School Direct (Tuition Fee) is a route into teaching at both primary and secondary levels. Trainees join other student teachers on the established English with Drama PGCE programme at the UCL Institute of Education (IOE), whilst undertaking their teaching experience at their host school or alliance.
You will develop an understanding of classroom practice and the theories underpinning teaching and learning in English, media and drama. You will work with others to produce assessed theatre in education (TiE) presentations for children in partnership schools. This will develop your understanding of how drama and theatre can be applied to teaching and learning.
Students undertake two Master’s-level (level 7) modules of 30 credits each, totaling 60 credits. These can be carried forward onto full Master’s programmes at the IOE.
The Secondary PGCE consists of three core modules: two Master’s-level modules, which are assessed through written assignments, and the Professional Practice module, which is assessed by the observation of practical teaching in placement schools.
Completion of the Professional Practice module and the two level 7 (Master’s level) modules (60 credits) will result in the award of a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Completion of the Professional Practice module and one or two level 6 (undergraduate/Bachelor’s level) modules, will lead to the Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (PgCE).
Core modules
Optional modules
Placement
You will spend most of your time (120 days) in schools, working with English and drama mentors who support you through your school placements. The Professional Practice module is assessed through these placements, associated tasks and a portfolio.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered via keynote lectures, subject lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and directed study days at the IOE, as well as time spent in placement at the host school or alliance. Assessment is by the observation of practical teaching, assignments and a portfolio (which links into continuing professional development in the induction year).
Further information on modules and programme structure is available on the department website: School Direct (Tuition Fee): English - Drama
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the UCL Scholarships and Funding website.
Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as English and/or Drama teachers and heads of English or Drama departments and faculties in schools, while others have jobs as mentors of English with Drama PGCE students. Graduates in this area can also be found working as senior leaders in schools.
Employability
Graduates of the Secondary PGCE programme are highly employable and sought after by schools and colleges in London and beyond. Almost all graduates secure their first teaching post by the time they finish the PGCE programme. Graduates of the programme also have great career prospects, with many becoming Head of Department or a Head of Year within 2-5 years, often acting, in their schools, as mentors to new PGCE student teachers. Many of our graduates become senior teachers (such as Assistant Headteachers or Head of a Faculty) in 5-8 years of graduating, and some are now Headteachers. Others have developed their careers as subject specialist teachers and educators, both becoming lead teachers in the classroom and researching, writing and advising other teachers themselves. The Secondary PGCE Programme is a springboard into a rewarding career, not just as a skilled teacher, but as an educational leader.
The English with Drama PGCE introduces students to the broad scope of English and Drama as curriculum subjects across the 11–16 age range. Along with practical knowledge and an understanding of English and Drama methods, the PGCE offers perspectives on the role of language in learning, the teaching of literacies and literature, the principles of syllabus design and evaluation, and the assessment and recording of pupils’ progress.
The UCL Institute of Education's partnership with over 200 secondary schools and colleges in Greater London and beyond enables each of our students to become a skilled and confident teacher in their chosen subject specialism.
Students will be joining the largest English PGCE programme in the country, allowing them to benefit from a team of tutors with unparalleled expertise in the subject. Students will also be able to develop supportive peer networks, sharing ideas and resources.
Sessions at the IOE are interactive and practical, and students will participate in a range of group and individual activities, some of which involve collaboration with schools and other organisations including Shakespeare’s Globe and the British Film Institute. The PGCE year ends with a Theatre in Education project that involves a tour to partnership schools.
Accreditation:
This route leads to the award of QTS (Qualified Teacher Status).
The English with Drama PGCE introduces students to the broad scope of English and Drama as curriculum subjects across the 11–16 age range. Along with practical knowledge, it offers perspectives on the role of language in learning, the teaching of literacies and literature, the principles of syllabus design and evaluation, and assessment and recording.
You will develop an understanding of classroom practice and the theories underpinning teaching and learning in English, media and drama. You will work with others to produce assessed theatre in education (TiE) presentations for children in partnership schools. This will develop your understanding of how drama and theatre can be applied to teaching and learning.
Students undertake two level 7 (Master’s-level) modules of 30 credits each, totaling 60 credits. These can be carried forward onto full Master’s programmes at the IOE.
The Secondary PGCE consists of three core modules: two Master’s-level (level 7) modules, which are assessed through written assignments, and the Professional Practice module, which is assessed by the observation of practical teaching in placement schools.
Completion of the Professional Practice module and the two level 7 (Master’s level) modules (60 credits) will result in the award of a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Completion of the Professional Practice module and one or two level 6 (undergraduate/Bachelor’s level) modules, will lead to the Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (PgCE).
Core modules
Optional modules
Placement
You will spend most of your time (120 days) in schools, working with English and drama mentors who support you through your two school placements. We are fortunate to have a good choice of schools with whom we work, with some outstanding mentors and strong English and drama departments. The Professional Practice module is assessed through these placements, associated tasks and a portfolio.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered via keynote lectures, subject lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and directed study days at the IOE, as well as time spent in placements. Assessment is by practical teaching, assignments and portfolio tasks.
Students will also record their progress in a Career Entry and Development Profile statement. This will form part of an ongoing portfolio charting the student's continuing professional development.
Further information on modules and programme structure is available on the department website: PGCE English with Drama
Bursaries are available for some subject programmes to students who meet the eligibility criteria. To find out what funding may be available to you, please visit the Department for Education funding page.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the UCL Scholarships and Funding website.
Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas. Some are working as English and/or Drama teachers and heads of English or Drama departments and faculties in schools, while others have jobs as mentors of English with Drama PGCE students. Graduates in this area can also be found working as senior leaders in schools.
Employability
Graduates of the Secondary PGCE programme are highly employable and sought after by schools and colleges in London and beyond. Almost all graduates secure their first teaching post by the time they finish the PGCE programme. Graduates of the programme also have great career prospects, with many becoming Head of Department or a Head of Year within 2-5 years, often acting, in their schools, as mentors to new PGCE student teachers. Many of our graduates become senior teachers (such as Assistant Headteachers or Head of a Faculty) in 5-8 years of graduating, and some are now Headteachers. Others have developed their careers as subject specialist teachers and educators, both becoming lead teachers in the classroom and researching, writing and advising other teachers themselves. The Secondary PGCE Programme is a springboard into a rewarding career, not just as a skilled teacher, but as an educational leader.
The UCL Institute of Education's (IOE) partnership with over 200 secondary schools and colleges in Greater London and beyond enables each of our students to become a skilled and confident teacher in their chosen subject specialism.
Students will be joining the largest English PGCE programme in the country, allowing them to benefit from a team of tutors with unparalleled expertise in the subject. Students will also be able to develop supportive peer networks, sharing ideas and resources.
Sessions at the IOE are interactive and practical, and students will participate in a range of group and individual activities, some of which involve collaboration with schools and other organisations including Shakespeare’s Globe and the British Film Institute. The PGCE year ends with a Theatre in Education project that involves a tour to partnership schools.
Accreditation:
Students who successfully complete this programme will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
We recognise the importance and potential of theatre as an art form, and it is our goal to use it to promote the personal, social, spiritual and cultural development of all pupils, including the ones you will go on to teach.
This programme is designed to create teachers who will operate as artists in education, empowering young people through Drama, and encourage you to reach your full potential as a qualified teacher.
The programme integrates process and performance, teaching both through and about the art form. In this way, you’ll be able to benefit from a whole host of transferable skills, enabling you to develop personally and professionally through both practical and theoretical enquiry.
As well as focusing on the Drama curriculum in the first three years of secondary education, the programme covers Drama and performing arts courses for pupils from 14 to 19.
We pay special attention to the relationship between English and Drama in the National Curriculum.
Candidates invited to interview are established practitioners in there own right with industry experience. This may vary widely from stage management, playwriting or design to acting in television, film or theatre. They also have Teaching Assistant, Learning Support Assistant, Unqualified Teacher, Drama in Education experience or similar.
School Direct
It is also possible to study this course via our School Direct programme. Please visit our School Direct page to see which schools offer this subject.
Additional costs
As well as your PGCE fees, you will have to cover your travel costs to your school placements.
We produce reading packs electronically and in hard copy format. There’s a small charge for the hard copy reading packs. You may also be asked to contribute towards trips and some materials for your modules.
In College-based sessions, you engage in practical Drama at your own level and then analyse this from the perspective of participant and teacher.
Starting to teach grows out of this, coupled with you observing Drama in schools, re-visiting the work of key practitioners, and beginning to develop the conceptual underpinnings of classroom practice.
School-based tutors are heads of department or experienced Drama specialists. In addition, you will be supported by alumni as ‘buddies’.
In the Autumn Term, you have an intensive introduction to Drama in education at the College, and begin weekly induction visits to your first teaching practice school.
As the term develops, you spend four days a week in school beginning to develop teaching skills, and return to Goldsmiths on the fifth day for support in lesson planning, managing behaviour, and assessing and recording pupils’ progress.
At the start of the Spring Term there is a similar pattern of College-based work, with an induction visit to your second teaching practice school. This enables you to build on everything you have learned in the first term and to plan for your second block of school experience.
You then spend four days a week in this school until the spring half-term.
After this you are in school five days a week gaining a sense of what it means to be a full-time Drama teacher. In the final weeks you return to College and complete your Career Entry Development Profile. You also engage in a review and evaluation of the programme as a whole.
A range of teaching methods are employed across the PGCE programmes, including:
As with the other PGCE courses, you’ll be given the opportunity to work with children in a wide range of contexts. These might include focused interventions with individuals or groups, or larger scale events for the community.
Create fictional worlds and use everyday situations to tell stories through the mediums of drama and creative writing in order to inspire young people, spark their imaginations and aid their social and emotional development.
By studying literary texts, performance pedagogy and theatre in education, you will develop innovative approaches to the teaching of drama and creative writing in a range of educational and community settings. You will challenge young learners to create powerful and transformative imaginary worlds to spark their creativity.
This course will help you to become a creative educator, who places students at the centre of their learning through the creation of lived-through drama experiences, cultivating a fertile ground for your creative writing and a supportive environment in which young people will feel encouraged to also write creatively.
Working with an experienced team of published educators and theatre-based organisations in Leeds, you will develop the confidence and skills to work with and inspire young people.
You will also have the opportunity to study an option module from one of our other masters courses.
RESEARCH
Academic staff from the course are engaged in a number of research projects linked to this course. One current project focuses on teachers using drama to engage children in writing. You can read more about the project by clicking here, and by visiting The Conversation website.
If you are already working in a school, this course will enhance your practice and will support your professional development. You could also use this course as preparation for one of our PGCE teacher training programmes. If you are interested in forging a career outside of the classroom, it will give you the skill set to work in other creative settings. It will enhance your creative writing skills and you could find employment in children's centres or with professional theatre companies.Education officer
Are you passionate about introducing the exciting world of learning through drama - in all its forms - to children and young people? This Secondary Drama PGCE will give you the strong grounding you need to make a contribution to this essential aspect of education.
This is a great career which gives you have the chance to encourage young people to follow their dreams, explore, challenge and understand the world in which they live, and develop their appreciation of the dramatic form.
The ability to tell a story powerfully through actions as well as words is important, and you’ll learn how to inspire and encourage your pupils to express themselves in this way. As a teacher you will offer your pupils a wide range of experiences using a variety of techniques in many different forms of drama, helping them to become more self-confident.
This course has strong links with local theatre companies such as the internationally-renowned Big Brum Theatre in Education Company. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with Big Brum to create enriching drama education.
You will need to have a good degree (minimum 2:2 but 2:1 or 1st preferred) from a UK higher education institution or equivalent at least 50 per cent of which is in drama or a drama-related subject. You must have a GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in both English language and mathematics prior to application and if you are offered an interview you will take a written test to assess your standard of English.
For entry onto a teaching course you will also be required to pass the Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy.
Pre-Interview School Experience
For secondary teacher training there is an expectation that you will have had some general experience of working with secondary age students in a school setting. In preparation for the selection interview you are required to engage in a teaching episode, observed by an experienced qualified teacher.
As part of the selection procedure, the interview panel will expect you to demonstrate your knowledge of drama and will assess personal qualities such as the potential to relate well to secondary age students, enthusiasm, sensitivity, communication skills and robustness and resilience for teaching.
Applicants must also meet The National College for Teaching and Leadership requirements for initial teacher training, which means being medically fit and successfully completing an enhanced disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Modules are assessed through a range of directed tasks and targeted assignments. Trainee teachers are also required to complete a profile of evidence towards the achievement of the Standards required by the National College for Teaching and Leadership for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Evidence for the Standards is verified by mentors..
All applications need to be made via the UCAS Teacher Training website.
Course code: W4X1
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