Religious Education is a dynamic subject within the school curriculum. It involves engaging with young people in their journey for meaning and enabling them to share beliefs and attitudes with each other. It requires pupils to encounter the myths, beliefs and rituals of individuals and faith communities and challenges pupils to reflect upon moral issues and questions of meaning in human life.

Students come with a range of background degrees including Religious Studies, Theology, Biblical Studies, Philosophy, Social-anthropology and Psychology. Some previous knowledge of secondary RE, such as spending a few days shadowing RE classes, is an advantage. Students should be openminded, willing to learn and prepared to challenge their own presuppositions and expectations. Successful students of RE are interested in challenging young minds and engaging in ultimate questions as well as exploring topics in a sensitive and challenging way.

The PGCE secondary course in Religious Education will prepare students to teach RE to the full secondary age range and ability. The 7-14 RE course will prepare students to teach RE to Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils and teach the primary age range.

The course aims to include:

• study of the legal requirements within the 1988 Education Reform Act, the local agreed syllabus which govern the teaching of RE
• study of the 2004 Non-statutory National Framework for RE
• study of the legal denominational schools curricula requirements for RE (including Church of England and Roman Catholic requirements)
• study of the different theories of teaching and learning RE
• opportunities to visit places of worship (student teachers are normally expected to contribute to the cost) and to meet members of faith communities
• opportunities for the students to develop as a reflective practitioner and an enthusiastic teacher

Sessions in the RE course address approaches to teaching and learning about the principal faith traditions represented in the UK. Students devise, with the support of their tutor, a programme of individual study to widen their subject knowledge. Students with degrees in allied subjects such as Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology and Psychology are given particular support in this way. Students explore the teaching of controversial issues and consider the contribution of Religious Education to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The assessment of pupils’ achievement is addressed and the course includes the study of GCSE, Short Course GCSE and, for secondary RE students, A-level programmes in Religious Studies. University sessions reflect good classroom practice and feature experiential learning, discussions and the analysis of current resource materials. Students are expected to participate actively in the course.

Students seeking to teach in the Church school sector can attend the Church school pathway programme and those seeking to work in the Catholic Schools sector may also take the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies.

For further information about learning to teach RE, for secondary or 7-14 contact Bob Bowie, Senior Lecturer in RE and PGCE secondary and 7-14 RE course leader, by email: bob.bowie@canterbury.ac.uk

How to Apply

Applications for the full-time PGCE 7-14 and 11-18 are made electronically via the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) www.gttr.ac.uk

There is no general closing date, but each programme or subject pathway is closed when it becomes fully subscribed. Early application is strongly advised, both because some subject programmes fill quickly, and because it will help you to plan for your PGCE course if you can get early confirmation of a place.

> Back to 7-14 and 11-18

> Faculty of Education website