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Keele University has a long established reputation in Initial Teacher Education. The Keele Partnership Secondary School Direct Programme is an innovative one year (36 weeks) course which offers opportunities for trainees to develop skills in the use of digital technologies in the classroom and to undertake a multi-agency placement as part of the course.
You will spend a significant amount of time (minimum of 120 days) in school. The University modules are designed to give you experience of the type of innovative teaching required in the contemporary school.
The course is underpinned by a genuine partnership between the University, partner schools and the students (referred to as Associate Teachers (ATs)). The University sessions will draw heavily on the ATs’ school experiences and aid them in interpreting those experiences in the light of current theory and practice in secondary education.
'The aim of the programme at Keele is to develop outstanding, critical and creative teachers for the 21st century classroom'
The School Direct Programme at Keele has been designed to be both academic and vocational and is predicated on the requirement to provide challenging expectations of you as Associate Teachers to create a teaching and learning environment which will engage your interest and motivation. The broad aim of the main curriculum component of the School Direct programme is to:
• develop your subject knowledge and teach you how to put that knowledge into practice (pedagogy) in order to thrive in the culture of our schools;
• enable you to become a highly motivated, outstanding effective, creative and reflective practitioner;
• prepare you for a career in teaching that will prove to be successful and rewarding;
• develop in you a commitment to and enthusiasm for continuing professional and personal development;
• provide you with sufficient information, experience and opportunity in order that you might achieve the QTS Standards.
- Achievement of at least a 2:2 and preferably a 2:1 honours degree (or recognised equivalent);
- Passes at GCSE in English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent);
- Selection based on the information provided on the Teaching Agency application;
- Selection based on a successful interview (part of the interview is conducted within a partner school);
- A medical report which is deemed satisfactory;
- A completed DBS enhanced disclosure which is deemed satisfactory by the University;
- Successful completion of the Teaching Agency’s Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy (these are a pre-entry requirement).
- Successful completion of a minimum of 10 days English teaching experience in a secondary school/college during the last two years, either before or after selection (before strengthens your application);
- For the SD (Salaried) route, you must have three years of work experience (not necessarily in an educational setting) to be eligible to apply.
The Keele Partnership School Direct English course attracts Associate Teachers from a wide variety of backgrounds. You may be a recent graduate in English (or in a degree with a substantial element of English Literature and/or Language - minimum of 40% of your degree) or you may have worked in a range of occupations prior to commencing the course which will have provided you with an opportunity to develop your subject knowledge and wider experience of education and work. Whatever your background, you will have a love of language and an enthusiasm for literature and a passion for conveying this to pupils and students.
English is a core National Curriculum subject but that apart, it is a multifaceted, fascinating and potentially contentious subject which allows considerable scope for the autonomy and personal qualities of the individual teacher. These facts are recognised in the course which encourages you to question the nature of the subject, to explore priorities and to develop constructive means for meeting the needs and interests of your pupils. You will consider the results of recent and relevant research and meet tried and tested teaching and learning strategies and programmes but, as importantly, you will be encouraged to develop your own ideas and strategies.
All aspects of the subject are addressed during the course, including meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum and national initiatives such as Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) and Assessment for Learning (AfL), and with focused study of English at post-16 you will not only be equipped to teach pupils and students in the 11-16 age range but will have opportunities to gain experience of teaching at the 16-19 level.
Through mostly practical workshops and seminars, the course considers meaningful contexts for the teaching of English including reading a wide range of literature, non-literary, media and moving image texts, writing for a variety of purposes and audiences, aspects of language study, Shakespeare, drama as a learning medium and theatre. In addition to main methods seminars, all Associates undertake supplementary courses in Media Studies and Drama, and there are opportunities for you to develop your experience and skill in the teaching and practice of Imaginative Writing.
Key models for the teaching of English are analysed and different styles of teaching are explored. You will be encouraged to read widely and to employ Information and Communication Technology (ICT), role-play and audio-visual aids such as electronic whiteboards in the classroom.
While the course aims to help you meet the Standards which qualify you to teach, it also has wider horizons which encompass the Induction (Newly Qualified Teacher) Year and the early years of teaching. Many of our ex-Associate Teachers progress rapidly through the profession so we provide you with an appropriate foundation in knowledge, skills and understanding for meeting the teaching, administrative and management demands which lie ahead.
To sum up, the course aims to help you become a competent, professional and, above all, creative teacher, capable of developing the imaginations and abilities of the young people with whom you have the privilege of working.
Course participants are assessed through written academic assignments and portfolios of evidence. Throughout your placements you will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards (May 2012).
The Keele Partnership recognises that our ATs come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and have already completed degree level study or higher, and are in a position to learn from each other. Thus the programme makes use of lead lectures, seminars, group activities, individual and group tutorials, field visits, practical workshops, directed activities in professional contexts, school based placements, supported self-study and the use of IT to support learning via the website.
