Getting practical experience
School experience will be an essential part of your course. Trainee teachers need to have frequent and sustained opportunities for developing their knowledge and skills within the classroom.
At Kingston University we have developed close links with a wide range of partner schools. In these schools, experienced teachers work as mentors. This means that they have been trained to work with trainee teachers to help them develop their teaching skills and abilities. These mentors are strongly supported by staff in the School of Education.
Common practices and procedures are laid down for the ways in which trainee teachers should be supported and inducted into their professional role as teachers.
As a trainee teacher at Kingston you can be assured that there are strong quality assurance procedures in operation. You can be confident that you will have positive and productive experiences in schools, gaining the experience you need for starting your first teaching post with confidence and competence.
How long will I spend in school?
- Primary undergraduate trainee teachers on the three-year BA(Hons) course spend 24 weeks in school.
- Primary postgraduate trainee teachers on the one-year postgraduate primary PGCE course spend 18 weeks of the 38-week course in the classroom.
- Secondary postgraduate trainee teachers on the one-year postgraduate secondary PGCE course spend 24 weeks of the 36-week course in the classroom.
All our courses enable you to gain experience in two different schools.
