PGCE History

School history plays a vital role in enabling every young person to understand the world and their place in it. As historians, we know that the past continues to shape the present in ways both seen and unseen. History teachers help young people to engage critically with the past and its legacies. They help young people to find the human stories at the heart of seismic changes. They enable young people to explore their own identities and develop a sense of belonging. Crucially, history teachers help young people to become active and informed citizens who care about the pursuit of truth and justice. This course has been designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to empower young people through history. We have worked hard to put key issues such as social justice and decolonisation at the centre of what we do. This includes specific input on approaching complex and controversial histories, the legacies of empire, and the Holocaust, to name a few. We are also very fortunate to have close relationships with Schools History Project, the Historical Association, the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, and the Centre for Migration, Empire and Belonging. Throughout the year we focus on developing your ability to think critically about history and historical pedagogy. Our sessions are very practical and draw together the work you do in school as well as via wider study. Each subject session is carefully planned to build and deepen your knowledge of a core aspect of history teaching, and to provide lots of space for practical experimentation and discussion. Ultimately, our aim is to prepare you to be critically aware teachers, able to develop your own, unique approaches to history teaching and meet the needs of the next generation.On successful completion of this degree and having met the Teachers’ Standards, you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). All our PGCE Secondary courses lead to the award of a level 7 Postgraduate Certificate in Education.