School Direct – Course structure

School Direct PGCE course structure

Academic sessions take place on a Wednesday afternoon and these sessions are either led by York St John or Hope Sentamu Learning Trust staff. We use outstanding teachers within our school network to facilitate our sessions. These sessions aim to give you an academic understanding alongside pedagogical strategies to deploy in the classroom. You can then deploy these strategies in the classroom the next day as the majority of your time is spent at your base school.

Autumn Term	Base placement – Introduction phase	5 weeks observation and team teaching 7 weeks assessed teaching 40-45% (10 hrs) of the week
Spring Term	Second placement – Development phase	6 weeks assessed teaching 40-45% (10 hrs) of the week
Summer Term	Return to Base Placement – Consolidation phase	10 weeks assessed teaching up to 75-80% (16 hrs) of the week
Additional week primary placement
One day diversity placement
Enrichment week – school based experience related to individual training needs

Academic and Mentor Support

Support is an integral part of developing and nurturing Hope Sentamu Learning Trust training teachers to be outstanding practitioners. Through weekly mentor meetings, as well as regular feedback on your teaching, you will be supported by your school Subject Mentor as well as your York St John University Link Tutor. You will also have a Professional Mentor who will provide you with support.

In addition, you will also be allocated an academic tutor from the York St John University to support with writing at Masters Level. Student teachers have full access to the Student Support Services offered by the University. Induction is a key part of the programme and each placement as we feel it is important for you to feel welcome in the school community and valued as members of staff from the start. You will attend school meetings such as staff meetings, participate in school training days and other professional development events as appropriate. You are given the opportunity to participate in all aspects of school life and the wider school context. This helps you to understand your own professional identity and be a fully committed member of a school community.

The support you receive at Hope Sentamu Learning Trust will continue into your Early Career (EC) years and beyond. Our EC strategy, run in partnership with Pathfinder Teaching School Hub and adhering to the ECF (Early Career Framework), ensures that our ECTs are supported as they transition from student teacher into teaching employment. Our commitment does not end when our training teachers finish the PGCE; York St John University and Hope Sentamu Learning Trust continue to support our ECTs in order to build successful careers in the teaching profession.

“

I had an amazing relationship with my mentor and she still offers me advice on all things teaching and that’s only possible because of the mentor support model at Hope Sentamu Learning Trust. The weekly meetings, supported team teaching sessions, constructive observations and extended placement meant that we were able to establish a really positive working relationship.

Hollie

Training English Teacher

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If you have any questions about the programme, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

School Direct PGCE course structure

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