Teaching Practice Placements

Durham University has a long-established and wide-ranging partnership across the Northern region for the Primary and Secondary PGCE programmes. Many of our Partnership Schools and staff have worked with us over a sustained period and are very loyal to the Durham brand and vision, this provides a professional network of expert mentors versed in the theory and practice associated with mentoring in Initial Teacher Education.

Our mentors are suitably experienced teachers who have formal responsibility to work collaboratively within our ITE partnership to help ensure that all of our trainee teachers receive the highest-quality training. They have excellent pedagogy and subject knowledge as well as a clear understanding of what constitutes high-quality teaching in a variety of contexts

Partnership Placement Models

• In Primary Education, the partnership is arranged in a Cluster structure. A Lead School (School Training Centre) works with a selection of schools to host a group of Primary Trainees. This is an established and successful model which provides excellent support for our students.
• In Secondary Education, the partnership is arranged with a subject focus. A POD School (Professional Opportunities and Development Centre) supports subject-specific professional input and placements are arranged across a range of schools.

In both of our models, you will be supported by both a University Tutor and a school-based Mentor. Our close partnerships give you the opportunity to work with expert practitioners in the classroom in addition to expert Teacher Educators in the University. Both models provide trainee teachers with an entitlement to practise key skills as well as an opportunity to work with and learn from expert colleagues as they apply their knowledge and understanding of evidence in the classroom. All training programmes are inclusive at all levels; the teaching, the learning, the training and the pastoral support.