PGCE Secondary Design and Technology with QTS

Our one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) prepares you to teach across the design and technology secondary school curriculum for the 11-16 age range. This includes food, textiles, and electronics design at Key Stage 3 and the GCSEs in 'Food Preparation and Nutrition’ and 'Design and Technology’, as well as associated GCSE vocational courses. During the course you will explore the range of materials used with design and technology as well as how to teach school students how to explore these and safely design and make with them. Much of the university-based work takes a practical hands-on approach that includes Health and Safety and how to manage practical lessons. These take place in our modern and well-equipped suite of rooms that include a multi-materials workshop, a food preparation kitchen, and a textiles room. Alongside these practical experiences the course will provide you with the theoretical background that will help ensure you have the necessary subject knowledge to teach design and technology effectively. The course includes recent developments in pedagogy and the learning sciences and how these help you to teach the theoretical aspects of the subject including food safety and hygiene, aspects of nutrition and food science, food commodities, processes and techniques for textiles, woods, plastics, card, electronics and physical computing, including the use of CADCAM to support designing and making. Peer teaching will enable you to develop your understanding of GCSE and A-level theory topics, with a focus on the kinds of activities that pupils typically engage with in school. Past speakers on the course have included people from exam boards, The Design and Technology Association, Design Engineer Construct, Taste of Game in addition to departmental heads from a range of schools.

Degree You will normally have a minimum of a 2:2 undergraduate honours degree awarded by a UK university, or an equivalent higher education qualification. Your degree needs to support the subject knowledge requirements of the national curriculum for your subject . For exceptional candidates, particularly those with a higher-level degree or substantial relevant work experience in schools or relevant occupations we will consider applications from those who hold a 3rd class degree. GCSE You will also need GCSE at grade C/4 or above in English language and mathematics. You can apply with GCSEs pending for this course and sit the relevant equivalency tests approved by Manchester Met (see our admissions tutor team for approved equivalency providers). As per government requirements for teacher training courses, we are not able to accept key skills, adult numeracy and literacy or functional skills as an alternative to GCSE English language and mathematics. We are not able to consider Level 3 qualifications (eg A-levels, BTECs) as an alternative to GCSE English language and mathematics. Successful candidates will demonstrate a good understanding of teaching and learning within a secondary school setting. You may be able to evidence your understanding by drawing on related examples or experiences, such as time spent in schools, other educational settings or wider research and reading. If you are due to graduate or have graduated within the last three years your principal referee must be a university lecturer from where you graduated.