consolidate theoretical knowledge, through lectures and mixed subject and phase seminar groups taught during a Reflective Practitioner Conference. In addition to covering Teachers’ Standards, these modules will enable assessment work to be carried out for the award of PGCE.

On successful completion of the course, our beginning teachers have 90 credits and QTS.

Students who have successfully completed the PGCE at Durham in the previous academic year have the option to use 90 credits they have accredited towards a part-time MA Education. These students only need to do the core modules, Education Enquiry and the Dissertation over 2 years, to complete the course.

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.