I’m a PGCE student, training in secondary mathematics and economics. At the beginning I had this belief ingrained in my mind, that it was going to be the most stressful and intense year and that I’d never make it to the end. Now, with just 6 weeks left, I can happily say that it is entirely possible!

What does the PGCE programme at the University of Manchester actually look like?

The PGCE course is nothing like your bachelor’s degree. You’ll spend the majority of your time on placement, with minimal days on campus. At the University of Manchester, secondary PGCE students follow a ‘sandwich’ style placement, where you complete three placement blocks, where you’re at the same school for your first and last placement, and a different one for your second. These placements are around 7-10 weeks each, in which you’ll start off with observing lessons before eventually taking over teaching them, gradually increasing your hours.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to make the most of these observations! Talk to students, find out what they like/ dislike about that subject, learn their names, pay attention to the structure of the lessons and observe how they engage with content; after all, the better you know the class and their routines, the easier the transition will be for you when you start teaching them independently.

One of my favourite parts about studying with the University of Manchester has to be all of the extra school visits we’ve had throughout the year- during our university sessions we’ve visited primary schools, other secondary schools (aside from our main placements), a sixth form, and an alternative provision. Being exposed to these different educational settings has been extremely insightful, giving me a better idea of how teaching styles vary across age groups and institutions. It’s also shown me how two different groups of students of the same age and attainment levels can learn the same topic so differently (for example, some students may learn the formula for the area of a cylinder by learning what shapes a cylinder is made from, and learning how to derive it from that, whereas others may just be given the formula), and how this affects knowledge retention.

Getting these little tasters of different classroom environments has helped me to discover ideas to experiment with and incorporate into my own practice, as well as helping me to better understand what qualities I look for in schools when applying to teaching jobs.

The teaching

I’ve taught maths across key stages 3 and 4, and economics at A-Level. Having the experience of teaching students of differing ages, sets, and behaviour has been pivotal, and shown me the importance of adaptation. You’ll find very quickly that your ‘teacher voice’ will differ between teaching Year 7, Year 9 and Y12, and that it’s completely normal. You’ll learn the importance of checking for understanding throughout the lesson, whether that’s through cold-calling, using mini whiteboards, or ‘think pair share’, to make sure students are on the right track. By the end of the year, you’ll be able to compare yourself to the old you, and reflect on how much you’ve improved, whether that’s with how you deal with difficult behaviour, your classroom presence, your time management, etc.

The workload

Now, for the part you’ve probably heard the most about. The ‘impossible’ workload.

Although it isn’t easy, it is definitely manageable. You’ll have lessons to plan, observations to prepare for, worksheets to print, books to mark, university assignments to write, meetings and parents’ evenings to attend, and more. I highly recommend buying a teacher planner so you can note down all the important dates and deadlines, your to-do lists, and any reminders, to make sure nothing slips your mind.

Despite being organised it can still feel overwhelming, but you’ll find that the university offers so much support, so you’re never truly alone. We’ve had many useful sessions throughout the year, providing guidance on teaching A-Level, behaviour management strategies and role-play, writing assignments, public speaking, etc. You’ll also find much comfort in talking to your peers, whether that’s the trainees on your course, or other trainees at your placement school, who are in the same boat as you.

Final comments

Despite the many late nights and early starts, it has been an immensely fulfilling and enjoyable journey. The feeling of satisfaction you’ll get when you see the progress across your class and seeing a student’s eyes light up when they finally grasp the concepts that they’ve been struggling with, is truly priceless. It’ll make you immediately forget about how long you spend stressing over planning that lesson, and it’ll make it all worthwhile.

Most importantly, whilst the goal is to complete the course and gain QTS, don’t forget you can also enjoy the journey! Make plans outside of work, make time for yourself, and don’t abandon your hobbies.

Written by Raisah, currently studying at The University of Manchester.  

Related