Develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of working with children with disabilities, and gain experience in mainstream and special school settings, with our Primary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Our Primary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Special Educational Needs pathway leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), qualifying you to teach children aged 5 to 11 with disabilities.

This pathway will enable you to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of working with children with disabilities, within mainstream and special school settings. You will undertake placements in mainstream schools with additional resources units, as well as special schools. 

Your tutors are internationally or nationally renowned experts, and their research regularly has a direct impact on school curricula and learning techniques, both in the UK and abroad. As experts in their field, their research also directly informs the focus and content of your course.

Learning takes place through a series of lectures, practical seminars and workshops, where interactive and discussion-based techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge. Sessions may include:

• participating in workshop-style sessions with your peers
• attending presentations by subject experts
• working on tasks in groups
• having individual tutorials
• visits to schools or other education settings.

Alongside your University tutors, you will be taught and guided by a team of committed and experienced University-trained school mentors.

Placements

Placements enable you to develop the skills and knowledge valued and desired by employers. You will build your confidence in the classroom, and gain practical teaching experience. Placements also provide you with the opportunity to connect with potential employers and build your professional network.

You will have plenty of opportunities throughout your PGCE to apply your developing skills to real-life settings. We have strong partnerships with over 300 local schools and are renowned for our relationships with these partner schools.

It is a testament to the strength of our partnerships, and the regard in which our graduates are held, that most schools in Berkshire employ at least one graduate of the Institute of Education.

Climate and sustainability education

• what is happening to our climate, how to help children learn about climate and sustainability in an age-appropriate and accessible way, and how to develop your own positioning as a teacher
• climate justice, the impact of current and future changes to our environment and climate on ourselves and others and implications for teachers
• how to translate knowledge and theory into change and personal action through building climate and sustainability education into your planning, teaching, and children’s learning.

Visit Partnering for the Planet to find out more about the University of Reading’s world-leading work in climate science.

Facilities

The Institute of Education is based on our historic London Road campus, which has undergone a £30m refurbishment of the classical Oxford-cloistered quadrangle to create a dedicated, world-class education centre.

We have created dedicated spaces for the teaching of specialist subjects such as music, PE, drama, the sciences, ICT, and art, including:

• modern laboratories
• musical studios, including an electronic drum kit room and a recording studio
• well-equipped art studios and facilities for the practise of work in drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media
• studios for wet photography and printmaking, including silk screen.

Alongside these fantastic facilities, you will also find places to eat and drink, as well as plenty of green space.

The Learning Hub

We have an incredible collection of teaching resources housed in the Learning Hub. A treasure trove for teachers, the Learning Hub contains an extensive selection of teaching aid for loan or reference, from big books to puppets. A printing and binding facility, and technical equipment library are also available for your use.

Research

The quality of our research was recognised in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021), the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. 98% of our research is of international standing (REF 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Education). 

For more information, please visit the Institute of Education website.