Secondary (Gaelic Medium) PGDE

What is special about this course?

The course is offered in partnership with Argyll and Bute, Comhairle na Eilean Siar, Highland Council and Perth and Kinross Council, each working with the university through their local campus. The PGDE (Secondary) consists of 18 weeks' study at the university plus 18 weeks in professional practice in schools. You must be a fluent Gaelic speaker prior to the start of the course and your language proficiency will be assessed at interview. On this course you will complete the majority of your school practice in a Gaelic medium education (GME) setting, subject to Local Authority availability.

The subjects listed below can be studied at the following campuses: UHI Argyll (Oban); UHI Inverness; UHI North, West and Hebrides (Fort William and Stornoway); UHI Perth; or Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (Isle of Skye):

• Art and Design*
• Biology and Science
• Business Education
• Chemistry and Science
• Computing Science
• English
• Gaelic
• History*
• Home Economics
• Mathematics
• Music* 
• Physics and Science
• Religious Education*
• Technological Education

The course is sometimes available at Lochgilphead (through UHI Argyll) and at Benbecula (through UHI North, West and Hebrides). This decision is made annually and is dependent on the number of applicants in those areas.

*Not available in Perth

Special features

• Opportunity to undertake secondary education programme in a Gaelic medium setting
• We actively encourage applications for dual registration for two secondary subjects from the above list
• Linked Local Authorities offer the majority of our graduates an induction year within their schools, following successful completion of the course

Entry requirements

Important: Please read our FAQ sheet before applying to this programme

Applicants should hold a relevant degree at undergraduate level; preference will be given to those possessing a degree at honours level, though consideration will also be given to those holding ordinary degrees.

In addition to the above, applicants must hold:

English:

• Scottish Higher level grade C or above, OR
• A level at grade D, OR
• GCSE English Language (C/4 or above) and English Literature (C/4 or above)  or equivalent, PLUS

Mathematics or Applications of Mathematics: 

• National 5 at grade C or above, OR
• SQA Intermediate 2 or Standard grade Credit OR
• GCSE Mathematics (Grade C or above) or equivalent

There are subject specific entry guidelines for secondary teaching stipulated by GTC Scotland in the Memorandum on Entry Requirements to Programmes of Initial Teacher Education in Scotland, 2019. Details of these are available in our Frequently Asked Questions document - see link above.

You must be a fluent Gaelic speaker and able to read and write in Gaelic

Please note:

• This is a Category 1 PVG course: PVG Scheme membership is required to successfully achieve target qualification, where there is guaranteed contact with vulnerable groups in key elements of the course. For further information visit our PVG scheme webpage
• This course does not accept applications for deferred entry; if you wish to take a year out, for example, you must apply next year

Applicants who have lived outside the UK for a period of six or more consecutive months in the past five years will also be required to provide a criminal record check from all relevant countries prior to enrolment on the programme

Applications for the PGDE in Secondary (Gaelic Medium) Education must be made through the main UCAS scheme in the same way as undergraduate programmes. This applies to all institutions in Scotland delivering the PGDE. Applicants must provide details of their degree, English and Mathematics qualifications within the application, as failure to do so will lead to automatic rejection. Application deadlines include submission of references. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that referees are aware of the deadlines and that the application is submitted fully prior to the relevant deadline.

PGDE

PDGE Taught Modules

Collaborative Practice (20 credits)

This module will develop teachers who are critically reflective, accomplished and enquiring professionals, able to fully engage with the complexities of education and become key people in shaping educational change. It will enable an understanding of the nature of curriculum and its development, the relevance to the modern world and a changing society. The module will examine how Curriculum for Excellence aims to achieve a transformation in education by providing a more enriched, coherent and flexible curriculum. Students will be equipped with the skills to plan, teach and assess within a curriculum framework where the focus is on themes across learning and working with their class and teaching colleagues as part of the whole school.

Enquiry and Practice (20 credits)

This module is aimed at establishing children and young people’s learning, and their classroom experiences as learners, as the central focus for students’ enquiry into their own practice, as the key driver for all planning, teaching and assessment decisions made. The module is closely linked to the four blocks of Placement experience in Gaelic Medium settings, to enhance understanding of learning as a continuum.

Reflective Practice (20 credits)

The module will equip students with the necessary tools to develop an enquiring and critical approach to their teaching, as part of their own personal and professional resources to ensure continuing growth and development. It aims to ensure that the aspirant teacher will become a reflective professional, embodying the necessary skills to think seriously about the quality of children and young people’s learning and the ways in which their own practice impacts on learning. The module will also give students a critical appreciation of how the key concepts of language understanding and development are integrated into teaching and how they impact on each other.

Professional Practice (Secondary) (60 credits)

For this module students will develop their teaching practice and professional identity as a teacher in four blocks of school placements. These are allocated nationally via the Student Placement System to afford experience of:

• Broad General Education in S1 to S3
• Senior Phase Education in S4 to S6

Students will gradually increase the duration and scope of their responsibility for learning, teaching and assessment in their school placement class, culminating in classroom leadership for 0.8FTE during the final 6-week placement.

Fees

For students normally domiciled in Scotland, with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

This includes:

• EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK,
• EEA/Swiss nationals with settled status in the UK
• EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

Rest of UK students

For students normally domiciled in the rest of the UK (England, Wales and N. Ireland, including Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

There are a number of funding options available to UK students to help you pay for your studies and your cost of living while studying. Students who are resident and studying in Scotland can apply for their fees to be paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). SAAS will determine eligibility.

EU/EEA and Swiss nationals without settled or pre-settled status in the UK.

Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, the Scottish Government confirmed that EU/EEA and Swiss nationals, who do not have settled or pre-settled status, will be considered as international for fee purposes. Students on this course will get an automatic fee scholarship of £3,000.

This includes EEA/Swiss nationals with pre-settled status who are not self-employed or migrant workers in the UK.

Students will need Student Route visa sponsorship to study on the UK.

International students

For students who do not normally reside in the UK or European Union and with a term-time address in Scotland, the following fees apply:

Funding

UHI has a number of scholarships, bursaries, awards, and discretionary fund opportunities available to new and current students. Please use the A-Z of funds or use the filter to see which ones may be relevant to you. All students are welcome to apply.

Further information on funding your studies is also available, please see the attached link or contact the relevant UHI partner.

STEM bursaries will be available to some students for entry into the 2020-21 academic year - please check the website for details.

Additional costs

• PVG disclosure check
• Travel to the residential inductions - meals and accommodation are provided
• Travel to school placements - these are arranged through the GTCS national system to be within 90 minutes travel time from your term-time address