Teacher Training, Secondary Design Technology PGCE with QTS 2012-13

What is a PGCE?
The PGCE is the Postgraduate or Professional Certificate in Education, which you can take at any time after completing your first degree. It is a one-year full-time course after which you become a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) and are recommended for Qualified Teacher Status.

The Postgraduate Certificate includes modules at Master’s level which may count towards a further Master’s award. We agree your award whilst you train with us.

Our PGCE programmes are designed to develop your subject specialist knowledge alongside your hands-on classroom experience.

Subject knowledge is only a part of teaching; finding creative ways to interpret your knowledge into a language a child can understand is the key. We prepare you for the classroom, allowing you to develop your own thinking, teaching and knowledge base to a level which can be trialled in your placement. All our secondary PGCE courses meet the requirements for the professional standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which you need to teach in a school.

Design Technology
This is an exciting subject and an exciting time to be a member of a school design and technology team. This course is your opportunity to equip young people to understand and enjoy technologies that don’t even exist yet and also enjoy those that are fast developing.

We specialise in Materials Technology which is the designing and making of products in metal, plastic and wood. Wherever possible we use project-based Design and Technology teaching, reflecting real identified needs and following the format of a design process. Due to the hands-on nature of this course, your degree should include a significant element of design and technology, such as product design or engineering, and your skills should be adaptable.

The course includes specialised topics tailored to your needs and you will be able to broaden your skills and knowledge base to become a competent and confident design and technology teacher.

Enhancement and booster course
If your degree does not have sufficient subject content, you can take additional training
before your initial teacher training. There is currently a funded short booster course and longer enhancement course available locally and nationally for Design and Technology. Please see the Training Agency website for further details www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/subjects-age-groups/age-groups/teaching-secondary/boost-subject-knowledge.aspx.

For information on early years, education and youth work related courses and to help you decide which is right for you, see the subject brochure.

We offer support to enable trainee secondary school teachers to become familiar with a wide range of machinery, power and hand tools and to become confident in relevant manufacturing processes.Our equipment is held in three rooms; a design studio, a CNC room and a design technology workshop.

Design studio

• Traditional drawing equipment, light boards, projection units, visualiser.
• Specialist computers with CAD/CAM software
• Scanning and printing
• Systems and control equipment - hydraulics, pneumatics, electrics and electronic component stock

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) room

• Computer controlled manufacturing machines.
• CNC laser cutter and engraver.
• Sign cutters/plotters, vertical machining centre, training computer lathe, CNC router (three-dimensional profiling of wood) CNC engraver/cutter, engraving of metals, plastic laminates, printed circuit boards.

Design Technology/Engineering workshops

• Wood preparation - surface planer/thicknesser, circular saw, band saw, scroll saws, portable power saws
• Jointing - chisel morticer, dovetail and finger joint jigs, routers
• Wood turning lathe
• Wood finishing - sander, finishers
• Traditional hand wood working tools

Engineering
• Preparation - power saw, pedestal and portable grinders, centre lathes, milling machine
• Machining - centre lathes and milling machines
• Processes using hand tools - marking out, cutting, shaping
• Sheet metal working - preparation, bending/rolling/shaping, pipe and tube benders, presses, strip, bar and rod shaping, casting, heat jointing and heat treatment of metals
• Plastics - oven, line bender/strip heater, injection moulder, vacuum formers, trimmer table, buffer/polisher
• Printed circuit board manufacture - PCB guillotine, UV light exposure unit and developer/bubble etch tank.

Our PGCE trainees produce displays at the end of the course to demonstrate to our External Examiners the quality of the work they have produced with their students.

The course starts in September, is modular and is divided into two main themes, Initial Professional Development and Specialist Subject Pedagogy.

Initial Professional Development
This encourages you to explore creative ways to interpret your knowledge into a language a child can understand. We prepare you for the classroom, allowing you to develop your own thinking, teaching and subject knowledge base to a level which you can trial in your placements. Themes include educational psychology, how young people learn, behaviour management, assessment, inclusion, creative and innovative teaching methods and designing learning. You research theories of child development, gain a greater understanding of current professional issues in secondary schools and develop your own educational philosophy.

Specialist Subject Pedagogy
This develops your subject teaching in a stimulating way, giving you experience of different
methodologies and new technologies. It also includes giving you a knowledge of the National Curriculum and relevant assessments including examinations.

Core Modules:
Postgraduate Certificate (with Masters level components)
-The Practice of Teaching 1
-Specialist Subject Development
-The Practice of Teaching 2
-Evidence-based Practice and School Improvement
-Curriculum Development

Professional Graduate Certificate
-The Practice of Teaching 1
-Specialist Subject Development
-The Practice of Teaching 2
-Professional Issues in Education
-Curriculum Development in Practice

We have strong relationships with schools that enable them to provide effective support through mentoring. This means that during your time there, the amount you learn directly from your University tutor diminishes as the school gradually takes over the role, with specialist teachers and school mentors providing more of your support and direction.

When on school placement, as a subject teacher, you also experience the wider role of a teacher in secondary education. You will have the support of both subject and professional mentors in schools and your subject tutor at the University during the placement. We give you strong support to help you complete the course successfully.

You spend a third of the course at the University and two thirds (normally 120 days) in at least two partner schools. You will experience four days in a primary school and if you are studying an 11-16 years course, you will gain four days post-16 experience.

The schools are situated across a wide area including South, West and North Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Where possible, we place you in a convenient location. However, we are restricted by offers of placements by schools. Within partnership schools, mentors assess your teaching; much of this is formative to help you develop into an effective teacher. Your tutor will also evaluate your progress through observation, planning meetings, weekly tutorials, reports and in-depth lesson evaluations, so that you will know how you are progressing.

It is a requirement that you complete 120 days in schools to pass the course. You will be expected to show the same level of commitment to professional values as in the teaching profession. Therefore you should note that you are expected to maintain 100% attendance levels.

Research by a Government agency has put the University of Huddersfield’s School of Education and Professional Development at the top of the class for propelling its students into well-paid careers.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has completed its latest survey into the paths taken by graduates and postgraduates when they leave their universities and colleges - the exercise is known as Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE). It confirmed that 100% of PGCE Design Technology students at the University of Huddersfield found a job or embarked on further study within six months of graduation.

Teaching is through workshops, tutorials and lectures, some with guest speakers, and group work with other teacher trainees from all the subject specialisms. Successful use is made of a very wide range of resources and tools including ICT. Our resources include a science laboratory, a design technology workshop, information technology suites, music studio and recording facilities.

You learn in small, friendly and supportive subject groups, designed to give you the confidence to succeed. Your fellow students will come from diverse academic and commercial backgrounds, and from a variety of ethnic and age groups. Even if it's been a while since you were last involved in formal study, we are geared up to help you settle back into study.

Course tutors are very experienced and supportive and you will have a personal tutor who will support you through your studies. We have very high completion and satisfaction rates.

A significant part of your development takes place in our partnership schools; you spend a third of the course at the University and two thirds (normally 120 days) in at least two partner schools.

There are no formal examinations but there may be some classroom knowledge activities. You complete three written assignments (two at Master's level), three personal reports, and a personal subject audit. These cover both your subject and professional development as a teacher. You also produce evidence to support the completion of all the QTS standards.

There is access to an academic skills tutor who can support preparation and writing of assignments.

The same level of commitment to professional values is expected for both the University and school-based parts of the course, as in the teaching profession. We expect 100% attendance levels throughout. The course is full-time, with University days usually beginning at 9.15am and may may finish at 5.15pm. If you have childcare responsibilities you may need to take this into account. Schools also have a variety of start and finish times and often require you to attend meetings at the end of the school day.

Roger Crawford
Neil Denby
Kate Morley
Lesley-Anne Pearson
Jayne Price
Dr Rod Robertson
Fiona Woodhouse

Home and EU students coming to Huddersfield for this course in September 2012 will pay the standard fee of £7950. You can find more information on fees for undergraduate and postgraduate courses here.

You can also find information about 2011 fees and finance here and information about financial support here.

Please see here for specific finance and funding information for this course.

Information about becoming a teacher and salary and career prospects can be found on the Teaching Agency website here.

About applying for the course here.

You may be eligible for a non-repayable bursary whilst you study, see here for information.

You may be eligible for a bursary depending on your class of degree, from £5,000 (2:1) to £9,000 (1st).

You might also like to view our video about tuition fees, loans and repayments on Youtube.

The secondary PGCE courses are based in the Lockside and Canalside East buildings. Lockside, an award winning renovated mill alongside the Huddersfield Narrow canal, houses teaching rooms, computer labs and staff offices. The teaching rooms are well equipped, with AV equipment (including electronic whiteboards) plus links to the internet.

We have a dedicated workshop in a building across the canal with equipment and machinery for working with plastics, metal and wood to help you develop your skills.

We have an open access computer lab and the many computers in our teaching rooms are available outside timetabled hours. They hold a wealth of software for our courses; including Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe studio as well as specialised course software. Wireless internet connections are also available.

You receive training from the Academic Librarian on information and research skills and electronic methods of accessing library facilities and training on the use of Unilearn helps you to access our virtual learning environment.

The application process

To help you keep in touch, if you are interviewed for a place, we give you a link to a webpage with information about every stage from interview to the start of the course. This holds information and contact details so that, at any time, if you have any worries or concerns, we can help allay them. We also hold a pre-course day during the summer to enable you to learn more about the course and get to know other PGCE students and the tutors.

Here are some of the comments about what was good about the last pre-course event:
Meeting peers. Subject session, very interactive. We got the opportunity to discuss concerns and questions about the course. I feel a lot more prepared. The opportunity to come and look round before I start. Being able to meet the other students before September. Nice informal introduction and warm welcome. Very informative. I found the introduction to the course very useful. Friendly atmosphere. The pace was perfect and the speakers very engaging. Very organised and welcoming.

Skills tests

You should note that you have to pass two skills tests in literacy and numeracy in order to gain qualified teacher status.You take the tests whilst you are studying and are registered with the Teaching Agency (we will do this when you start your course). There is information on DFE website about the tests.

You will still need to meet the entry requirement for GCSEs in English and maths.

The skills tests are set in the context of a school environment; you are not expected to have any knowledge of specific terminology in order to pass the test. There is practice material available on the DfE website DfE website to help you become familiar with the question types.

Student views
"I’d recommend the course at Huddersfield. I believe that the intake is smaller than at some universities, so you feel a lot more supported. You also have an element of choice in your placements. The staff give a lot of thought to what your placement experience is going to be like. Dr Rod Robertson has been my tutor and he’s been a fantastic sounding board.
I’ve learnt so much on placement, especially on my second at Honley High School. I’ve had to be a jack of all trades, including wood-working and graphics. You learn quickly, not just the practical side but pedagogy as well. You are constantly supported in school, by your designated mentors and by others members of the department as well. There are very close links between the University and the schools in the town and the surrounding area. Lots of the teachers have done the Huddersfield PGCE. And I’m going to be joining them as I’ve got my first post as a design technology teacher at Almondbury High School."
Kim Howley
Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Design Technology)

"Staff are approachable and easy to contact if required. Learning facilities are excellent."
"The Design & Technology staff have been brilliant; always on hand when we had questions or problems."
"The facilities available for design and technology students are excellent. I participated in the subject booster course before the PGCE began and it was really useful (and fun!)."
"I have really enjoyed doing the course...With Design and Technology...very helpful and supportive staff. I recommend the course to others. I would rate course and tutor 10/10."
Course evaluations 2010

‘Very supportive atmosphere.
The subject mentor was brilliant, really supportive and encouraging. I was welcomed thoroughly into the department as part of the team and given plenty of extra-curricular opportunities.
I have had a positive experience at both placement schools and throughout the course that has helped me to develop as a teacher.
Excellent levels of support from the University.
Excellent support from tutors and support staff at the University.
Excellent placement schools/supportive mentors.
Fantastic support from the University, especially my course tutor! A great experience.
Very good quality University tutor.’
End of course evaluations 2011

‘Course tutors are excellent.
The office staff are fantastic!
Technical support staff are very accommodating and go out of their way to support students.
The building is excellent – you couldn’t get a better building. It is welcoming, has a good layout and classrooms are comfortable and well equipped. You couldn’t wish for a better building and more welcoming environment.
The timetable is good, especially the way it builds up, it’s progressive from the start. The assignments are complementary and relevant and support students’ learning and progression.’
Student panel comments, June 2011

Many of our former trainees have continued to study with us. We offer Master's courses in relevant areas such as Education, Leadership, Action Research, Management and Multimedia and e-Learning, which may be followed by a taught doctorate, the EdD or a PhD.

Your PGCE may include Master's level modules which may count towards your Master's qualification.

Huddersfield University voted best for overseas studentsThe Huddersfield Examiner has reported that the University of Huddersfield has received fantastic results in a survey of international students, the International Barometer.

Pre-masters course available
We have a two-term programme delivered by the International Study Centre (ISC) located on the University campus. The course prepares you for our taught master’s degrees by developing your English communication and a range of study skills.

Additional entry requirements for international applicants:
You must pass either IELTS with 6.5 (with no band score lower than 5.5) or TOEFL (internet based test) with 90 (with minimum Reading: 22; Listening: 21; Speaking: 23; Writing: 21). Please note that other academic conditions may apply and will be confirmed once your application has been considered.

There is no need to worry if you don’t quite meet our English language entry requirements – we have a range of courses that can help you to reach the standard set out above. Please see our Pre-Sessional English programmes (PSPs) for further information.

Paying your fees
The University requires you to submit a minimum non refundable deposit towards the payment of the tuition fees. You may wish to add further voluntary prepayments to assist with your visa application.

If your tuition fees are being paid for by your employer/embassy, you must submit a Statement of Financial Support which confirms you are sponsored to cover all fees for your named course of study. Please note that other academic conditions may apply and will be confirmed once your application has been considered.

Applying to Huddersfield

We hope you’re interested in what you’ve seen and want to apply to join us.
Apply through Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR)
Tel: 0870 1122200
Website: www.gttr.ac.uk
GTTR code W9X1

International applicants should also follow this process.

Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Through research our staff remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, which means you develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant to industry. For more information, see the Research section of our website.

Teacher Training, Secondary subjects, PGCE with QTS in
- Business Education
- Information and Communication Technology
- Mathematics
- Music
- Science - Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Teacher Training, Lifelong Learning sector, Cert Ed/PGCE, part-time (pre and in-service) and full-time (pre-service) options
Education: Leadership and Management MA
International Education, Professional Development MA
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages MA
Multimedia and E-learning MSc
Guidance PGDip
Youth and Community Work Diploma in Professional Studies
Early Years Professional Status, full and part-time postgraduate options