Search results
-
BGU to Offer New Qualification for Early Years Teachers
Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln will be training teachers in the early years sector for the first time from September 2014.BGU has been allocated 50 places to train teachers on programmes leading to Early Years Teacher Status (nought to five years), which means the university now trains those teaching learners aged from nought to 90. To help raise the status and quality of the early years workforce the Government has introduced Early Years Teacher Status which replaces Early Years Professional Status and has the same entry requirements and level of expectations as for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The new EYTS courses will run alongside the university's existing courses leading to QTS for teachers working with ages three to 19 and courses for those teaching in the lifelong learning sector. Courses will be available for graduates who intend to or already work in the early years sector. It will also be possible to combine study for a degree in Early Childhood Studies with study towards EYTS. "We're very pleased to have been allocated these places, which will enable us to broaden still further the range of teaching qualifications that we offer," said Nigel Appleton, Dean of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University. The fact that we have been allocated places for the new EYTS means this is the first time our training programmes will have covered the entire age range of learners, from babies to pensioners. "The new Early Years Teacher Status is an important development because there is clear evidence that high-quality early education and childcare can have a powerful impact on young children and can fully prepare them for school and later life." Details of the courses and how to apply can be obtained from enquiries@bishopg.ac.uk. News Release 2 January 2014 jez@shootingstar-pr.co.uk -
Doors Open at BGU
Students thinking about going to university can look round brand new facilities and hear about new courses at a Bishop Grosseteste University open day this Sunday (6th October). The university has spent £4.3 million on a new accommodation building this summer as part of a £6.5m investment programme. Visitors to the open day between 11am and 4pm on Sunday can see the new student residences at first hand and find out more about the courses on offer. These include new single honours degrees in History and SENI (Special Educational Needs and Inclusion) and a new Psychology degree course which enrolled its first students this year. Visitors to the open day will be able to speak to staff and students, go on a guided tour of the campus and even enjoy a minibus tour of Lincoln city centre.There will be a rolling programme of presentations, DVDs and one-to-one meetings and visitors are encouraged to drop in at any time throughout the day. The university’s student advice team will be available to talk to students and their families about issues such as student finance and the accommodation team will advise on places to live. Lunch is available between 11.30am and 2pm and snacks and meals are available throughout the day from the Dining Room in Constance Stewart Hall and from Curiositea, the university’s Alice in Wonderland themed coffee shop, which has been extended and refurbished over the summer. “It doesn’t matter how many prospectuses you read and how many websites you browse, there’s no substitute for actually visiting a university,” said Louise Stow, Student Recruitment Manager at BGU. “Our campus in uphill Lincoln is a unique and beautiful place and we would encourage anyone thinking about studying at university to pay us a visit this weekend.” A further open day will be held at Bishop Grosseteste University on Wednesday 6th November 2013. Please click here to register your interest in this and any other upcoming Open Days. -
Children travel back in time at summer school
Children from across the region have been time travelling, from ancient Pompeii to medieval Lincoln and back again, thanks to a unique summer camp experience. The Archaeology Summer School, run by Bishop Grosseteste University, gave 24 budding historians, aged between seven and 12, the chance to get hands-on with both traditional and cutting-edge archaeology techniques, in a fun and creative environment. “The week was open to all children on a first-come-first-serve basis and has proven very popular; we had a really long waiting list,” explained Zoe Tomlinson, Community Archaeologist at BGU and organiser of the camp. “The children really enjoy it and a lot have come back for a second year with their friends and siblings.” Hosted at the Old School House on the university’s campus, and staffed by BGU heritage students, the week-long programme included the reconstruction of a Pompeian room, complete with life-size Pompeians made out of chicken wire and papier-mâché. The activities all had a creative theme and included large-scale paintings, pottery and even facial reconstruction using plastic skulls and clay – similar to the recent techniques used to recreate the face of King Richard III. The children also went on two field trips, one to a real dig in Navenby and another to Lincoln Cathedral, to record medieval graffiti. Iona Goodman, aged nine, said “We’ve been doing facial reconstruction using plastic Halloween skulls and making mosaics. I really liked the Pompeii room – I think that was a really nice idea because it involved everybody. We also went to the Cathedral to look at ancient graffiti which was really good.” The annual Archaeology Summer School has been set up as part of the university’s ongoing commitment to education and heritage. The atmosphere is that of a fun summer holiday break, and the children are constantly discovering new facts and information. “We do a lot of art based on the theme of archaeology, to really fire the children’s imaginations,” said Zoe. “We don’t want this to feel like another school environment during the holidays as it’s important they have fun, but we do want it to be as educational as possible. The kids don’t know each other but they form really strong friendships as they all share an interest in history.” Press release: 20 August 2013 -
Imps Unveil New Bishop Grosseteste Sponsored Kit
Lincoln City’s new home strip for the 2013/14 season has been unveiled today (Friday 2nd August). The new shirts feature the logo of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) which entered into a new strategic partnership with the club in March. Under the terms of the three-year agreement BGU is a leading partner of the football club and the university’s new lions logo will appear on Lincoln City’s home and replica shirts for the next three seasons. The club and BGU will work closely together on a number of initiatives, including Football in the Community work, placement opportunities for BGU students and partnerships between the football club and BGU’s sports courses. BGU will also work with Lincoln City Sport and Education Trust to support its work with children and young people in the local area. “It’s great to see our emblem displayed on Lincoln City’s shirts for the new season,” said Rob Jones, Director of Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University. “We’re hoping that the BGU lions and the Lincoln City imp can strike fear into the opposition throughout the coming season!” Russell Moore, Lincoln City FC Commercial Manager, added: “We are delighted to unveil our new home kit which reflects our new partnership with Bishop Grosseteste University. “This agreement will benefit both the club and the city of Lincoln, with both of us having a proud history and a vision for success. “We are confident BGU will be an excellent partner for us and we are looking forward to building a strong working relationship with them.” 2nd August 2013g -
Two twin triumphs at BGU
Two sets of identical twins will graduate from Bishop Grosseteste University at Lincoln Cathedral on Wednesday (17th July). Gemma and Jade Charlton and Stacey and Nicole Hall, all 21, will be graduating with honours degrees in the ceremony before following various paths into teaching. Stacey and Nicole, from Long Eaton in Nottingham, are both graduating with first-class honours: Stacey in Education Studies and English, and Nicole in Education Studies and History. Nicole will now go on to study for her PGCE qualifications at BGU in September, while Stacey will take two years out, to gain some work experience before studying for a Master's Degree in Social Work. When they found out their results, Stacey said: “It was a little nerve-wracking as I got my results and saw I had a first, but we didn’t yet know what Nicole had achieved, so it was a relief when we found out she’d done just as well!” Gemma and Jade, from Grimsby, are both graduating with upper second-class honours in Education Studies and Sport – but they are now going down different routes into the world of teaching. “I have decided to go straight back to BGU and do my PGCE, while Jade will go down a different route and is looking for jobs as a teaching assistant in schools first, before she trains to become a teacher,” said Gemma. Both sets of twins will graduate at 2.30pm on Wednesday 17th July 2013. 15 July 2013 Media: If you would like to interview or photograph the twins please contact Shooting Star PR on 01522 528540 or email jez@shootingstar-pr.co.uk. -
War Horse Author Michael Morpurgo To Receive BGU Honour
Award-winning author and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, OBE is to be honoured by Bishop Grosseteste University at a graduation ceremony later this month. The author of War Horse will receive an honorary doctorate of the university at one of three graduation ceremonies which will take place at Lincoln Cathedral on Wednesday 17th July. Other honorary awards will be given to Dame Clare Tickell DBE, Chief Executive of Action for Children and author of a recent review of early years education in the UK, and to Karen Lowthrop MBE, CEO of environmental social enterprise Hill Holt Wood near Lincoln. Dame Clare Tickell will receive an honorary doctorate at 10:15am on 17th July. Michael Morpurgo’s award will be given at 2:30pm and Karen Lowthrop will given an honorary doctorate at 7:15pm. A record total of 870 students will graduate from Bishop Grosseteste University at the ceremonies this year. “At our first graduation ceremonies as a university we will be pleased to recognise the achievements of three people who are excellent role models for our own graduating students,” said the Reverend Professor Peter Neil, Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. “Michael Morpurgo is celebrated for his contribution to children’s literature and for his work setting up Farms for City Children. “Dame Clare Tickell DBE has made a significant contribution to our understanding of early childhood, particularly through her work as Chief Executive of Action for Children and her invaluable review of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. “Closer to home, Karen Lowthrop has made both a national and a local contribution to education in its broadest sense through her pioneering work at Hill Holt Wood. “These are all people whose careers have exemplified a real commitment to education for all ages and we will be proud to share another special day for Bishop Grosseteste University with them later this month.” Members of the media are welcome to attend. If you would like to attend please contact Jez Ashberry at Shooting Star PR on 01522 528540 or 07780 735071 or email jez@shootingstar-pr.co.uk. -
Shortage of RE Teachers Becoming Acute, Says BGU Expert
Easter is approaching but children's religious education is being damaged by an acute shortage of qualified RE teachers, according to a leading figure in Lincolnshire education. An increasing numbers of British children do not recognise stories such as the Nativity, the Crucifixion and Adam and Eve as coming from the Bible. Nigel Appleton, Dean of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln, says RE is an important subject which is being neglected because of a lack of teachers training in the subject. More than half of RE lessons in Lincolnshire's secondary schools are taught by non-specialists while over half of primary teachers don't feel confident teaching RE. "RE is a subject which is central to the school curriculum but it sometimes doesn't get the attention it deserves," he said. "Bishop Grosseteste University has been granted some additional PGCE secondary RE training places for 2014-15 in recognition of our track record of supporting RE in schools, and a few of these additional places are still available." "We also ensure our primary trainees are prepared to teach RE and have an opportunity to train to lead the subject in their primary schools. Recruitment is also still open for the primary PGCE." The growing crisis in RE teaching has coincided with new research which shows that UK children are unfamiliar with stories from the Bible. A survey for the Bible Society published in February found almost three in 10 young people were unaware that the story of the birth of Jesus came from the Bible. A similar number of children had never read or heard about tales of the Crucifixion or Adam and Eve. The report was based on a poll of 800 children aged eight to 15. Gillian Georgiou, Diocesan RE Adviser at the Diocese of Lincoln, said the problem is becoming acute for all schools. "It's certainly difficult for schools to find specialists with an RE degree," she said. "More than half of RE teaching in the UK is done by teachers who are not RE specialists, so we can assume that the situation in Lincolnshire is similar." "A quarter of primary teachers receive no training in RE at all and almost half receive less than three hours in their entire training programme. Most of the primary teachers I talk to are not confident about teaching the subject." A recent report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education, entitled RE: The Truth Unmasked, found: in over half of the 300 participating primary schools some or all pupils were taught RE by someone other than their class teacher in a quarter of these schools RE was taught by teaching assistants - a finding the report found "unacceptable" about half of primary teachers and trainee teachers lack confidence in teaching RE there is a wide variation in the extent of initial teacher training in RE and too many trainee teachers have little effective preparation for teaching the subject over half of RE teachers in secondary schools have no qualification or appropriate expertise in the subject - a finding which the report again found "unacceptable" Gillian Georgiou added that RE should be more highly valued by people thinking of training for a teaching career. "It's a subject that touches on the majority of different areas of human experience. It's highly valued by parents, universities and head teachers and it's essential in helping children to engage with the community locally, nationally and globally," she said. To find out more about primary and secondary PGCE RE training at Bishop Grosseteste University call 01522 527347 or visit our PGCE Primary and PGCE Secondary pages. -
BGU's New Deputy Vice Chancellor Looks to Future
Building the university's research profile and enhancing international links are two of the goals identified by the new Deputy Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University. Professor Jayne Mitchell last week took up the new role of Deputy Vice Chancellor with responsibility for academic affairs. She was formerly Director of Research, Development and Partnerships at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and before that Associate Dean at Staffordshire University. "My role at BGU is a completely new one and my remit is to focus on three areas: teaching and learning, research and international activity," she said. "One of our long-term aims is to grow the university's research capacity and capability and to raise the profile of the research work being undertaken by staff. We also want to enhance the internationalisation of the BGU experience both for UK students and students coming to BGU from overseas." Professor Mitchell is no stranger to Lincolnshire, having grown up near Cleethorpes, but it was the heritage and growing reputation of Bishop Grosseteste University that appealed to her. "I was attracted by the job and the institution - where it is now and where it's going in the future," Professor Mitchell explained. "This is a really exciting time for BGU. The university has a strong heritage and firm foundations, but there are also plans for development and expansion in a controlled way and scope to move to even bigger and better things. That was really attractive and something I wanted to contribute to." The Vice Chancellor of BGU, the Reverend Professor Peter Neil, welcomed Professor Mitchell to the university. "We are sure that Jayne will make a valuable contribution to the strategic direction of BGU and we are extremely pleased to welcome her as part of the senior leadership team," he said. Professor Mitchell completed her PhD in Physical Activity Epidemiology at the University of Exeter and holds a Master's in Public Health from the University of Birmingham. She has previously held a number of posts in higher education institutions that reflect her commitment to quality assurance and academic and research interests in physical activity and health. She will work at BGU alongside Hâf Merrifield, Deputy Vice Chancellor for strategy and performance. News release 11th March 2014 -
Registrar and Secretary Appointed at Bishop Grosseteste University
Dr Anne Craven has been appointed as the new Registrar and Secretary at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. Dr Craven comes to BGU from the University of Northampton, where she has been working as Head of Quality and Academic Partnerships and Deputy Director (Quality) in Student and Academic Services. Previously she was Director of Administration at Helsinki Theatre Academy, where she provided leadership for the strategic merger of three acclaimed Finnish arts universities into the new University of the Arts Helsinki. Before this she was Registrar at the School of Social Sciences at the University of East London, leading the school’s administration through a major change process. She has also worked as Departmental Administrator at Goldsmiths, University of London, and held several administrative positions at Royal Holloway, University of London. As a member of the senior leadership team at BGU Dr Craven will be responsible for quality, governance, student administration, data, admissions and recruitment and marketing. “I’m passionate about higher education, its management and its development and I’m very much looking forward to meeting and working with all colleagues at Bishop Grosseteste University and implementing the new university strategy together with staff and the Students’ Union,” Dr Craven said. Dr Craven earned her PhD in Music at Royal Holloway, University of London and holds a number of other qualifications, including an MBA in Higher Education Management, Master's Degrees in Music and Musicology and a Graduate Diploma in Law. Her research and publications have covered higher education management studies including governance; higher education policy and funding systems in UK and Finland; quality and standards; widening participation; change management; social justice and higher education; law and legal studies; reception and cultural history; aesthetics and analysis of musical recordings; and performance studies. She is a graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London; Institute of Education, University of London; Birkbeck, University of London; Goldsmiths, University of London; BPP University Law School, London Waterloo; Royal Academy of Music, London; Trinity College of Music, London; HAMK University, Finland; and Åbo Akademi University and Turku Conservatory, Turku, Finland. Anne Craven is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA); a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and a Fellow of the Association of University Administrators (AUA). -
BGU Academic Elected to Children’s Spirituality Role
An academic at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln has been elected Vice-Chair of the International Association for Children’s Spirituality (IACS). Dr Kate Adams, Reader in Education at BGU, has been researching and publishing on the topic for 15 years. The IACS promotes research and practice in children's spirituality and has members in 16 countries.Ofsted currently inspects schools’ provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and if it finds weaknesses in this provision a school will be judged to require improvement or be rated inadequate. “Most academics in the field agree that schools’ recognition of children’s spiritual life is extremely important at this point in history, when many teachers feel overwhelmed by targets, exam results, league tables and inspections,” said Kate.“However, variable provision in initial teacher training and continuing professional development can mean that many teachers have not been fully informed about children’s spirituality, leading them to miss the richness of this dimension of children’s lives. “This is worrying, because without the appropriate grounding, adults can underestimate young people’s ability to explore and express their sense of self. In a busy classroom it is too easy to miss the fascinating ways in which children seek meaning and purpose in their lives and find their place in the world.” Kate has recently secured a grant from the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society to explore the key leadership qualities which help primary schools to be outstanding in relation to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC). “If we can capture those specific leadership qualities, this knowledge and understanding can be used to support schools who find it difficult to achieve effective SMSC throughout their curriculum, thereby benefiting more children,” said Kate. Members of the International Association for Children’s Spirituality across the world collaborate to help educators and other professionals understand this compelling dimension of children’s lives. “As Vice-Chair I’m looking forward to working with international colleagues in developing the association in meeting these aims,” Kate added.
Explore BGU
Browse our wide range of degree courses and find the perfect one for you.
Open days are the best way to find out what BGU has to offer.
Download your copy of our prospectus to find out more about life at BGU.