Our one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) prepares you to teach across the secondary school history curriculum for the 11-16 age range.

You’ll explore inclusive ways to teach history, and develop your ability to teach different historical concepts such as causation, interpretation, change and continuity.

Some of the key topics you’ll study include how to use sources in the history classroom, the importance of reading and writing when learning history and how to make the history curriculum relevant and inclusive.

You will typically have a series of seminars with guest lectures from The National Archives, exam boards, The Holocaust Education Trust, as well as from experienced teachers in schools to help you explore different areas of the history curriculum and how to teach them. 

When you are in University, you’ll study mainly with your PGCE History group. You will consider how to plan lessons, reflect on your planning, learn how research can develop your teaching practice, and look at ways to develop your teacher persona. 

You’ll also learn through peer-collaboration and sharing knowledge with your fellow history trainees to develop your subject knowledge. 

Most of our graduates go on to work as art and design teachers in secondary schools.

The PGCE programme provides you with 60 masters' level credits when you graduate. You could put these towards a masters degree to help you develop your career in the field of education including our new MTeach masters specifically designed for Early Career Teachers (ECTs).