Faculty of Education History
Canterbury Christ Church University was formed as a Church of England teacher training college in the 1960s during a rapid expansion of places required to meet the educational demands of the post-war generation. Being in the Christ Church diocese suggested an obvious name for the institution.
In 2005, the college was awarded full university title and changed its name to Canterbury Christ Church University. It has gone from strength to strength developing with teacher education provision at its heart.
The Faculty of Education has diversified enormously since its earliest work in initial teacher education. Provision now covers the full age and ability range from early years' work through to support for researchers on education doctorates and training for aspiring and serving headteachers. Growing from an undergraduate full time primary education certificate, there is a full range of teacher education provision with great strength in PGCE full time and part time modes.
In addition to teacher education the Faculty, since the turn of the century, has taken on the training of learning support assistants for schools and is presently re-orienting its work to cope with the extended schools workforce and the range of professionals required to staff the rich variety of settings in which learning now takes place formally. When the University acquired the College of Guidance Studies in the late 1990s the Faculty became responsible for the education and training of career and personal development guidance professionals.
Based at Salomon's in Tunbridge Wells this centre has developed an enviable track record in producing top quality practitioners.
Further diversification has occurred in the area of Childhood Studies where students can now pursue an undergraduate degree that may lead them into work in the voluntary sector, in state funded childcare work or youth work.
More recently there has been an expansion of continuing professional development activity where ongoing training and support is available for serving teachers or those wishing to return to the profession. The Department of Professional Development (DPD), in which most of this activity takes place, also contains the Centre for Education Leadership and School Improvement (CELSI) which is the consultancy arm of the Faculty.
This long track record in excellence has led to the Faculty being listed in the Times top 20 'Pick of the Professions' (June 8th 2006). This is a remarkable achievement for the only post - 1992 institution named and is an important benchmark for the quality of our provision.