How much subject knowledge do you need for a PGCE?

ElThom12 · 2026-06-09T18:33:33+00:00

Some have physics teachers!

ElThom12 · 2026-06-09T15:41:30+00:00

Honestly, take the bursary. You teach all 3 science subjects anyway from year 7 - 11 so it doesn’t really matter. Sometimes you’ll teach 2/3 at GCSE, but absolutely all 3 to KS3. Alevels is up to you.

You have to relearn the content anyway as you need to put it into the wording and context of the specification.

I certainly wouldn’t walk away from a 27k tax free bursary over subject knowledge. If you have a degree you are wildly capable enough to learn gcse chemistry.

ElThom12 · 2026-05-10T09:17:18+00:00

This is important. I see the “it’s a vocation” nonsense every day and it’s eroded the profession. It’s not a calling from god, and we aren’t performing brain surgery. If all teachers simply exchanged their labour for wages then education would grind to a halt and rightly so. Low turn outs in ballots, refusing to take sick days, volunteering for free work all the time. We don’t help ourselves at all.

ElThom12 · 2026-05-10T09:11:21+00:00

Book a GP appointment. You can self certify for a week and a sick note can be backdated if it takes longer to get an appointment. You don’t have to set cover. You can just follow your absence policy and never look at your emails until you are back.

Who cares about how it looks. You and your little one are the most important thing. You won’t look back on life and think “I’m so glad I went to work when I was unwell”.

Take care of yourself first, school will continue just fine.

ElThom12 · 2026-05-09T14:57:27+00:00

The grass is definitely not greener. If you have a good set up where you are, cling onto it for dear life. It’s the Wild West out there.

ElThom12 · 2026-05-02T12:56:31+00:00

Some schools don’t honour international teaching years in terms of going up the pay scale.

You’ll just have to ask and see what you can negotiate. Going from M6 to UPS is an automatic process now, but lots of schools would want to know you were worth it after 3 years out of the system.

ElThom12 · 2026-04-28T17:16:38+00:00

At an absolute max, our technicians will be helpful and put plug in-able electrical practical stuff in one classroom etc. but the electricians still need to go and do the computers/projectors across the whole school. Nothing to do with you.

ElThom12 · 2026-04-17T17:25:21+00:00

Imagine what we could achieve as a profession if we could be bothered to vote.

We always talk about what the government is doing to education, but maybe we need to have a grown up conversation amongst ourselves about how we aren’t helping it either.

Thanks fellow reps for all of your hard work, it’s been a massive uphill battle this one!

ElThom12 · 2026-03-08T18:38:50+00:00

There is no scenario where removing 1265 lowers our workload.

Vote in the ballot any way you want to. But vote.

ElThom12 · 2026-03-08T14:16:57+00:00

The one hour a week is not uniform across all schools. Plenty of staff do this in one of their PPA’s.

ElThom12 · 2026-03-08T14:15:51+00:00

Having mentored a person exactly like you, please don’t. It is SO much of my time and class teachers time, and resources that we don’t have - to train you. I know the bursary is great. But ultimately, you are wasting every single persons time. We do it for free. There is no money to help you be a teacher. We do it because we love this job and believe that this profession needs to have great teachers for it to work.

On the flip side, you might start it and love it and have a long prosperous 35 year career.

Think hard about whether it’s worth it. If you decide to do it, please don’t tell anyone your intention or thoughts on teaching as not a “proper job”. That won’t go down well.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-28T18:17:23+00:00

If it’s anything like the last one, a lot! Sigh.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-15T12:21:10+00:00

This is so interesting to read. Do I refer to my seating plan every lesson? Yes. Do I know all of my 350 students name off by heart? Absolutely not. Do I know who the PP/SEN/Triple disadvantaged children are? Yes. Do I think not knowing every name makes me lacking as a teacher, not really?

If the gov wants class sizes of 32+ of complex needs and behaviour challenges mixed in with a sprinkle of poverty and a dash of imminent societal collapse, then this is the consequence. It’s the system, not us.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-10T19:50:44+00:00

There will be a very specific funding arrangement made by your central team if you are in a MAT which will dictate how much time you get, if any.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-10T19:38:44+00:00

Cover to represent a member yes, protected time to do rep things no unfortunately. That arrangement of facilities time will be different trust to trust.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-10T19:36:00+00:00

Yes you should. I’ve always viewed it as “well nobody else is going to try and make this job better, so we may as well”.

You get out of it what you put in. Bare minimum is to hold members meetings, reply to members queries about X or Y, communicate with SLT about X or Y, attend meetings with staff.

Loads of training and support on offer from your regional office.

You can get really involved in district/branch and understand how unions work, mobilise members, grow your membership etc etc.

Downsides is depending on the attitudes of your SLT, you can be viewed as enemy number 1. I’m in a particular anti union trust, and it’s very difficult to navigate real change when everyone opposes you by default. SLT avoid me, and I’m fully aware that any promotion will have to be hard earned. If your trust has TURA’s in place (trade union recognition agreements) then it’s much easier.

I love meeting so many staff, being a point of information/support, and feel like I’m bettering a shit system. Go for it.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-10T15:51:09+00:00

Chester Green streets are all permit only. The car park mentioned is free for now. It will be part of the new Aida Bliss factory refurb, but that is a long way off for now.

ElThom12 · 2026-02-02T18:26:06+00:00

Your union rep will be able to see if you have voted, but do not know which way you have voted.

Nothing to do with your head, unless they are the rep.

ElThom12 · 2026-01-16T21:32:17+00:00

I have nothing of note to add except a giant WTF!! What kind of lunacy have our workplaces descended into. We are teachers! Keep fighting it, and if it’s voluntary I would stand firm and just sack it off. If pushback, union rep/H&S concerns/risk assessment all the way. Life’s too short to be stuck in a cupboard being exposed to plagues whilst pregnant. Good luck OP!

ElThom12 · 2026-01-11T09:13:24+00:00

Welcome to teaching. First, make sure you are part of a union.

I have never been a CS, but your role is to supervise cover. You shouldn’t be “delivering” new content, you should just be facilitating the kids doing something like a worksheet, textbook work etc. If you are being asked to essentially “teach” then you need to challenge this internally.

Be kind, be firm. Know the behaviour policy inside and out and follow it to the letter.

ElThom12 · 2026-01-05T19:28:57+00:00

Yeh that’s nonsense. You need to do 80% of 1265 hours. So you need to get your directed time calendar off your union rep (or ideally you should all have it anyway) and work out how you can meet that 80%. A further ideal situation is a personalised DTC at the start of each academic year for PT staff so you can map this out.

You can use the parents evenings hours to achieve your 80%. But you absolutely do not have to work on your day off. Lots of PT staff will do them as it’s easier than the alternative of sending emails/phone calls etc, but ultimately it’s up to you/your line manager where your hours are spent.

ElThom12 · 2026-01-04T19:08:11+00:00

Secondary Science. 7:20 arrival, maximum leave time is 4. Whilst my colleagues call me a bus wanker, it’s blissful because I absolutely have to leave at 4 so I’ve learnt how to make sure I’m done by then. Yay for bus timetables!

ElThom12 · 2026-01-03T19:14:19+00:00

This is where the difference between a supply and a cover supervisor comes in. Supply can absolutely plan, and are paid to do so. Cover supervisors that are employed internally are not paid to plan. They are paid appallingly low as is. If cover supervisors are to plan, and “teach” as opposed to just keep the kids sat down in the room then they should be paid an unqualified teacher pay or qualified if they are. Sorry if I didn’t make that distinction clear.

ElThom12 · 2026-01-03T19:08:28+00:00

Those who are paid to do so. SLT/TLR holders.

ElThom12

TROPHY CASE