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Katie Hazel

PGCE Secondary Computer Science and Information Technology with QTS (11-16)

Edge Hill has such a strong history and reputation for teacher training, not to mention the campus has everything you need in one place.

After completing her undergraduate degree in BSc Computing here at Edge Hill, Katie decided to take her skills and specialist knowledge and share it with young, curious minds in secondary school classrooms. She tells us about her experience so far as a PGCE student, as well as some top tips for those considering the option.

I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, ever since primary school. I was lucky enough to have dedicated ICT teachers – in both primary and secondary school, which many children don’t get, and I remember asking them both how they got into teaching. They are what really sparked my love in for the subject, and they were my inspiration throughout school. Everything I have done since then has helped me gain experience, including volunteering in a library and being a supply teacher throughout my undergraduate.

I loved studying my undergraduate degree here, and I thought, what better university to train to be a teacher than Edge Hill. It has such a strong history and reputation for teacher training, not to mention the campus has everything you need in one place – including like the CAVE in the Tech Hub and beautiful spots across campus. I’ve always felt at home in Ormskirk, coming from a small town myself, so staying here was a no brainer for me.

Edge Hill’s Careers team gave me excellent support with my PGCE application. I’d definitely advise going to them for support and start your personal statement as early as you can. PGCE study is quite a change from undergraduate, because there’s a lot more academic reading involved. It can feel like a big jump at first, but I’ve had support from my tutors.

Whenever I told people I was about to start a PGCE, they’d say “good luck, they’re hard work!”. They weren’t wrong. It is hard work, and you’ve got to be dedicated and organised. Writing at Level 7 requires much more critical thinking, and I’m balancing assignments with my placement too. Placement is amazing though! I am in a supportive school, with a good mentor and the connection between university and the school makes me supported every step of the way.