PGCE Secondary Mathematics

Study PGCE Secondary Maths at the Institute of Education and benefit from our highly experienced academics and our consistently high employment rates.

Our Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary Maths course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), qualifying you to teach the 11-18 age group in secondary schools in England and Wales.

You will be taught at the University by experienced mathematics teachers, well versed in both theory and practice.  Your placement in a local school will be supervised by expert mathematics teachers who are all specially trained as mentors. Many of them have been through the PGCE with us themselves and are well placed to guide you.  You will build up your classroom practice as you work closely with them in the early days, developing your skills and confidence until you can stand alone. 

In schools, you will be involved in:

• observation of other teachers 
• planning and teaching parts of lessons/small groups 
• planning and teaching lessons and sequences of lessons to classes 
• reflecting on and evaluating your teaching 
• receiving feedback on your teaching 
• gaining experience of the range of responsibilities of classroom teachers and form tutors 

Your university teaching is through a series of lectures, practical seminars and workshops, where interactive and discussion-based techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge. 

Sessions will include:

• participating in workshop style sessions with your peers 
• attending presentations by subject experts 
• working on tasks in groups 
• having individual tutorials 
• visiting schools or other education settings 
• collaborative lesson planning, delivery and evaluation 

You’ll participate in active discussions around the key issues in teaching particularly focusing on how children learn, why they behave as they do and how you can motivate and support them.  We have a strong social justice and climate curriculum where all views are welcomed. These learning activities will help you to develop a toolkit of knowledge and skills, ensuring you are well prepared to tackle challenges and opportunities throughout your training and your career.

Your assignments actively connect the research and work of others in the field to what you’re doing in the classroom and are thoroughly supported by staff and resources.

At the end of the course we offer our students an opportunity to get experience in a broad range of settings and educational environments such as special needs schools, Pupil Referral Units, independent schools, museums, and charities.

The PGCE Secondary Mathematics programme is all about helping you find your style of teaching and being the kind of teacher you want to be.

Placements

Placements enable you to develop the skills and knowledge valued and desired by employers - you will build your confidence in the classroom and gain practical teaching experience. Placements also provide you with the opportunity to connect with potential employers and build your professional network.

At Secondary level, we have strong relationships with around 90 schools in the local and surrounding area. It is a testament to the strength of these partnerships and the regard with which our graduates are held, that most schools in Berkshire employ at least one graduate of the Institute of Education.

On your Secondary PGCE course, you are required to carry out three placements in two different age groups - ensuring you receive a broad range of experiences. Two placements must be undertaken in a school setting but the third can be taken in a different setting - allowing you to sample teaching in an alternative environment.

We offer our students an unusually flexible and broad range of contexts and educational environments - you will have the opportunity to gain experience in special needs schools, Pupil Referral Units, independent schools, museums, and charities.

You will have plenty of opportunities throughout your course to apply your developing skills in real settings. In schools, you will be involved in:

• observation of other teachers
• planning and teaching small groups and whole classes
• planning and teaching elements of lessons and whole lessons
• reflecting on and evaluating your teaching
• receiving feedback on your teaching
• gaining experience in the range of responsibilities of the classroom teacher.

Climate and sustainability education

• what is happening to our climate, how to help children learn about climate and sustainability in an age-appropriate and accessible way, and how to develop your own positioning as a teacher
• climate justice, the impact of current and future changes to our environment and climate on ourselves and others and implications for teachers
• how to translate knowledge and theory into change and personal action through building climate and sustainability education into your planning, teaching, and children’s learning.

Visit Partnering for the Planet to find out more about the University of Reading’s world-leading work in climate science.

Research

98% of our research is of international standing (REF 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Education). 

For more information, please visit the Institute of Education website.