Post Graduate Certificatein Education (PGCE) In

Post Graduate Certificatein Education (PGCE) in:

Early Years Education with QTS

Pre-programme Information for 2015 Entry

2015-2016

Inclusive Services Statement

Based in the University Library (1st floor) and the Student Information Centre (SIC, ground floor), we provide information, guidance, support and resources for:

Academic Skills Development

Accessing Information and ICT

Disability / Health Conditions

Irlen Syndrome / Colour Sensitivity

Specific Learning Difficulties / Differences (SpLDs) e.g. Dyslexia

If you have specific requirements due to a disability or learning difficulty (e.g. physical or sensory impairment, mental health/anxiety issues, health condition, dyslexia or an autistic spectrum condition) or needs emerge when you are studying here, we can advise you on:

Applying for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA)

Specialist and/or personal support

Dyslexia assessments

‘Reasonable adjustments’ to learning, teaching and assessment

Accessible facilities and equipment

Our approach is friendly yet professional and you can discuss your individual learning requirements in complete confidence. It is essential that you contact us as early as possible.

To contact the Inclusive Services Team:

In person: University Library, 1st floor and SIC, ground floor, Ormskirk

Tel: 01695 584372 / 584190

E-mail:

Also visit our Inclusive Services webpage at:

Welcome

Dear New Trainee

Congratulations on your successful interview and welcome to the Early Years PGCE with QTS.

This booklet is intended to provide you with the essential information you may need before starting the programme. Please ensure that you read it carefully and allow yourself time to prepare fully. I know that you may already have to cope with the demands of a full-time job or studying for your final degree exams, but it is still vital that you take the necessary time to prepare yourself as well as possible so that you are ready to start at the beginning of September.

Present Early Years PGCE trainees have asked me to tell you how positive they feel about the programme, despite the hard work. They are almost all making good or very good progress, they have a tremendous group spirit and many laughs together, and they are looking forward to becoming successful teachers. I hope that it will work out just as well for you.

I look forward to seeing you again at the pre-programme day and at the start of your programme. Please do not hesitate to contact us (see page 4) before then, if there is anything that you want to ask or discuss.

Yours sincerely

Christine Eyes

Early Years Pathway Leader

The information within this introductory booklet is deliberately concise and is intended to facilitate your commencement and enrolment on the programme. More details will be provided through your Programme and Module Handbooks once the programme begins.

Contents

Page

1.1 Pre-programme Contacts5

1.2 Pre-programme Day6

1.3 Calendar6

1.4 School/Setting Placements7

1. 5 Pre-programme Preparation8

Appendices:

Appendix 1 – Pre-programme trainee action plan11

Appendix 2 – Standards Reflection Audit12

Appendix 3 – Car Parking Permit16

Appendix 4 – Campus Map17

1.1 Pre-Programme Contacts

If we can be of any help before your pre-programme day, then please contact us.

If your query is about… / … then contact:
Accommodation / Accommodation Team: 01695 584 200
Tuition fees / Tuition Fees Team: 01695 584787
PGCE bursaries / Tuition Fees, Bursaries and Scholarships: 01695 657246
Personal finance / welfare / Finance and Welfare Rights Team:01695 584502/594452
Your offer of a place / Admissions Office: 01695 650950
Programme content or organisation / Christine Eyes – EY PGCE Pathway Leader

Withdrawal

If, for any reason, you decide not to take up your offer of a place on the programme, then please let the Admissions Office know as soon as possible. It is not possible for you to defer entry until the following year, but we would welcome a renewed application next year if you have kept us informed and gained further school/setting experience. If you would like to discuss your situation before making a decision, then please contact the Early Years Pathway Leader; this will not prejudice your offer of a place.

1.2 Pre-Programme Day

Thursday 2nd July 2015
10am – 4.00
Meet in the Faculty of Education entrance foyer at 10.00
Cohort Lecture
Early Years Seminars
Faculty of Education
Trainees should note that attendance at this event is compulsory and is a condition of the programme. A car parking pass for the day is included in the Appendix.
Please ensure you bring along:

A copy of photographic identification
Your offer letter, showing conditions/pre-programme targets
Your completed pre-programme tasks

1.3 Calendar

Enrolment details will be provided on the pre-programme day (if confirmed at that time)
The calendar for September 2015 – July 2016 will be provided on the pre-programme day. It is anticipated that the programme will run from 7/9/15 to 1/7/16. Please note graduation dates will be confirmed later in the year and are likely to take place in July 2016.

1.4 School/Setting Placements

Edge Hill University’sPartnership with schools and settings is at the heart of the Faculty of Education’s work in ITT. The Partnership enables EHU-based and placement-based colleagues to work together to develop and enhance all aspects of the relationship including the trainee experience.

The University is proud to work in partnership with a wide range of schools and settings both in terms of their intake populations and geographical location. For example the Partnership operates in the North West, Isle of Man, Shropshire, North East Lincolnshire, North and West Yorkshire and the West Midlands among other places.

Such a wide and diverse Partnership gives trainees opportunities to compare and contrast policy and practice in different schools and settings and Local Authorities through undertaking placements in these demographically and geographically diverse locations. The Faculty of Education operates a Trainee Travel Policy to support trainees undertaking placement at a distance and gives trainees support to undertake placements in the extended geographical area (should they wish to do so). Should trainees undertake a placement in an extended geographical areas which involves alternative accommodation, Edge Hill University will support trainees through paying for accommodation and subsistence. In these circumstances, the University will also pay for half termly return travel to and from the placement as well as daily return travel between the accommodation and school/setting.

All trainees will be expected to make their own arrangements to travel to their Professional Practice which may be at some distance from their home and therefore trainees should expect to travel for up to 2 hours each way to professional practice schools or settings. Trainees will be expected to pay the full travel costs to placements. Claims may only be made to the University for a contribution towards travel costs, where trainees have travelled further than their travel from home to the University; in this case they can make a claim in relation to the difference between these.

Your professional practices will be in at least two different schools/settings that match the age range you are training to teach. They are sourced and agreed by the Partnership Team through matching your training needs with offers of placement made by schools and settings and WILL NOT be based on your home address and geographical locations.

The professional practices involve you in working towards your named award and Qualified Teacher Status through guidance and consultation with your Edge Hill University Partnership Trainers (EHUPT) and tutors. They also enable your Edge Hill University Partnership Trainers (EHUPT) and tutors to assess your progress against the Teachers’ Standards (2012)

You will complete professional practices as follows:

An introductory Nursery placement

Phase 1in a Key Stage 1 classroom and Phase 2 in an Early Years classroom

Phase 1 in an Early Years classroom and Phase 2 in a key Stage 1 classroom

Enhanced Experience days

This breadth of Professional Practicewill ensure that over the course of the EYPGCE programme you will have experienced a range of settings and Key Stages.

1.5 Pre-programme Preparation

In order to start your journey into becoming a professional reflective teaching practitioner, we have some activities that we feel will help you to make a positive start to the programme and which we would like you to complete prior to attending the university.

Professional Preparation

Individual Targets

Following your interview, you will have been provided with feedback and/or targets by the interview panel and it is essential that you are pro-active in responding to each of these prior to commencing the programme as these will be referred to by your personal tutor. Please note these should also include any comments in relation to your subject knowledge scores.

You should use the Trainee Action Plan (see appendix 1) to record targets/conditions of your offer of a place on the programme then record what actions you have taken in response to these targets.

Research Job Vacancies

The purpose of this activity is to help you recognise the potential demand for qualified Early Years teachers and to identify any key characteristics that are common to the job vacancies that you may soon be applying for.

Find at least three job vacancies and request the job and person specifications
Compare and identify any key characteristics in common between the three vacancies
Identify which of the skills/knowledge identified within the job and person specifications you already possess and which you may need to work on (apart from the obvious one of gaining a teacher training qualification)

Standards Reflection Audit

This document will help you to reflect on your experience and your starting point on the PGCE Early Years programme and will help the teaching team to support you. Do not worry at all if your degree is unrelated to early years and/or your experience is limited to the minimum of 10 days.

When reflecting on your current level of knowledge and understanding/experience of each of the Teachers’ Standards do not worry if this is limited at this point.

You should use the Standards Reflection Audit (see appendix 2) to record your reflections.

School based Experience

You have already shown at your interview that you have at least a good general understanding of schools/settings, but now it is time to develop a depth and breadth of experiences that will prepare you for the specific requirements of your programme.

You should all gain further experience in both KS1 and EYFS in preparation for professional practice phase 1.

Consider the following areas:

Familiarise yourself with planning formats used in the classroom
Familiarise yourself with assessment strategies and documentation
Familiarise yourself with strategies used to effectively manage behaviour for learning, make professional observations about strategies used and begin to build up a bank of professional strategies you could use in your forthcoming placements
Focus on strategies used to effectively support a child/children with SEN in the classroom, make professional observations about strategies/resources/the role of the adultto support that child’s learning and development. Begin to build up a bank of professional strategies you could use in your forthcoming placements.
Focus on strategies used to effectively support a child/children with EAL in the classroom, make professional observations about strategies/resources/the role of the adult to support that child’s learning and development. Begin to build up a bank of professional strategies you could use in your forthcoming placements.

Use the Trainee Action Plan (appendix 1) to record what actions you have taken

Academic preparation

You have already shown at your interview that you have at least a good general understanding of education issues, but now it is time to develop your knowledge further which will prepare you for the specific requirements of your programme. You should undertake some academic reading, as a minimum in relation to the following:

Atherton F. and Nutbrown C. (2013) Understanding Schemas and Young Children. Sage.

Bruce, T. and Louis, S. (2014) Observing Young Children – Sage.

Bruce, T. (2015) Early Childhood Education 5th Edition. London: Sage.

Lindon, J. (2012) What does it mean to be Two? London: Practical Pre-School Books.

MacBlain, S. (2014) How Children Learn. London: Sage.

Department for Education (2014) Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. Department for Education.

Department for Education (2012) Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). London: Early education.

Dukes, C. Smith, M. (2014) Provision and Progress for Two Year Olds. London: Sage.

Elfer, P. Goldschmeid, E. Selleck, D. (2012) Key Persons in the Early Years. Building Relationships for Quality Provision in Early Years Settings. London: Routledge.

Kanyal, M. (2014) Children’s Rights 0 -8. Promoting Participation in Education and Care. London: Routledge.

Knowles, G and Lander, V. (2011) Diversity, Equality and Achievement in Education. London: Sage.

Nutbrown, C. and Clough, P. (2014) Early Childhood Education. History, Philosophy and Experience. Second Edition. London: Sage.

Page, J., Nutbrown, C. and Clare, A. (2013). Working with Babies and children from birth to three. Sage.

Robinson, M. (2014) The Feeling Child. Laying the Foundations of Confidence and Resilience. Abingdon: Routledge.

Rodd, J. (2015) Leading Change in Early Years - Open University Press

Siraj, I. and Hallet, E. (2013). Effective and Caring Leadership in the Early Years. Sage.

Thornton, L. Bruton, P. (2014) Bringing the Reggio Approach to Your Early Years Practice. Third Edition. London: Routledge.

Tucker, K. (2014) Mathematics Through Play in the Early Years. London: Sage.

Appendix 1

Early Years PGCE Pre-programme Trainee Action Plan

Trainee name ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Personal tutor …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Professional preparation – individual targets taken from recommendations at offer of place
Target / Action/s required / Outcome / Date completed

Early Years PGCE - Pre-programme Information Sep 15 1

Appendix 2

PGCE Early Years - Standards Reflection Audit

Trainee Name:
Previous qualifications
Please provide information about the subject of your degree and any other early years related qualifications
Previous experience
Please provide information about any previous experience you have in Early Years Foundation Stage and/or Key Stage 1

Please reflect below on your current level of knowledge and understanding/experience of each of the Teachers’ Standards. Again, do not worry if this is limited at this point.

Standard / Description
Please also refer to the Standard Indicator descriptors within the Teachers’ Standards where appropriate / Level of Knowledge and Understanding:
Current Evidence Available / Intended Actions prior to September
1. / Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils.
2. / Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils.
3. / Demonstrate good subject knowledge and curriculum knowledge
4. / Plan and teach well structured lessons
5. / Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils
6. / Make accurate and productive use of assessment
7. / Manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
8. / Fulfil wider professional responsibilities

Early Years PGCE - Pre-programme Information Sep 15 1

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Early Years PGCE - Pre-programme Information Sep 15 1