| Qualification | Start dates | Entry requirements | Full- or Part-time | |
| Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) | September | Teaching post in an independent school | Level of English required | Full-time (school-based) |
Course outline
The Buckingham Postgraduate Certificate of Education has been developed in close consultation with the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC). Since 2003 it has been offering teachers in the independent sector who have not undergone a period of formal teacher training the opportunity to participate in a year long structured programme of professional development.
The PGCE is offered to teachers in all subjects and all levels (subject to availability).
Those on the course will be employed in schools in the independent sector, which will put them forward for the course. In their schools they will receive school-based training in the craft of the classroom, overseen and supported by mentors in their schools. Once each term they will be visited by a subject specialist mentor from Buckingham, who will help to ensure comparability of standards across the participating schools. The Buckingham mentor and the school mentor will jointly assess the student’s competence as a teacher during and at the end of the course.
Teaching methods
In addition to the school-based programme, students on the PGCE come to Buckingham once each term for a three day residential meeting, where they will reflect more systematically on the subjects they are teaching, the craft of the classroom and the educational enterprise more generally.
How to apply
Download the PGCE application form 2012 (310 KB) or contact Nikki Mugford or Sally Elvin, Secretary to the Department of Education, on +44 (0)1280 820219 / 820222 or email education@buckingham.ac.uk
