Latest news with #PGCE
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Uni of Herts to offer part-time teaching training course
A university hopes to tackle teacher shortages by offering the chance to join the profession by studying on a part-time statistics suggest only 1.5% of people who start teacher training do so via a part-time route, out of 27,836 who began training in 24/ September, the University of Hertfordshire will be offering aspiring teachers the chance to study for a PGCE qualification at its Hatfield campus, but for three days a week instead of the usual lead Chris Powell said: "The demand for teachers is always outstripping supply, partly because some people who desperately want to go into teaching cannot for a number of reasons." The postgraduate course is designed to appeal to those juggling childcare or other domestic responsibilities, and will involve studying over four terms, instead of secondary teaching lead Chris Powell said that "attracting people into teaching when you are 20 minutes from Central London had always been a challenge".But he hoped the course would target those who had always had teaching "in the back of their minds, but other things had got in the way" or had been "persuaded to pursue a different option".He added that, for some, "even though decades had gone by" they had "finally got to a point where they felt it was now or never" in terms of joining the profession. The course will see students qualify as teachers in December 2026 and comprises one day studying at the university and two days in one of its partnership Dean for Education and Student Experience, Vicky Pateman, said: "The East is one of those regions where it can be difficult to attract teachers for a variety of reasons, so being a provider that can offer this route is fantastic."She added that "professional people who are thinking of changing careers come with a legacy of real skills and understanding about the world" that was "really important to share with children".The course is supported by Now Teach, an organisation that encourages experienced professionals to become executive Graihagh Crawshaw-Sadler told the BBC: "It is vital to enable individuals with contrasting and much-needed subject expertise to train as teachers, and it is so encouraging to see the University of Hertfordshire offering 13 subjects."She said: "Flexible routes into the classroom mean you can retrain at your own pace whilst maintaining life commitments." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
News24
29-05-2025
- General
- News24
Teachers matter – and we need more of them
Almost everyone can remember a teacher who made a lasting difference in their life. Great teachers don't just deliver educational content – they open up opportunities, ignite curiosity, and offer encouragement that can shape a child's future. But South Africa simply doesn't have enough of them. Each year, the country produces around 15 000 new teachers – far short of the 25 000 needed. With almost half the current teaching workforce nearing retirement age, and many others taking up better-paying posts overseas, there's a growing urgency to attract, train and retain more skilled teachers locally. Recognising this, STADIO 's School of Education is working to bridge the gap between the lecture room and the classroom. Its teacher training programmes are designed not only to attract aspiring educators, but to thoroughly prepare them for the complex and often challenging environments they'll work in. Equipping teachers for the workplace Teaching has always been more than a job – it's a profession that demands resilience, empathy, adaptability, and deep commitment. Today's educators face an increasingly demanding landscape: from managing large classes and limited resources to supporting learners' emotional and psychological needs, often with little external support. That's why practical, real-world preparation is critical. Through its School of Education, STADIO equips future teachers with the tools they need to succeed. Its Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) offers a wide range of subject specialisations across the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training (FET) band, ensuring graduates are ready to teach at multiple levels. The programme is designed for flexibility, allowing students to complete it in one, 1,5 or two years – ideal for those balancing work, family or other commitments. Delivered via distance learning, the PGCE includes essential work-integrated learning elements, such as lesson planning, classroom management, and innovative teaching strategies. Students graduate with not only theoretical knowledge but also practical, in-classroom skills that prepare them to meet the realities of South Africa's education system head-on. Affordability is another key focus. By keeping fees accessible without compromising on quality, STADIO is making it possible for more South Africans to pursue their passion for teaching. This in turn will help address the country's growing demand for dedicated, skilled educators. Creating teachers of the future Although the educational landscape is rapidly evolving, with new tools and technologies available, one thing remains true: teachers matter. They change lives, shape futures, and are essential to the health of our society. By preparing and empowering the next generation of educators, STADIO is investing in a brighter, more equitable future for all. For more information, click here for the STADIO School of Education's website.
The Independent
13-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Cambridge complete Boat Race clean sweep as men's team claim emphatic victory
Cambridge completed a clean sweep on the Thames with victories in the men's, women's and both reserve Boat Races. It was expected to be a tight battle in the 170th men's edition, but instead the light blue boat built up an early lead and never looked back, shocking an Oxford boat stacked with several Olympians. Cambridge made it eight straight wins in the 79th women's competition, also the 10th anniversary of the men's and women's races taking place on the traditional 6.8-kilometre Championship Course. It was an event once again overshadowed by controversy in the build-up after the enforcement of rules preventing PGCE students taking part meant three Cambridge rowers were unable to participate. Like in 2024, there were also worries about water quality after concerning levels of the E. coli bacteria were found along the course in the weeks leading up to the event. Both Oxford's men and women won their coin tosses and elected to start at the Surrey station, and the sunny conditions for the latter had turned overcast by the time the men began just under 10 minutes after its scheduled 14:21 start to clear debris from the course. It was neck-and-neck at the start and Cambridge were the subjects of a few early warnings from umpire Sarah Winckless, who became the first woman to umpire the men's race on the Championship Course after also overseeing it when it moved to the Great River Ouse in 2021. But Cambridge pulled out to a lead of just under two seconds, and extended their advantage as they crossed under the Hammersmith Bridge just over four seconds ahead. They continued to look loose and in control as they built up a considerable advantage of more than 12 seconds at the Barnes Bridge before pulling well clear to claim a comfortable win. The women's race was umpired by Sir Matthew Pinsent, who issued his first warning to Oxford less than a minute in and had a huge early decision to make after the oars clashed within the first two minutes. It was a move initiated by Oxford cox Daniel Orton, and for a brief moment it looked like Pinsent was contemplating disqualifying the dark blue boat. Instead the four-time Olympic champion elected for a restart, handing Cambridge – who had been out in front – a compensatory advantage a one-third of a length advantage. The light blue boat began to pull ahead under the Hammersmith Bridge, maintaining a significant gap by the halfway point and crossed the Chiswick Steps with an advantage of just over six seconds, extended to 7.72 seconds by the time they crossed the finish. Pinsent told the BBC: 'The clash was heavy enough that it was going to stop the race. There are a range of options you've got at that moment. You could DQ someone straight away, you can do a restart. '(Disqualification) pops into your mind, but you also can allow after a restart to see whether it affected the outcome of the race, and obviously in my opinion it did not affect the outcome of that race, and that's what is going on in my head now.'
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Boat Race looks to the future on 10-year anniversary of gender equality — but choppy waters lie ahead
Two crews of eight rowing four miles down the Thames. The premise of the Boat Race, contested annually – and fiercely – by eternal rivals Oxford and Cambridge, is very simple. But the race has assumed not just a prize place in the British sporting calendar, but also a place in the national consciousness, like Wimbledon or the Grand National. Also like the Grand National, the Boat Race is not without its controversies. This year's race has been dominated by an ugly row over selection that has prevented three PGCE students at Cambridge from taking part, while the spectre of water pollution and sewage in the Thames has once again reared its head. The Boat Race Company – the neutral body which runs the race – has opted for a policy of sweeping both issues under the carpet. But a long-term issue the Boat Race must grapple with is over its image. From its pleasant milieu in leafy south-west London to the near 200-year history of the men's race, the Boat Race is steeped in tradition. But the flip side of that is a public perception of an elitist and backward-looking institution, populated by brigades of privately-educated, privileged students. This year, though, the Boat Race is looking both forward and back. 2025 marks ten years of the women's edition being contested on the same Championship Course as the men, while receiving the same billing and TV coverage by the BBC. Equality has been a long time coming: the first women's Boat Race took place in 1927, the year before women in the UK were finally granted full suffrage. Even that was far from a fair fight: it was more of a points race, with the rowers judged on style rather than speed. The Boat Race has continued ever since that edition, in different forms and on different courses, before the push to bring it into the modern era. Cambridge have the edge over their Dark Blue counterparts in both races but particularly in the women's, winning 48 to Oxford's 30, and have the chance to equal their eight-race winning run from the 1990s on Sunday. The storied history of the race has echoed down the generations: Oxford women's president, Annie Anezakis, a two-time returning Blue, says, 'Our team want to do it for each other and for the women that have come before us.' 'Those kinds of numbers are really impressive for women's rowing,' says Siobhan Cassidy, chair of the Boat Race Company. 'To have been going for almost 100 years of the women's boat race, is really exciting. We're moving forward to an amazing summer of sport, particularly in London with all the women's sport events that are taking place right up until the autumn with the rugby [World Cup]. So it's a special thing, and it's something we should be really proud of.' Now, though, the selection row has threatened to undo some of that progress. Preventing PGCE students – those working towards teacher training qualifications – from taking part is likely to disproportionately affect women, with statistics showing that 68 per cent of postgraduate students on such courses are female. Former Olympic silver medallist Cath Bishop even alleged that the two female students who were banned, Molly Foxell and Kate Crowley, have been 'collateral damage', with Oxford focused on removing the threat posed by Cambridge's former under-23 men's world champion Matt Heywood. This year, the Boat Race is emphasising its female contingent, with rowers Heidi Long and Claire Collins getting top billing on the cover of the race programme. The pair have raced parallel careers, meeting at least 15 times through the junior, under-23, collegiate and senior ranks. Their most recent face-off was in the women's eight at the Paris Olympics last year, when Long won bronze for Team GB and Collins' US team were fifth. Now the pair are on opposite crews once more, with Long stroking for Oxford and Collins in the six seat for Cambridge. 'To be honest, this is the event that I feel like people care about the most that I've been a part of,' Collins says. 'There's a lot of tradition and history, and amazing people that have come here and raced this race. 'It's really cool that it's the ten year anniversary for the women. There's really nothing like it: it's amazing to see people row out here every day from the clubs and such history along the Embankment. There's maybe small pockets of it in the US but I wouldn't say that the roots are quite as deep in terms of an event like this.' Both Long and Collins are making their debuts in the Boat Race, but Collins' teammate Carys Earl is an old sweat, with this her third year in the Cambridge boat. Earl grew up in Oxford, watching the college teams rowing on the Isis and Cherwell rivers, but never imagined she would be in their position. The 22-year-old went to a state school and had never rowed before her first term at Cambridge, but after a trial session for novices in Fresher's Week, she was hooked. 'From the outset it might look like it's an elitist and highly selective process, but anyone can rock up on day one, with any experience,' she says. 'When I first got in a boat three years ago I could barely put my blade in the water, I had no idea what I was doing. But Paddy [Ryan], our coach, clearly saw something in me. I'm a medic so I'm here for six years, so he was like, maybe worth investing in that one! 'Every step of the way I've had people supporting me, and that's what really kept me going, wanting to come back every year. Yes, I don't have the same level of experience as people who have managed to do it all the way through juniors, but I don't think that's necessarily held me back. I've been given exactly the same opportunities. I think that's really special about Cambridge, they don't discriminate about 'oh, you didn't row when you were 14': it's what you can do on the day.' Earl nearly didn't even apply to Cambridge, until one of her teachers, who had been in the Light Blues' lightweight boat herself, convinced her otherwise. The experience has opened up an entirely new world for Earl. 'There is that idea about it that it's unattainable, but for me it just took that one teacher to be like, you should give it a go,' she says. Cassidy combats the accusations of the Boat Race operating in rarefied air by pointing out the level playing field of college rowing. 'Both Oxford and Cambridge have amazing learn to row centres through all the colleges, there are thousands of young people learning to row every year,' she says. 'I think that's quite inspiring for people getting to watch it. 'We're in a really privileged position to shine a light on an amazing sport. It's brought these young people here to race who have got experience of national teams in the States or in the British team, and they still want to come and do it, because it's a bucket list event. That's something to be really proud of. You can criticise it, but also, you can see it's a great opportunity.' With the Boat Race marking ten years of full parity between the men's and women's races it's evident that even this most traditional of institutions is modernising. But work still needs to be done to bring its public perception up to speed as it toes the line between respecting its time-honoured traditions and moving with the times. As Earl says, 'You might want it to be old and traditional but at the same time, sport is always evolving.'
The Independent
09-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Selection row and water quality fears threaten to overshadow Boat Race
The 2025 Boat Race looks set to take place under a cloud with the row over selection rumbling on but the race's organisers refusing to be drawn into the affair. This build up to this year's races has been overshadowed by a ban on PGCE students, which ruled out three of Cambridge's Blue Boat crew, Molly Foxell, Kate Crowley, and Matt Heywood. Oxford insisted on the ban under the grounds that the teacher training qualification does not constitute a degree, although students on the course have competed for both sides in previous years without issue. An independent panel initially imposed the ban, then reversed it when Cambridge appealed, and then re-upheld the ban when Oxford appealed on the grounds that it could not reverse its original decision. The fallout from the decision continued this week. The Guardian reported earlier on Wednesday that a practice race between the Oxford and Cambridge women's reserve crews did not go ahead after Oxford insisted that the ban should apply to the reserve boat as well, again ruling out Foxwell and Crowley. The report also suggested that CUBC president Lucy Havard was suggested as a replacement, but that idea was also dismissed due to an infringement of another rule, the 12-year rule, which makes anyone who began an undergraduate degree more than 12 years ago - as Havard did - ineligible. London Rowing Club stepped in for Cambridge and Oxford lost all four of the practice races. Pressed on the situation and the rancour between the clubs at a media day on Wednesday, Boat Race Company Chair Siobhan Cassidy side-stepped the issue. 'First of all, the clubs agree the rules between themselves, and every year there's a point where they can review those and look back at what's gone on and look ahead,' she said. 'So that's just part of what will happen, that will be something that will be happening after the race anyway. 'The races that went on this morning, they decided themselves who they were going to race and that's up to them. We'll support the clubs as they're doing what they need to do.' Two Cambridge students on the panel, Olympian Claire Collins and Boat Race debutant George Bourne, also refused to be drawn on the subject. The student athletes on both sides have had nothing to do with the falling out over selection, but Cambridge have seen teammates shuffled around and dropped as a result. Bourne said, 'Without wanting to give too much of a stock answer, it's not for us in the crew to spend our time thinking about these sorts of things. We've got nine of us in the boat and a coach to work with as well, and we're pretty focused on what we're trying to do on race day and those emotions and thoughts I think are for other people at this stage. We've got a job to do and it's having to make an effort to be dialled in to what we're doing.' Asked about whether those who have missed out will be supporting their teammates on Sunday, Bourne said: 'I think people will be here supporting, but as I say, for us we'll catch up with them after the race. We'll go out and try to do a job on the water, and save those emotions for after the race.' Collins suggested that the Blue Boats were aiming to block out the noise around the issue. She said, 'Most people in the room are still doing their coursework right now, I still have a product due at the end of the week, so it's nice to keep that balance and check out a little bit in that way. That's been fun.' While the eligibility row is a new issue for this year's event, the Boat Race also faces being overshadowed by a familiar problem from last year: E coli levels in the Tideway, the stretch of the Thames the four-mile race covers. The environmental charity River Action said that it detected levels of E coli three times above the threshold which the Environment Agency classifies as 'poor' and advises against bathing in. The stretch the Boat Race covers is not a bathing water area of the river, but high levels of E coli nevertheless impacted the Race last year, with several of Oxford's rowers sick in the build up to the race. The usual tradition of throwing the victorious cox into the river was also abandoned over fears of illness. Cassidy struck a more positive note this year, crediting the Thames Tideway Tunnel, which is designed to capture and store raw sewage which would otherwise overflow into the river, for improving the standard of the water. She said, 'The Tideway tunnel project has made a huge difference in taking up any sewage that's been released. That's a really positive thing for sure, but we know there's more work to be done, so we just keep a close eye on it, work with the clubs and give them some advice on how to manage when the water quality is not good. 'We'll always issue advice on how to look after themselves and the clubs are really good at looking after the welfare of their squads. That has been issued as part of any good practice anyway, and that comes from British Rowing, which is being issued to all the clubs all the time, and that's standard on this stretch of water, so that's the same as ever.' The guidance suggests crews wash their hands and shower immediately after being in the water, and covering any open wounds, 'just as you would do on any stretch of water when you want to be careful about water quality,' Cassidy said. On whether the cox-throwing tradition would return this year or crews would stay on the safe side, she said, 'The best answer would be you'll have to watch on Sunday, get to the end and see what happens! We'll find lots of ways to celebrate on Sunday.'
