Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Curriculum, Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy Syllabus

Curriculum, Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Curriculum, Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy in Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The National Curriculum

   4 topics

   • Structure, aims and statutory basis of the National Curriculum
     • Programmes of study and attainment targets
     • Core and foundation subjects
   • Curriculum in academies and the EYFS framework
   • Statutory and non-statutory guidance
     • Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
     • Fundamental British values and SMSC
   • Cross-curricular literacy and numeracy
2. 2

   Curriculum Design and Sequencing

   4 topics

   • Curriculum intent and rationale
   • Sequencing knowledge: declarative and procedural
     • Building schemas through logical progression
     • Identifying threshold concepts and misconceptions
   • Spiral curriculum and the spacing of content
   • Knowledge organisers and curriculum mapping
3. 3

   Subject-Specific Pedagogy

   5 topics

   • Pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman)
   • Subject-specific representations, analogies and models
   • Identifying and addressing subject misconceptions
   • Disciplinary literacy and subject vocabulary
   • Subject mentor and subject association support
4. 4

   Phonics and Early Reading (Primary focus)

   4 topics

   • Systematic synthetic phonics
   • The Phonics Screening Check
   • Reading for pleasure and comprehension
   • Early mathematics and number sense

Curriculum, Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy flashcards for Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

21 of 50 cards from the Curriculum, Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the statutory basis of the National Curriculum in England?

   It is established under the Education Act 2002, which requires maintained schools to follow a balanced and broadly based curriculum. The current National Curriculum framework took effect in September 2014.

2. State the two overarching aims of the National Curriculum as set out in the statutory framework.

   (1) To provide an introduction to the essential knowledge pupils need to be educated citizens, and (2) to introduce pupils to the best that has been thought and said, helping engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.

3. Into how many Key Stages is the National Curriculum divided, and what year groups do they cover?

   Four Key Stages: KS1 (Years 1-2, ages 5-7), KS2 (Years 3-6, ages 7-11), KS3 (Years 7-9, ages 11-14) and KS4 (Years 10-11, ages 14-16).

4. Which three subjects are designated the 'core' subjects of the National Curriculum?

   English, Mathematics and Science.

5. Name the foundation subjects of the National Curriculum.

   Art and design, citizenship (KS3-4), computing, design and technology, languages (KS2-3), geography, history, music and physical education.

6. Are academies and free schools legally required to follow the National Curriculum?

   No. Academies and free schools are not required to teach the National Curriculum, but they must provide a broad and balanced curriculum, including English, maths, science and religious education, and must follow the statutory requirements on RE and relationships/sex education.

7. What does EYFS stand for and which age range does it cover?

   Early Years Foundation Stage, the statutory framework covering children from birth to the end of the Reception year (age 5).

8. List the three prime areas of learning in the EYFS framework.

   Communication and language; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development.

9. Name the four specific areas of learning in the EYFS framework.

   Literacy; mathematics; understanding the world; and expressive arts and design.

10. What are the EYFS Early Learning Goals (ELGs) used for?

    They define the level of development children should reach by the end of the Reception year and form the basis of the EYFS Profile assessment completed in the final term of the year a child turns 5.

11. Distinguish between statutory and non-statutory guidance in the curriculum.

    Statutory guidance (e.g. the National Curriculum programmes of study for maintained schools) must be followed by law; non-statutory guidance (e.g. the maths/science non-statutory notes and examples) offers advice and exemplification that schools may adapt but are not legally bound to use.

12. Give an example of statutory guidance that academies must follow even though they need not follow the National Curriculum.

    Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance, and the Keeping Children Safe in Education safeguarding guidance, apply to academies.

13. What is meant by 'cross-curricular literacy'?

    The deliberate development of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills across all subjects, so every teacher takes responsibility for the literacy demands of their subject rather than leaving it to English alone.

14. What is meant by 'cross-curricular numeracy'?

    The application and development of mathematical skills (number, measurement, data handling, graphs) within non-maths subjects such as science, geography and design and technology, so pupils transfer numeracy across contexts.

15. Define 'curriculum intent' as used in Ofsted's education inspection framework.

    Curriculum intent is the rationale and design of what is taught and why - the knowledge and skills pupils will gain, how they are sequenced towards clearly defined end points, and the ambition of the curriculum for all pupils.

16. What three 'I's make up the curriculum component of Ofsted's quality of education judgement?

    Intent (what is taught and why), Implementation (how it is taught and assessed) and Impact (the outcomes pupils achieve).

17. Distinguish declarative knowledge from procedural knowledge.

    Declarative knowledge is 'knowing that' - facts, concepts and information (e.g. the date of an event). Procedural knowledge is 'knowing how' - skills and processes (e.g. how to solve an equation). Effective curricula sequence declarative before or alongside the procedural knowledge that depends on it.

18. Why does effective curriculum sequencing usually place certain declarative knowledge before procedural tasks?

    Because procedures often depend on prior facts and concepts; securing the underpinning declarative knowledge in long-term memory reduces cognitive load and enables pupils to perform the procedure fluently.

19. Who is credited with the concept of the 'spiral curriculum', and what does it mean?

    Jerome Bruner. A spiral curriculum revisits key concepts repeatedly over time, each time at greater depth and complexity, building on prior understanding rather than teaching a topic once and moving on.

20. What is the 'spacing effect' and how does it inform curriculum design?

    The spacing effect (Ebbinghaus) is the finding that learning is more durable when study is distributed over time rather than massed. Curricula apply it by spacing the teaching and revisiting of content rather than blocking it all together.

21. What is a 'knowledge organiser'?

    A single-page document that sets out the essential facts, vocabulary, definitions and concepts pupils must learn for a unit or topic, used to support teaching, low-stakes retrieval practice and revision.

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