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*Primary ITE Documents
These CPD guides are only to be used when directed by your SBM. They are designed to support you in your development, but only when gaps in knowledge and understanding have been identified by you and your mentor. You are not expected to complete all of the tasks within the guides and you may find that you do not need to use them at all. -
BGU Academics Awarded €178,000 Erasmus Funding for Well-being Research
Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Well-being and Workload in Education RKEU group have been awarded 178,000 euro of Erasmus+ funding to research and develop the well-being of initial teacher education students. The group from BGU, who will be leading this international project, consists of Dr. Emma Clarke, Dr. Phil Wood, Shaun Thompson and Aimee Quickfall. They will be working with colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland and Kobenhavns Professionshojskole, University of Copenhagen. Aimee, who is Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years at BGU, commented that: “It is great to be working with our Finnish and Danish colleagues again on a topic that is dear to all of us – the continued success and happiness of our teacher trainees.” The aim of the project is to produce a package of resources for ITE students, school mentors and university staff, including ‘well-being toolkits’ that will be tailored to Finnish, Danish and UK contexts. Shaun, who is Regional Partnership Lead at BGU explained this: “It is really important to consider different education systems and also the different people that need support with well-being. If a student struggles with their well-being during their training, mentors and university tutors also need resources to support their trainee in their context; on placement, in tutorials, at a distance and in person.” The project will run for three years and include events in all three countries to share findings with students, school mentors and initial teacher educators. Emma pointed out: “The project has a real activist aim – we want to improve the experiences of teacher trainees as widely as we can.” To that end, the project outcomes will include a website with free to access online resources, blogs and advice, as well as the toolkits for supporting trainee well-being. Phil explained that: “Although the toolkits and resources will be based on research carried out at BGU, UEF and Copenhagen, there will be useful materials and findings for teacher trainees, mentors and tutors in other contexts and countries.” If you’re interested in a future in education, our BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS (3 year undergraduate degree), BA (Hons) Primary Teaching Studies with QTS (15 month top up degree), and PGCE courses are the perfect ways to begin or continue your adventure on the path to becoming a fantastic teacher! If you have any questions, our Enquiries Team are ready to help. Contact them today or visit our website to find out how to take your next steps. -
Christmas Tomfoolery
See how our Staff fared in their Christmas Taskmaster Challenges -
"By choosing BGU you are doing more than just a degree, you are setting yourself up for life" - How studying at BGU started Jake's career in sport
I came to Bishop Grosseteste with the ambition of becoming a PE Teacher. BGU helped me achieve everything, and more, than I could have ever hoped for. During my three years studying Education Studies and Sport, I was able to gain my first experiences of what it would take to become a teacher. I was able to work in a variety of settings including a secondary school PE Department along with Primary and UTC college environments. The secondary placement in particular, reaffirmed to me that I was right in wanting to be a PE Teacher and chase my dream career. I was able to work alongside the entire PE department, assisting in delivering lessons, running extra-curricular clubs and gaining experience across different Key Stages. The modules allowed me to learn about educational philosophies and different pedagogical approaches to teaching, which allowed me to form my own style of teaching. The wealth of experience the lecturers have meant you could be challenged but also challenge them on contemporary issues and have a high-level discussion about what is happening in the world of sport and education. I was able to achieve a first-class honours degree and I felt like I earnt my degree as the level of scrutiny and academic rigor made sure you get what you put into each assessment. My favourite module though was when I got to complete my dissertation. I used my dissertation as preparation for my PGCE at Loughborough University. I was able to interview many PE teachers across the country about the feasibility of a Models-Based Practice being adopted in a PE curriculum. Rafe Elliot, my sport lecturer was always there to give me advice and support throughout. To this day, my dissertation is my proudest piece of work. -
Academics' Research Explores Teacher Training and Well-Being Around the World
Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University's (BGU) Well-being and Workload in Education Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit (RKEU) have published an article in the British Education Research Association's Research Intelligence magazine. Out this month the article, by Dr. Aimee Quickfall, Dr. Emma Clarke and Shaun Thompson, explores the differences and similarities in teacher trainee well-being across Finland, Denmark and the UK, drawing on their research experience of three years data collection in these countries. Speaking ahead of publication, Dr Quickfall discussed the article’s focus, along with the ongoing work of the RKEU: “Mental health and well-being are pressing issues for the education sector, and the pandemic has exacerbated this. This BGU RKEU are working to find solutions to poor teacher trainee well-being, by looking to other countries for best practice. The team are currently engaged in an Erasmus+ funded project to build teacher trainee and mentor tool kits to support well-being and manage workload.” The Spring edition of Research Intelligence is focused on contemporary issues in mental health and wellbeing in education, and has been guest edited by Professor Jonathan Glazzard and Samuel Stones from Leeds Beckett University, and can be found here: https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/spring-2021 You can find more information on the work and projects of the Well-being and Workload RKEU by clicking here.. If you’re interested in a future in education, our BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS (3 year undergraduate degree), BA (Hons) Primary Teaching Studies with QTS (15 month top up degree), and PGCE courses are the perfect ways to begin or continue your adventure on the path to becoming a fantastic teacher! If you have any questions, our Enquiries Team are ready to help. Contact them today or visit our website to find out how to take your next steps. -
Stefanie Jacklin
Stef joined Bishop Grosseteste University in January 2021, on a part- time basis whilst still working as a primary school teacher. In April, she moved across to BGU full- time. Stef is an ex-student of Bishop Grosseteste University and has many fond memories of the University. Stef started her teaching career in Peterborough and then moved to Lincolnshire. During Stef’s many years of teaching, she has led a range of subjects including Science, English, and Humanities. Humanities, diversity, and black history are areas which really interest Stef. In her previous teaching role, Stef was School Direct and NQT Lead mentor for a multi-academy Trust in Lincolnshire. As a Senior Lecturer, Stef primarily teaches and contributes to the PGCE 5-11 programme as well as contributing to the Undergraduate and School Direct programmes. -
British Educational Research Association releases findings on BGU research on NQT experiences
The British Education Research Association (BERA) have released initial findings of a British Academy funded research currently being carried out by Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Professor Phil Wood, Dr. Emma Clarke and Dr. Aimee Quickfall. The blog post, titled ‘How newly qualified teachers are coping in the time of Covid-19’, shares initial findings from interviews and surveys carried out this year, with further data collection ongoing into August. You can read it in full by clicking here. Phil, Professor of Education Change at BGU, explained the context of the current newly qualified teacher cohort: “Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) have arguably always had tough challenges to overcome, but the pandemic has added to these challenges, including rapid adaptations to initial teacher education content (ITE) delivery in 2019/20 and many involved in ITE and NQT support fear that the pandemic has created a ‘lost cohort’.” However, the research trio have found that whilst the year has been challenging, there are reasons to be cheerful. Emma, Senior Lecturer in Primary and Early Years ITE at BGU, explained what the participants are reporting so far: “We have been surprised by some of the data coming out of our project so far. The majority of NQTs – 77 per cent – agreed or strongly agreed that their ITE prepared them well for their NQT year, with just under 30 per cent reporting that they did not feel confident on entering their NQT year. Almost 80 per cent of NQTs agreed or strongly agreed that they were being supported well by colleagues to develop their teaching practice, and 81 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that despite Covid-19 they were continuing to develop their skills as a teacher.” The project involves national survey results as well as in depth interviews with NQTs, which Aimee, Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years ITE at BGU, commented on: “As researchers we have been mindful that often national research on teacher experiences involves large scale survey data and a limited range of answers. This study has provided opportunities for the NQTs themselves to explain what they have been through and what resources have supported them to succeed. We can use these findings to improve preparation for early career teachers.” NQTs have been sharing their pragmatic approaches to their first year in the profession, and whilst the year has been very challenging and some NQTs are reporting fewer uplifting experiences, participants like Alisha have commented on how relationships and networks that started in their universities and training providers have supported them: “Everyone on my PGCE course… we’ve still got our little group chat and that’s been great because when something goes completely wrong and you can just throw that in, and somebody else goes, ‘Well actually that’s gone wrong for me as well. I’m confident that we’ll all pass our NQT year. It’s just working out how we can get more support or navigate through this interesting time.” You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Alternatively you can contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one our Open Days to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
Dr Ursula McKenna
Dr Ursula McKenna is Senior Research Fellow in Implicit Religion at BGU where she is located within the Department of Theology and the World Religions and Education Research Unit. Upon completion of her BA (QTS) she was awarded an Economic and Social Research Council MA studentship and obtained an MA (with distinction) for her work on religious education for children with special educational needs in the primary school. While combining a part-time research post with a job-share class teaching position she then completed her doctorate. Her research was an evaluation of the Building E- Bridges programme, a project which advocated the use of email in primary schools to promote interfaith dialogue amongst pupils across the UK. For fourteen years Ursula taught across the primary age range and as research fellow at the University of Warwick (1999-2021) she contributed to the PGCE Primary and Early Years Religious Education module and the MA in Religious Education by distance learning course. She has undertaken supervision of dissertation students on BA and MA Education Studies degrees and has co-supervised research students. For twelve years she was editorial assistant for the British Journal of Religious Education, co-ordinating the refereeing process for all submissions and special issues. -
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