Professional Practice 1A provides an initial professional practice experience in a secondary school with an additional short placement in a primary setting. Initial professional practice is based upon observation and practical experience. You will have frequent opportunities to observe experienced teachers in the classroom, in addition to shadowing pupils and staff. The school’s safeguarding processes will also be explained. The placement will enable you to carry out a variety of school-based tasks, participate in lessons under your mentor’s supervision, and gradually increase your responsibility for both planning and teaching.

Personal and Professional Conduct – Transition into Higher Education and the Teaching Profession equips you with the required academic study skills for Higher Education and the necessary professional vocational skills for your teaching experience. The module will also raise your wider professional awareness of the importance of secondary teaching. The aim is to encourage you to make purposeful links between theoretical understanding, the implementation of national policies and initiatives, and your practice-based experiences. Self-evaluation, reflection and the setting of professional development targets are key features of the module.

Principles, Pedagogy and Planning in Religious Education introduces subject-specific professional responsibilities for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, covering lesson preparation, delivery, evaluation and pupil assessment. The module enables you to develop the required professional vocational skills and knowledge for your teaching experience, working towards effective classroom delivery for all pupils. This will include an introduction to how to plan and deliver effective and well-structured lessons which promote a love of learning and encourage children’s intellectual curiosity. You will discover how to plan for the effective use of homework and other out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend pupil knowledge.

Beginning the Study of Religion draws on insights from a variety of historical disciplines to examine how religion is a contested concept. You will be encouraged to engage with a variety of notions of religious faith to enable you to develop a good knowledge and understanding so that in school settings you will foster and maintain pupils’ interest and address misunderstandings. You will define religion and spirituality and explore how a variety of disciplines analyse the concept and phenomena of religion.

The History of Christian Thought and Culture presents you with the opportunity to discover how Christianity has developed in terms of the understanding of key beliefs. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and experiences in the field, you will enhance your understanding of how Christianity has developed from a Jewish sect to a multi-faceted global faith. You will discover the basic teachings of the main Christian denominations, explain the social, political and theological significance of decisive transformations in the history of the Church, and evaluate how Christian thought and culture has been influenced by modern and post-modern theory and society.

Hindu Dharma presents Hindu belief as Sanatana Dharma. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and experiences in the field, you will be given an introductory overview of the key features of Hindu beliefs and practices. Hinduism is now accepted as a generic term used to identify the varied religious practices of a large proportion of the population of the people of India. However, despite this plurality of belief and practice within Hinduism, there is a certain unity among all the various doctrines and schools of thought that Hindus refer to as the ‘eternal laws of nature’ which can be defined as Sanatana Dharma. This module prepares you to plan and teach programmes of study on Hindu Dharma in a confident and informed way. You will also have the opportunity to evaluate how Hindu life and community has evolved in the present day, both in the UK and in India.

 Islam presents Islam as a dynamic modern British way of life, firmly grounded in the Quranic message revealed to Muhammad. Through a combination of classroom based activities and experiences in the field, you will develop your understanding of Islamic beliefs and practices. The module will ensure you can describe, contrast and explain the variety of beliefs and practices within Sunni and Shia Islam, refer appropriately to central Islamic texts and sources of authority, and evaluate the position of global Islam in respect of local modernity.

Professional Practice 1B allows you to prepare for, and subsequently complete, a placement in which you will undertake up to 50% of a full teaching timetable, comprising observation, small group or whole class teaching with your mentor or another trainee, and solo teaching as appropriate. You will have responsibility for planning lessons or parts of lessons, maintaining sound discipline, ensuring appropriate teaching methods are used, assessing learners’ progress, and making written evaluations of your own teaching. You will also be expected to take a full role in the wider life of the school, participating in tutor work, pastoral care, extra-curricular activities, professional development opportunities, parents’ evenings and school events.

Personal and Professional Conduct – Legal Requirements for Professional Practice helps you to understand the required professional conduct, duties and responsibilities of a secondary teacher. The aim is to encourage you to make purposeful links between theoretical understanding, the implementation of national policies and initiatives, and your practice-based experiences. Self-evaluation, reflection and the setting of professional development targets are key features of the module.

Creative Medium Term Planning and Teaching in Religious Education enables you to consider effective teaching in religious education, through the discussion and evaluation of alternative approaches. In addition, the module will analyse the role of religious education in the curriculum and examine how it contributes to a range of whole-school issues. There will be a clear focus on the planning, teaching and assessment cycle, which lies at the heart of the most effective professional practice, and on evaluation and review, which lies at the heart of ongoing professional development.

Educational Research Methods for School Improvement provides you with an introduction to qualitative and quantitative educational research methods for personal and school improvement. The reading and assessment of publications, combined with reflection on methodological issues, forms a key element of the module. You will formulate a research plan which provides an excellent foundation if you wish to pursue higher degree study or further research work in the future. The module will demonstrate the need to keep up to date with both research and development in knowledge and pedagogy in your chosen subject area and encourage you to critically evaluate your own learning.

Judaism presents Judaism as a fascinating historical religion which has a variety of forms of expression in modern society. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and experiences in the field, you will develop your understanding of key features of Judaism. The module will ensure you can describe the central principles of Judaism, explain and compare the variety of Jewish beliefs and practices, and reflect on how Jewish individual and community life has evolved in the contemporary UK.

Old Testament Theology follows Rogerson (2009) in attempting to use the texts of the Old Testament in a critical way in order to suggest how they might be used in today’s world, both to make sense of the writing and to make sense of God. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and personal study, you will consider key critical passages from the biblical text to enable you to develop a good knowledge and understanding of how the text can say something to contemporary society. The aim is to be able to explain how Old Testament texts may help religious and non-religious people to engage with dilemmas in the contemporary global community and reflect on the place of Old Testament narratives in contemporary popular culture.

Buddhist Dharma presents Buddhism as both ancient and modern, global and local. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and experiences in the field, you will develop your understanding of the key features of Buddhism. On successful completion of the module, you will be able to describe the central principles of Buddhist dharma, explain and compare the variety of Buddhist beliefs and practices, and reflect on how Buddhist life and community (Sangha) has evolved in contemporary UK society.

Professional Practice 2 consists of a synoptic placement during which you will be required to undertake up to 70-75% of a teaching timetable, comprising observation, small group or whole class teaching with your mentor or another trainee, and solo teaching as appropriate. You will have responsibility for planning lessons or parts of lessons, considering the role of a scheme of work and developing it for a specific group of learners, maintaining sound discipline, ensuring appropriate teaching methods are used, assessing learners’ progress, and making written evaluations of your own teaching. You will also be expected to take a full role in the wider life of the school, participating in tutor work, pastoral care, extra-curricular activities, professional development opportunities, parents’ evenings and school events.

Personal and Professional Conduct – Employability equips you with the advanced academic study skills required for Higher Education and the necessary professional vocational skills for your professional practice. In addition, the module enables you to further your working knowledge of the standards for teachers’ conduct, enhance your employability, prepare for job applications and interviews, and understand what to expect from your year as a Newly Qualified Teacher. Self-evaluation, reflection and the setting of professional development targets are key features of the module.

Classroom Assessment and Target Setting Skills in Religious Education develops your understanding of assessment theory in relation to both formative and summative assessment practice in school. You will grade work against school-based and national benchmarks relevant to religious education studies, as well as developing strategies for giving meaningful feedback and targets to pupils in order to secure progression. The module also outlines the cycle of evaluation and review, examining its impact on future planning.

School Improvement Study in Religious Education enhances your skills in qualitative and quantitative educational research methods for personal and school improvement. The reading and assessment of publications, together with reflection on the design, implementation and critical evaluation of methodological issues, form key elements of the module. You will implement and evaluate a research plan during a professional placement and gain a strong foundation for potentially pursuing higher degree study or further research work in the future.

New Testament Criticism examines the evolution of approaches to studying the Gospel narratives through the twentieth century and twenty-first century. Using a combination of classroom-based activities and personal study, you will develop your understanding of key critical approaches to biblical texts to enable you to have a good knowledge and understanding of the story of Jesus. You will discover how to describe in detail central Christian beliefs and principles of, for example, the kingdom of God, incarnation and atonement. The module utilises a variety of approaches to critically analyse the text of the New Testament, encouraging you to reflect on how the narrative of Jesus’ life is read and used in religious communities and contemporary popular culture.

Religion in the Twenty First Century examines the development of religion through the 20th century and will explore the challenges that faith traditions face within the 21st century. The module will explore how faith traditions evolve and also examine how societies and culture affect them. You will develop your understanding of what influences the key modern evolutions of religion, be able to describe a variety of contemporary forms in depth, critically evaluate the modern-day challenges to organised religion, and reflect on how religious individual and community life has evolved in 21st-century UK society.

Silkhism and Jainism examines the variety of religious belief in India. Through a combination of classroom-based activities and experiences in the field, you will develop your understanding of the key features of Sikh and Jain religions. The module will enable you to describe the history and central beliefs, principles and practices of the Sikh and Jain faiths. You will also develop the knowledge to critically explain, compare and contrast the variety of Sikh beliefs and practice with those of Jainism and other Indian religions. Reflection on the global and local political, cultural and religious impacts of these faith traditions will place your learning in a wider context.