Course Overview
Postgraduate (Primary Core PGDE, School Direct PGCE) Trainees will work within the guidelines outlined in Section A unless otherwise stated below.
Profiles and trainee tracking:
Trainees complete a personal Trainee Profile (TP), as well as begin their Subject Knowledge Audits (SKA) and the LJMU Trainee Tracker at the start of the course.
Subject Knowledge Audits (SKAs) are used to review and monitor existing knowledge (Pre-ITT) and the development of new and established knowledge (and experience), whilst on the PGDE/PGCE course. The SKA enables the trainee to track their development and set subject knowledge related targets.
The Weekly meeting and Target setting document is completed each week during the placement experience, in each Phase, to identify actions to address areas for development. These areas for development are identified through trainees’ interaction with the SKA, LJMU ITT TRACKER, lesson evaluations and other reflections; weekly meetings with ITT Mentors on placement and tutorials with Personal Tutors at LJMU. Trainees, in discussion with their mentors should be setting (and reviewing) at least two specfic targets per week.
The LJMU ITT Tracker enables trainees’ to reflect upon their progress in relation to the Teachers’ Standards.. The LJMU ITT Tracker is used formatively by trainees and ITT Mentors to identify strengths and areas for development, informing weekly target setting in Phase Review Forms. The LJMU ITT Tracker must be updated, and discussed in weekly meetings with the ITT Mentor; it is used summatively to standardise judgements, against the minimum expectation benchmark descriptors, on completion of each Phase Review Form.
Auditing progress towards Qualified Teacher Status (QTS):
During the final period of placement experience trainees will, in addition to teaching, focus upon their preparation for a future career as a teacher. Trainees finalise their recommendation for QTS and begin to prepare for the Induction year through the presentation of the LJMU ITT Tracker with supporting evidence and a Career Entry and Development Profile (CEDP), which is a required element of the 7118 Becoming a Professional Teacher Module. At this point there should be an element of negotiation with the Home School to enable trainees to explore areas of teaching they have found particularly interesting and relevant to their needs, so they are more thoroughly prepared for job applications and interviews. The Triangulation and Final Focus period, towards the end of Phase 3, also provides a key opportunity to address developmental needs and to ensure that trainees have gained the full range of experience required to meet all the requirements of the Teachers’ Standards. Where trainees have secured a teaching post by this time they may, with permission from their Home School and Personal Tutor, visit their future place of employment for up to two days.
Phase experience including pre and post phase experience:
This Primary (3-7) Programme in partnership with LJMU is designated for the 3-7 age range. In the case of 3-7 training, trainees will be expected to demonstrate achievement of the standards for QTS across Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.
To gain an understanding of continuity and progression in learning it is important that trainees gain knowledge of Nursery to Foundation Stage transition and of the Key Stage 2 curriculum. ITT providers are required to engage trainees with the age ranges immediately before and after the ones they are training to teach. Trainees might engage with the expectations, typical curricula, teaching arrangements and strategies in a variety of ways such as by visits to different schools and settings, observations of lessons, or working with curriculum documents and plans. This criterion does not necessarily mean that trainees must teach lessons in these prior and post age ranges.
Where possible, Home Schools are asked to provide trainees with experience, which include a visit to settings which include the 0-3 age range and to Key Stage 2 to discuss issues such as phase transfer and to participate in the teaching of learners. Both experiences can include transition activities undertaken in the Home School, as a part of the overall experience. Trainees should aim to accrue at least 2 days (or equivalent) in Key Stage 2 (where necessary, pre-ITT experience can be included as part of the experience, in negotiation with the ITT Mentor and Personal Tutor).
Directed Study:
At certain times, notably during schools’ Half Terms and the University-based training weeks between the Phases (see the programme calendar), there may be days where there are no formal timetabled teaching sessions. Trainees are expected to use this time to review their placement experience and documentation and to work on assignments (formative and summative) prior to submitting them. Key Stage 2 visits can take place during some of these periods. There are number of days following the formal end date of the Postgraduate Primary programmes for extended placements, such as where a trainee has been absent during their placement or where trainees are completing an intervention action plan
Assessment:
Assessment on the Postgraduate Primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses is continuous (i.e. there is no single end-of-course examination), with module and teaching assessments spread over the year at intervals appropriate to the phases of training. Trainees must complete all programme assessment tasks, maintain records and manage evidence. Details of assessment requirements are provided in the trainee course handbook. All trainees must pass the relevant 7118 Becoming a Professional Teacher Module and pass their placement experience at Triangulation, in order to be recommended for QTS. Please note that LJMU confers the PGDE/PGCE qualification and recommend trainees for QTS, which is conferred by the Department for Education.
Formative assessment, by both school-based and university-based staff, is an important element of the Postgraduate Primary courses. This includes formal lesson observation, analysis and feedback, which support on-going evaluation, review and target setting by the trainee. The QTS Training and Development File contains a record of this work, along with trainees’ Placement Experience File(s) (planning, resources and records) and QTS Evidence covering the Teachers’ Standards (and audited in the LJMU ITT Tracker) as part of their portfolio of professional development (PPD).
Trainees' files, which include supporting evidence identified in the LJMU ITT Tracker audits, must be available for on-going monitoring and review by university-based staff (Personal Tutors or Liaison Tutors) and school-based staff (ITT Mentors) and External Examiners during and at the end of the course.
A key element of school-based assessment of a trainee's teaching and assessment are the Phase Review Forms. Five Review Forms are completed during placement experience, by the ITT Mentor in conjunction with the trainee and Professional Mentor; and sent to the Liaison Tutor attached to the placement institution. At the end of Phase 1 (Orientation), school-based ITT Mentors (subject) will complete a short report commenting on attendance, professional standards and attitudes. The next four Review Forms comment on progress in relation to the Teachers' Standards and are completed at the 'Interim' and 'Final' stages of Phase 2 and Phase 3. These Phase Review forms will be completed with reference to the minimum expectation benchmark descriptors in the LJMU ITT Tracker when making judgements about trainees' progress across the Teachers’ Standards.
Trainees must be given copies of their Review Forms for their QTS Training and Development File. Trainees are expected to upload Phase Review Forms onto the Abyasa system (the University placement tracking database – accessible at http://abyasa.ljmu.ac.uk/ - username and password required) at the published deadline. Where there are issues relating to meeting these deadlines, the trainee's Liaison Tutor must be informed.
Note: In order for trainees to be recommended for QTS (PASS the placement experience) at the programme Board of Examiners, documentary evidence in the form of the Phase Review Forms from partner establishments MUST be completed and uploaded to Abyasa by the published dates.Trainees are responsible for uploading the Phase Review Forms to the Abyasa system, with copies (a) placed in the QTS Training and Development File and (b) forwarded to their Liaison/Personal Tutor prior to their Tutorials following the completion of the form. Trainees must to be aware of their responsibility to ensure that Phase Review Forms are completed and uploaded at the published deadline. These are essential assessment documents, required for trainees to progress within and between the Phases of training.
It is crucial that Phase Review Forms are completed and submitted/uploaded, in good time, to enable data on trainee progress to be analysed, for the identification and support of trainees who are experiencing difficulties or requiring Additional Support through the Additional Support Framework (see Section A of the website).
Programme Guides
Key Contacts
| Role | Name | Telephone/Email |
|---|---|---|
| Director of the School of Education | Dr Cheryl Bolton | t. 0151 231 5391 e. C.L.Bolton@ljmu.ac.uk |
| Head of ITE | Jan Rowe | t. 0151 231 5310 e. J.E.Rowe@ljmu.ac.uk |
| Acting Head of Programme Leader Primary Postgraduate (3-7) Core and School Direct | Sarah Hindhaugh | t. 0151 231 5359 e. S.Hindhaugh@ljmu.ac.uk |
| ITT Partnership Lead | Dr Andrea Mallaburn | t. 0151 231 5380 e. A.Mallaburn@ljmu.ac.uk |
| Partnership Manager | Karen Davies | t. 0151 231 5320 e. K.Davies@ljmu.ac.uk |
| Work-related Learning Unit | Sam Heffernan | t. 0151 231 4620 f. 0151 729 0136 e. edn-wbl@ljmu.ac.uk |
Key Dates
Placement Experience Dates
The Initial Teacher Education (ITE) experience at LJMU involves approximately 125 placement days (school-based) in two educational establishments, 55 university-based training days and 13 directed studies days.
The placement experience uses the Home School model (diagram below), with trainees placed in a partner ‘Home School’ for the duration of their training (September to June) with teaching experience at an ‘Alternate Placement’ at a mid-point in the course, in order to gain complementary experience in a Nursey Setting and reflect on a different educational context. Although University based elements of the programme will be completed early in July, on School Direct routes it is for the lead schools to determine whether trainees will remain in their home schools until the end of the school year. For details please contact the lead school.
The placement experience is arranged in three Phases, to support trainees as they begin to teach and take on an increasing teaching load. These phases are:
- Phase 1: Orientation and Beginning Teaching and Learning.
- Phase 2: Consolidating and Developing Teaching and Learning
- Phase 3: Extending Teaching and Learning leading to Qualifying to Teach
The alternate placement is undertaken in the latter part of Phase 2 (Phase 2b). During Phase 3 there is an 'enrichment' period, where trainees can, with the school’s agreement negotiate a reduced or alternative timetable to enable them to:
- Focus on areas of personal and professional interest or where there have been limited opportunities to gain experience (e.g. SEN, EAL, FS, KS2, etc.) within the Home School or Alternate placement context;
- Negotiate and arrange up to a maximum of 5 days enrichment outside of the home school (signed-off by the ITT Mentor and Professional Mentor
Key Dates
There are key documents that need to be uploaded to Abyasa, the LJMU placement management system (http://abyasa.ljmu.ac.uk/) and also emailed to your personal tutor to monitor trainee progress.
| Phase | Completed by Mentor for: | Uploaded by Trainee by: |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Friday 16th October 2020 | Monday 19th October 2020 |
| Phase 2 interim | Friday 11th December 2020 | Monday 14th December 2020 |
| Phase 2 Final | Friday 12th February 2021 | Monday 15th February 2021 |
| Phase 3 interim | Thursday 29th April 2021 | Friday 30th April 2021 |
| Phase 3 Final | Friday 18th June 2021 | Monday 21st June 2021 |
Programme Calendar
Term Dates
The LJMU ITT programmes calendars are based on the Liverpool Local Authority school calendar:
Liverpool LA calendar: https://liverpool.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/term-dates/
With regard to term times, trainees must ensure that:
- Travel arrangements are made to ensure full attendance at University (typically 09:00 to 15:00) and on placement (typically 08:00 to 16:00).
- The specific dates for mid and inter-term breaks for their placement schools (i.e. Half Terms, Christmas and Spring Break) are checked, before booking holidays or other personal activities (e.g. medical appointments, etc.).
- They avoid, or accept the risk of, booking holidays in the weeks immediately after the official end of their course (e.g. to make up for periods of absence during the course or in case additional days on placement are required in order to meet the Teachers’ Standards).
Placement Calendars: PGDE Primary 3-7 Programmes 2020-21
These documents provide an overview of Primary Core PGDE & School Direct Calendars for 2020-21 (note: the School Direct calendar follows a similar pattern to the PGDE, with some elements of the university-based programme conducted in the Home School - patterns may vary within some School Direct consortia). Holiday dates may vary slightly in some Local Authorities.
School Direct calendars show ONLY the LJMU elements of the programme. Additional sessions will be offered through Lead Schools who will confirm details with trainees.
Trainees recruited through Turton School are taught mainly off –site and will be provided with a separate calendar.
Trainees should not book holidays until school holiday dates are confirmed.