Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) School Placement and Professional Practice Syllabus

School Placement and Professional Practice syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for School Placement and Professional Practice in Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The Placement Experience

   4 topics

   • Structure of placements across contrasting schools
   • Phased entry: observation, co-teaching, solo teaching
   • Working with the school-based mentor
   • Meeting placement expectations and routines
2. 2

   Observation and Mentoring

   3 topics

   • Structured lesson observation techniques
   • Receiving and acting on developmental feedback
     • Coaching conversations and targets
     • Instructional coaching and deliberate practice
   • Observing expert colleagues
3. 3

   Evidence, Assessment and QTS

   4 topics

   • Compiling a portfolio of evidence against the standards
   • Tracking progress and target setting
   • The route to recommendation for QTS
   • Master's-level credits within the PGCE
4. 4

   Academic Study at Master's Level

   4 topics

   • Engaging critically with educational research
     • Evidence-informed practice and the EEF
     • Evaluating research quality and effect sizes
   • Academic writing and referencing conventions
   • Conducting a small-scale classroom enquiry
   • Research ethics in educational settings
5. 5

   Transition to the Early Career Teacher Role

   3 topics

   • Applying for teaching posts
   • The induction period and ECF support
   • Continuing professional development planning

School Placement and Professional Practice flashcards for Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

25 of 51 cards from the School Placement and Professional Practice deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In a PGCE, why are placements typically structured across two (or more) contrasting schools?

   To ensure trainees experience a range of contexts (e.g. different socio-economic intakes, sizes, settings or key stages), broadening their teaching repertoire and meeting the requirement to demonstrate competence across diverse pupils and settings.

2. Name the three phases of a typical phased-entry placement model, in order.

   Observation, then co-teaching (team teaching / shared delivery), then solo (independent) teaching.

3. What is the purpose of the observation phase at the start of a placement?

   To learn the school's routines, expectations and pupils, and to study how experienced teachers manage behaviour, plan and deliver lessons before taking on teaching responsibility.

4. What is meant by 'co-teaching' in the phased-entry model?

   A shared-responsibility stage where the trainee and an experienced teacher plan and deliver lessons together, allowing the trainee to take increasing ownership of parts of the lesson before teaching solo.

5. Who is the school-based mentor in a PGCE placement?

   An experienced teacher in the placement school who provides regular subject/phase-specific support, observes the trainee, gives developmental feedback, and helps assess progress against the Teachers' Standards.

6. What is the typical format and frequency of a mentor meeting on placement?

   A regular (usually weekly) structured meeting reviewing the trainee's progress, discussing feedback from observations, and agreeing specific targets and actions for the coming week.

7. Distinguish the role of the school-based mentor from that of the university tutor.

   The mentor gives day-to-day, subject/context-specific support and assessment within the school; the university tutor provides overarching academic guidance, quality-assures the placement, and links school practice to the PGCE's theory and standards.

8. Why is it important for a trainee to learn and follow a placement school's routines and expectations early?

   Consistency with whole-school systems (behaviour, marking, safeguarding, uniform, etc.) maintains pupil expectations, supports classroom management, and demonstrates professionalism expected by the Teachers' Standards.

9. What is structured lesson observation?

   Observation using a defined focus or framework (e.g. questioning, pace, behaviour management, or pupil engagement) and a recording schedule, rather than unfocused general watching, to produce specific evidence and learning points.

10. Name two contrasting structured observation techniques a trainee might use.

    Narrative/running record (continuous timed notes of events) and focused/coded observation (tallying or timing specific behaviours such as teacher questions or pupil time-on-task).

11. What does 'developmental feedback' mean in the context of teacher training?

    Formative feedback intended to improve future practice, identifying strengths and specific areas for development with actionable next steps, rather than purely judgemental grading.

12. Outline a good process for acting on developmental feedback after a lesson observation.

    Reflect on the feedback, identify one or two priority targets, plan concrete actions to address them, implement them in subsequent lessons, and review the impact at the next mentor meeting.

13. What is the value of observing expert colleagues during training?

    It lets trainees deconstruct and learn effective techniques (questioning, modelling, behaviour management, adaptive teaching) in action, providing models to adapt into their own practice.

14. In the Core Content Framework, what two strands underpin each area such as 'learn that' and 'learn how to'?

    'Learn that' statements (evidence-informed knowledge trainees should understand) and 'learn how to' statements (practical skills developed through observation, deconstruction with expert colleagues, and practice).

15. What is a portfolio of evidence in the context of a PGCE / QTS?

    A curated collection of artefacts (lesson plans, observation records, marked work, pupil progress data, reflections) mapped against the Teachers' Standards to demonstrate the trainee meets each standard.

16. How many Teachers' Standards (Part One) must a trainee meet to be recommended for QTS in England?

    Eight Part One standards (plus the Part Two standards on personal and professional conduct).

17. List the eight Part One Teachers' Standards a trainee must demonstrate.

    1) Set high expectations; 2) Promote good progress and outcomes; 3) Good subject and curriculum knowledge; 4) Plan and teach well-structured lessons; 5) Adapt teaching for all pupils; 6) Make accurate and productive use of assessment; 7) Manage behaviour effectively; 8) Fulfil wider professional responsibilities.

18. What does Part Two of the Teachers' Standards address?

    Personal and professional conduct — the high standards of ethics and behaviour expected of teachers, including upholding public trust, maintaining proper boundaries, and respect for the law.

19. What is target setting in placement, and what makes a good target?

    Agreeing specific improvement goals from feedback; a good target is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) and tied to a particular Teachers' Standard or development area.

20. What does QTS stand for, and what is it?

    Qualified Teacher Status — the professional status required to teach in most maintained schools in England, awarded on recommendation after meeting the Teachers' Standards.

21. What is the difference between a PGCE and QTS?

    A PGCE is an academic qualification (often carrying Master's-level credits) awarded by a university; QTS is the professional status to teach. Many PGCEs lead to both, but they are distinct and can be obtained separately.

22. Who formally recommends a trainee for the award of QTS?

    The accredited initial teacher training (ITT) provider recommends the trainee to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), which awards QTS once the standards are met.

23. What are Master's-level (Level 7) credits within a PGCE, and how many are typically available?

    Credits awarded for postgraduate academic work assessed at Master's standard; a PGCE typically carries 60 Level 7 credits (out of the 180 needed for a full Master's), often via assignments such as a classroom enquiry.

24. How many credits make up a full Master's (MA/MEd) degree, and how does a PGCE contribute?

    A full Master's is 180 credits; a PGCE's typical 60 Level 7 credits can count toward a later Master's, leaving 120 credits to complete.

25. What does it mean to 'engage critically' with educational research?

    To evaluate research evidence rather than accept it uncritically — questioning methods, sample, validity, bias and applicability to your own context, and weighing competing findings before applying them.

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