Schools Placements
Our optional schools placement module allows you to gain valuable professional experience to complement your academic studies.
Schools placements usually takes place over 10-weeks working part-time at either a primary or secondary school in the region. Typically, our school placements involve a combination of classroom observation and teacher assistance, as well as the preparation of lesson plans, teaching plans and learning materials. You may also have the opportunity to teach the class as a whole.
Participation in this module will give you first-hand experiences of young people’s responses to historical texts and problems, and it will give you the opportunity to develop confidence in communicating your subject. It will also increase your awareness of the roles of schools and universities in educational processes.
Anna Drury (MA History 2023)
I thoroughly enjoyed my school placement. It was a unique opportunity to gain hands-on teaching experience alongside my MA studies. I particularly valued the experience, as I was able to undertake my placement at my former high school and sixth form.
I was given the opportunity to observe lessons in the History Department, which varied from Year 7s exploring the reign of King John and the Magna Carta, to Year 13s analysing the impact of Cuban intervention in Angola and Ethiopia during the Cold War. I took part in supporting Guided Reading Groups, for pupils needing additional support in developing their reading skills. I aided pupils in classroom-based group activities, and the highlight of my placement was developing and independently delivering my own lesson plan for Year 12s, on ‘The Civil Rights Movement, 1954–1968: At Home in America during the Cold War’.
This experience was invaluable to me; it made me fully appreciate my skills as an educator, and my passion for teaching History to the next generation.
