Programme Specifications

Programme summary

1. Programme Aims

The aim of the programme is to produce well-qualified subject-specialist teachers for secondary schools in two subjects – Design and Technology, Physical Education and Science (Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Physics with Mathematics) - who engage in critical reflective practice to further develop their teaching and enhance pupil learning.

2. Relevant subject benchmark statements and other external reference points used to inform programme outcomes:

The first year of the programme meets the requirements of the Teachers’ Standards (Department for Education, 2011).

The QAA subject benchmark statements for Education and the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications have also been used to inform the programme outcomes.

3. Programme Learning Outcomes

3.1 Knowledge and Understanding

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• their specialist teaching subject (Design and Technology or Science (Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Physics with Mathematics).
• the requirements of the National Curriculum and accredited and vocational courses designed for the 16-19 age-range, in their specialist subject
• the role of professional development in the enhancement of teacher and pupil learning.

3.2 Skills and other attributes

a. Subject-specific cognitive skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• plan lessons, units and schemes of work in their specialist subject, for the 11-18 age-range
• devise and implement appropriate assessment procedures for such subject learning
• evaluate the effectiveness of their own teaching
• use such evaluation, along with data derived from assessment procedures, to inform their teaching
• analyse relevant theory and make links with personal professional practice
• engage in critical reflective practice to develop teaching and enhance pupil learning.

b. Subject-specific practical skills:

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• create an effective learning environment
• teach their specialist subject effectively to groups of pupils in the 11-18 age-range
• evaluate the impact of teaching on pupil learning
• identify strategies to enhance pupil learning
• identify areas of practice that could benefit from small-scale research
• design, conduct and evaluate an appropriate investigation.

c. Key transferable skills:

On completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• work confidently both independently and as part of a team
• communicate effectively orally, electronically and in writing
• manage personal learning efficiently and effectively, particularly where learning part time and at a distance
• work within an existing organisational structure, while recognising and taking advantage of opportunities for innovation
• understand whole-school issues and those aspects of the relationship between school and community which affect the role of teachers.

4. Programme structure

Teacher Education is responsible for the administration of the programme, on behalf of the Loughborough Design School and the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.  The modules are the responsibility of the Loughborough Design School and the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.

4.1      Content

To be eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, students must obtain 90 credits from the following three core modules (generic and subject-specific professional studies), in addition to satisfactory completion of ‘Practical Teaching 1 and 2’ modules (in their specialist subject).

4.1.1 Core Modules - Generic Professional Studies (Phase 1 & 2)

4.1.2 Core Modules - Subject-Specific Professional Studies (Phase 1 & 2)

Students offering Design and Technology:

Students offering Science:

4.1.3  Practical Teaching Modules (Phase 1 & 2)

Students offering Design and Technology:

Students offering Science:

Students with marks of 40-49 for any (or all) of the three core modules (generic and subject-specific professional studies) will be awarded the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, providing that they have also satisfactory completed ‘Practical Teaching 1 and 2’ modules (in their specialist subject).

To be eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), students must obtain an additional 30 credits from the following modules:

To be eligible for the award of the MSc in Education with Qualified

Teacher Status (QTS), students must obtain a further 60 credits from

the following modules:

Students offering Design and Technology:

Students offering Science:

* indicates Distance Learning module

4.2 Assessment

First Year of the Programme

4.2.1 In order to be eligible for the award of the Post-Graduate Certificate in Education, students must achieve 90 credits from the 3 core modules (general and subject-specific professional studies), in addition to achieving the approved standard in ‘Practical Teaching 1 and 2’ modules (in their specialist subject). 

4.2.2  Students with marks of 40-49 for any (or all) of the three core modules (generic and subject-specific professional studies) will be awarded the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, providing that they have also satisfactory completed ‘Practical Teaching 1 and 2’ modules (in their specialist subject).  Students with marks of 40-49 in a core module will be offered one opportunity to re-submit coursework for that module in an attempt to increase their mark to 50 and become eligible to receive the award of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education. 

4.2.3 For a candidate in receipt of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education or the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education to be recommended to the Department for Education by the University for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), the candidate must also have met any statutory additional criteria of the Department for Education current at the time of recommendation and detailed within the Teachers’ Standards (Department for Education, 2011).

4.2.4 In order to progress from Phase 1 to Phase 2, students must achieve the approved standard in Practical Teaching 1 module in their specialist subject (DSP902, PSP902 or DSP906 as appropriate).

4.2.5 Students who fail to achieve the approved standard in Practical Teaching in Phase 1 or 2 will normally be eligible to be re-assessed on one occasion only, by means of a further period of practical teaching, subject to the availability of a suitable placement, and to the provisions of paragraph 4.2.7.  Partnership Schools will be asked to provide a placement for such re-assessment but this cannot be guaranteed.  The responsibility of the University in this respect is to endeavour seriously to find a suitable placement in a Partnership School, or other school willing to provide the period of extra training according to the Partnership Agreement.  If, after four attempts at separate schools, a suitable placement is not secured, the University's obligations in this matter are deemed to have ceased.

4.2.6 Any candidate seeking re-assessment in Practical Teaching will be required to meet the costs of re-examination together with a contribution wholly or in part to the costs of the University's transfer of funds to the Partnership School, as required by the Partnership Agreement.

4.2.7 In the following circumstances, a student may be required by a Partnership School or by the Academic Registrar to withdraw from a school placement, or may be placed on Leave of Absence by the Academic Registrar on the recommendation of the Director of Teacher Education, in accordance with paragraph 36 of Regulation IX:

i) Where the student fails to make adequate progress in the development of practical teaching skills, or

ii) Where the student contravenes the Conditions of Service or Code of Professional Practice of the School, or

iii) Where the student is convicted of (or receives a caution, reprimand or warning for) a criminal offence subsequent to commencing the programme whether the offence took place before or during the programme, or

iv) Where the student is permitted to commence a school placement prior to their DBS Disclosure being received, and the Disclosure, when received, contains details of a conviction, caution, reprimand or warning for a criminal offence, or

v) Where the student engages in any form of inappropriate behaviour in relation to pupils, staff and others connected with a Partnership School; or in relation to staff and students connected with Teacher Education at the University; or in relation to the public.

Where a student is required to withdraw from a school placement by a Partnership School or by the Academic Registrar, the Programme Board may decide that they have failed in Practical Teaching and that they are not eligible for reassessment in accordance with paragraph 4.2.5.

Where a student is placed on Leave of Absence by the Academic Registrar in accordance with paragraph 36 of Regulation IX, or where the student has taken Leave of Absence for reasons which the Director of Teacher Education considers may affect their fitness to practice, the student will be required to retake a Fitness to Teach/Occupational Health assessment prior to being permitted to rejoin the programme. The student will be notified of this requirement at the time they take leave of absence. If the outcome of this assessment is unsatisfactory, the Programme Board may decide to allow a further period of Leave of Absence, subject to the time limit referred to in paragraph 4.2.9, or, if the assessment indicates that the student will not be fit to teach within the relevant timescales, the Programme Board may decide to terminate the student’s studies.

4.2.8 Students who withdraw from a school placement may be determined by the Programme Board to have abandoned their studies and forfeited their eligibility for reassessment in accordance with paragraph 4.2.5.

4.2.9 Students who take ‘Leave of absence’ during the first year of the programme (PGCE), including any Leave of Absence initiated by the Academic Registrar in accordance with paragraph 36 of Regulation IX, are required to return to the programme within two academic years.

5. Criteria for Progression and Degree Award

In order to be eligible for the MSc in Education, candidates must satisfy the requirements of Regulation XXI.

Year 1 of the Programme

See 'Programme Structure' section

Years 2-3 of the Programme

5.1  In order to progress beyond Year 1, candidates must normally:

(a)       have passed both Practical Teaching modules in their specialist subject (i.e. DSP902 & DSP904 or DSP906 & DSP908) 

(b)       have met the Teachers’ Standards (Department for Education, 2011)

(c)       have attained the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (not the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education). 

However, where a student has outstanding resit rights and are still in a position to attain the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, they may be permitted to register for DSP909 Research into Teaching and Learning immediately following their first attempt at the Year 1 Postgraduate Certificate in Education modules. Such students will be permitted to complete DSP909 but will not be permitted to progress to DSP910 Teaching Design and Technology Research Project or DSP911 Teaching Science Research Project (as appropriate) until they have attained the award of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

5.2    In order to be eligible for the award of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), students must obtain 120 credits – 90 credits from the 3 core modules on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education course (general and subject-specific professional studies) and 30 credits from ‘the ‘Research into Teaching and Learning’ module. 

5.3    In order to be eligible for the award of the MSc in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), students must obtain 180 credits - 90 credits from the 3 core modules on the Postgraduate Certificate in Education course (general and subject-specific professional studies), 30 credits from the ‘Research into Teaching and Learning’ module, and 60 credits from the ‘Teaching Research Project’ module.

5.4    A student cannot progress to the ‘Teaching Research Project’ module until s/he has accumulated 120 credits.

5.5    Students exit the programme with: a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, or Postgraduate Certificate in Education, or Postgraduate Diploma in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), or MSc in Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), or MSc in Education with QTS, Postgraduate Certificate in Education (for students who have successfully completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Loughborough University).

5.6    Students who fail to achieve the approved standard in a module may be re-assessed on one occasion.

6. Relative Weighting of Parts of the Programme for the Purposes of Final Degree Classification