PGCE SECONDARY 2017-18

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

KINGSTON UNIVERSITY

PGCE SECONDARY PLACEMENT POLICY

This policy applies to teaching placement undertaken by those studying on the PGCE Secondary Course.

General information regarding your placement is described in your School Experience documentation.When you start the course, please ensure you read the documentation thoroughly to fully understand what is required from you including attendance and punctuality whilst on placement.

  1. Placement Process & Challenges

The PlacementSpecialist collates all offers from secondary partner schools for the identified course and placement dates. Allocation then begins, matching trainees to each offer, ensuring that previous experiences are recognised to provide breadth of experience. Experience has shown that there is a need to continue to search and secure offers up to the placement start date, as schools withdraw their offers due to a variety of reasons.

We reserve the right to change any provisional placements for operational and tutorial reasons and this could include swapping trainees between schools. Any changes will be communicated to you, usually to your Kingston University email account.

  1. The Geographical Areas of our Partner Schools

The majority of placements are in the county of Surrey and surrounding London boroughs.

  1. Journey Times

The University does not and cannot guarantee maximum journey times and distances to placement schools but does take into consideration trainees’ circumstances and requirements.

Students can anticipate being placed in a school that is within a 2 hour commute from the University as this is where our partnership schools are located.

  1. Compliance with the standards
  2. Trainees must spend 120 days on school experience during their course.

4.2Trainees must be provided with the adequate experience within each of the two placements which covers a minimum of two key stages.

  1. Priority Criteria for placing trainees

Compliance with the NCTL requirements is the overriding priority for all placements. However, wewill take into account priorities and individual circumstances for example child caring responsibilities for his/her own children or a disability declared by a trainee.

  1. Trainees approaching schools for their own Placements

Trainees can introduce a school with whom they have links to the School of Education, however, the placement can only be confirmed after discussion and agreement from the Placement Specialist or Course Tutor. If the school is not already a Partner school, the Placement Specialist may contact the school to discuss a potential placement. The School of Education may then agree the partnership and for the trainee to be placed in that school.

This may be acceptable under the following conditions:

6.1The trainee does not have any family members employed in any capacity at the prospective placement school, nor attending the school as pupils;

6.2The trainee has never been an employee of the school;

6.3The trainee will not be mentored by a teacher with whom they have a pre-existing relationship e.g. friendship, business or residential relationship;

6.4The teacher mentoring the trainee is a qualified teacher and

6.5The prospective school’s most recent Ofsted inspection report will be reviewed. The Ofsted category “requiring improvement” will be considered.

  1. Trainee Requirements

It is the responsibility of trainees to:

7.1Provide appropriate and accurate information regularly to the Placement Office including up-to-date current home address and contacts;

7.2Inform the School of Education immediately of criminal convictions, cautions or prosecutions pending or taking place since declaration made at interview (see DBS section on website for further details);

7.3Read information carefully about school placement, organise own travel to school, consider all travel routes available using Internet searches and local knowledge;

7.4Uphold Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards: “Personal and Professional Conduct” when communicating with University personnel regarding placements;

7.5Understand and be sensitive to the problematic nature of placements;

7.6Be flexible, trainee placements may change occasionally at short notice and

7.7Be reassured that a placement school will be made available to you. It is the responsibility of the School of Education to confirm your school placement.

Please sign below to confirm that you have read and understood the policy and will adhere to thetrainee requirements for the duration of your teacher training course.

Name:Signature:

KU ID: Date

PGCE SECONDARY COURSE 2017-18

Please submit the completed document by 30th June 2017 to:

Sarah Goddard (Placement Specialist)

School of Education

Kingston University

Kingston Hill Campus

Kingston

KT2 7LB