PGCE Secondary History with QTS (11-16) course preparation

We’re looking forward to welcoming you onto your PGCE Secondary History with QTS degree programme. Educating young adults and being able to inspire them to share your passion for a particular subject is one of the main reasons why people choose to train as a Secondary teacher. Imagination is crucial, as is the need for patience and the ability to develop and sustain excellent relationships with pupils, communicating clearly with them and breaking down complicated concepts into manageable building blocks for learning.

We’ll support you as you develop your academic, professional and vocational knowledge, understanding, skills and values necessary to become a high quality and effective teacher of History. Throughout your studies you’ll gain reflective and analytical skills as well as practical experience in planning effective lessons, helping pupils to learn, and effective teaching and learning strategies.

Before your course begins, please review the tasks below and complete any that are required ready to begin your PGCE studies.

Student Allocation Profile Survey

The survey helps the Partnership Development Team (PDT) find an appropriate professional practice placement (PPP) for you. This is done by taking as many relevant details of your personal situation into account as possible.

If you’ve got strong links to a school where you’d like to undertake a PPP please let us know. You can do this by completing our Professional Practice Allocation Form (PPAF). We’re always happy to consider these schools and have a set process in place to do so.

Subject knowledge audit

Please complete the subject knowledge audit and bring it with you for your first teaching session in September. Don’t worry if there are lots of gaps. You are encouraged however to start enhancing your subject knowledge, especially on Medieval and Early Modern Histories.

Download the subject knowledge audit

Getting to know the curriculum

Download copies of these key documents:

The National Curriculum for History (for teaching from Sept 2014)
The Historical Associations’ Guide to Progression in History under the 2014 National Curriculum
Ofsted 2021 Research Report [History]

After reading these three documents, please write up to two sides of A4 in answer to the following questions:

How would you summarise the key aims of school History as set out in these documents?
What understanding of the nature and purpose of History do you feel underpins these aims?
To what extent do the visions of History in these documents cohere with your own?

Use the search feature on the HA website to find the “information” pages on the following key terms. Write your own definitions of them. You should bring these definitions with you in September.

Substantive knowledge and substantive concepts
Second Order concepts
Causation; similarity & difference; significance; interpretations; change & continuity

Suggested websites

Now is a good time to develop your knowledge further. Here are some suggested websites to visit:

Subject (content) knowledge reading

For filling in any specific gaps in your subject knowledge of key periods, the Oxford Very Short Introductions series are a good place to start, as are the Hodder and Stoughton Access to History series. The Historical Associations’ podcasts are also invaluable.

1. Pick an overview book on the history of Britain (or England if you cannot find one you like on the whole of the Isles). If you are stuck on what to choose, Simon Schama and Michael Wood both have useful and very readable overview books. David Olusoga’s “Black and British” is also well worth a read!

2. Read your chosen book. As you read keep notes on:

Interesting stories which would get pupils interested
Themes and links which run over time
Key people and events you didn’t already have knowledge of

3. Prepare a summary (1-2 pages of A4) in which you outline the big story (stories?) of the development of Britain according to your book ie. What is the story of Britain according to Schama, Wood, or Olusoga?

Target your own areas of weakness in subject knowledge around KS3. Don’t forget you can go beyond the limits of the National Curriculum too! Make use of the following to get you started:

Statutory documents including The National Curriculum Programmes of Study and GCSE Subject Content
Key Stage 3 textbooks – these can often be bought cheaply online or can be accessed digitally for a limited time for free. Hodder Education offer a good range of books.
Extended reading books
Specialist podcasts – the Historical Association offers a range of targeted podcasts related to the curriculum. For more specialist podcasts you might also like to try more specialist podcasts like “You’re Dead to Me”, “In Our Time”, or “The History of England”.

Rather than just reading about subject knowledge you should aim to do tasks which will embed your understanding. This might include:

Creating concept charts or maps
Creating timelines and overviews
Creating written summaries or narratives of key periods
Answering exam questions on a topic area and using mark schemes to check your work
Completing textbook questions from your chosen textbooks
Anything else you find helpful

Download the subject knowledge audit for help with this

Join the Historical Association

If you haven’t already joined the Historical Association then this is highly recommended. We are particularly interested in their journal Teaching History, that covers both theory and practice in addition to subject knowledge development.

Join the Historical Association

Join the Chartered College

You should also sign up to join the Chartered College of Teaching (this is free)

Join the Chartered College of Teaching

Meet your course leader:

Rhonwen Bruce-Roberts

[email protected]