History with Classics
History with Classics student teachers are taught within the History and RE PGCE. You will have specialist inputs and also gain experience of issues in planning and teaching within the Humanities. There are additional specialist sessions in planning, promoting, and delivering classical subjects. Your two school placements are in your specialist subjects, with at least one placement including 40% classics content.
Programme aims
We are committed to History being taught as a lively, thought provoking subject, and to widening access to the teaching of Classics.
PGCE Secondary History with Classics aims to:
- Model good practice for your work with pupils;
- Help you develop varied strategies for use in the classroom to enhance pupils’ learning;
- Develop your capacity to reflect on the nature of History and classical subjects;
- Provide you with opportunities to develop collaboratively with other History and Classics specialist trainees
- Develop your understanding of your professional role within a department and whole school communities.
Subject specialism
The course for History with Classics will help you to understand various frameworks for teaching the subject and to understand the relationship of the school subject to wider issues such as historical identity and communities. The course will help you to promote the value of teaching Classics, a non-statutory subject, in today’s schools alongside the National Curriculum. It will explore the benefits that arise from the study of classics. You will have the opportunity to study, observe, and, where appropriate, practise the teaching of classical languages.
Assessment
Continuous assessment is used throughout the course and there are no examinations.
Eligibility criteria
Applications are welcome from students with good/very good qualifications in their History qualifications at GCSE and AS/A-Level (or equivalent) and at honours degree level. It will be an advantage for students to be able to demonstrate study of ancient history, archaeology, and/ or classical subjects.
Those students with joint or combined honours degrees in which Ancient History is a major subject are also welcome to apply.
Students with degrees in a range of academic backgrounds may also be considered.
In all cases applicants are required to have an A-Level History qualification and a genuine interest in and enthusiasm for History. Students wishing to teach classical languages must have either an A-Level in the language or undertake the recommended classical language summer school before the course commences.
GCSE
All applicants must have achieved a Grade C or equivalent in Mathematics and English Language at GCSE. You may apply without these qualifications, but if you are successful at interview you must have passed them by the start of the course. Special tests in lieu of GCSE Mathematics and English are available for Secondary candidates who are offered conditional places but are lacking the requisite qualification.