Education - Children's Literature

PGCert

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Key facts

Start dates

September 2024 / September 2025

Course length

Part time: 12 months

Overview

Our PGCert Education - Children's Literature course gives you an overview of the turbulent and unique journey that children's literature has taken since its earliest days to the present from a range of theoretical perspectives.

You will acquire the understanding of how texts are constructed using a range of narrative modes. And how this aspect of your subject knowledge can be used in the primary classroom to develop children’s abilities to read a range of texts for pleasure.

You will also explore a variety of texts currently available including:

  • classic texts
  • picture books
  • novels in verse form
  • literature in translation
  • digital texts.

Our teaching staff are experienced and active in researching and teaching in the area of children's literature.

You will have access to our Oxford Brookes specials collections, a new collection of rare and antiquarian children's books and, when onsite, specialist-trained drama sessions.

Male and female Education - Children’s Literature PGCert students in a seminar on campus at Oxford Brookes University

How to apply

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

Students should normally have a first degree.

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

English language requirements

Please see the University's standard English language requirements.

International qualifications and equivalences

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English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.

Pathways courses for international and EU students

We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.

Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.

If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Application process

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) part time
£935 per single module

Home (UK) distance learning
£935 per single module

International distance learning
£1,760 per single module

Home (UK) part time
£980 per single module

Home (UK) distance learning
£980 per single module

International distance learning
£1,850 per single module

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2023 / 24
Home (UK) part time
£935 per single module

Home (UK) distance learning
£935 per single module

International distance learning
£1,760 per single module

2024 / 25
Home (UK) part time
£980 per single module

Home (UK) distance learning
£980 per single module

International distance learning
£1,850 per single module

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Learning and assessment

The PG Certificate in Children’s Literature consists of three modules (60 credits). You can take the course part time either on-campus or distance learning over one year.

On-campus

In semesters one and two, taught modules are usually taught over eight weeks on Wednesdays 5.00pm - 8.00pm. In semester three there is an independent study module with tutorials.

Distance learning

This involves part-time online learning through the use of our Moodle platform. Each module usually requires about 12 hours a week plus time spent on assessment.

Female Education - Children’s Literature PGCert student studying with headphones on campus at Oxford Brookes University

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Reading for Pleasure (20 credits)

    Reading for Pleasure has gained a strong foothold in the latest National Curriculum. Exploring what reading for pleasure is and what it can mean in and out of the classroom is a worthy exploration. Yet acknowledging the importance of the pleasure of reading is not enough. How do we cater for young readers and how do we ensure that the worlds we share are as diverse as the world in which we live in? We'll explore a range of text types. Focussing on picturebooks and the complex relationship between word and picture.  

    As part of the module, you might undertake activities like:

    • collaborative presentation work with peers
    • critiquing and exploring ideas in children's literature together
    • investigating and discussing best practice in groups
    • evaluating and exploring digital media.
  • Children's literature through the ages (20 credits)

    The history of children’s literature is an interesting one. A rich and tumultuous beginning and a growing diverse picture that we are building today. The genre leaves us with one question: who is children’s literature for? 

    Written by adults, what do these stories tell us about our society and culture, and what political ideas do they carry? Are children aware of these ideas and their possible interpretation? 

    You'll investigate its history and explore the ideas within two comparative texts from differing periods. Exploring issues relating to race, gender, politics and culture.  

    This module is designed to complement the Reading for Pleasure module.

     

  • Independent Study: Investigating Practice (20 credits)

    This is a chance to carry out an independent study/practice investigation. You’ll choose your own topic, with approval from your module leader / subject co-ordinator. The topic will be relevant to your own practice, but areas of investigation might include (for example):

    • developing pedagogical approaches or curriculum materials 
    • evaluating learners’ achievement levels
    • reviewing the evidence base for changes to educational practice
    • appraising learning environments and learning opportunities.

    It’s also possible to carry out retrospective evaluation of a project, provided the project took place within the last five years. This might be on:

    • the impact of a professional development programme or initiative
    • the experience of designing and delivering a new scheme of work 
    • the process of implementing an educational change or project. 

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Learning and teaching

Our teaching and learning methods are designed to promote constructive and critical reflection on practice and a range of theoretical and research issues. Methods include:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • workshops.

Modules are structured to ensure that you have the opportunities to draw on the knowledge and experience of other students and each other.

We have regular guest lecturers focussing on the four language modes (speaking, listening, reading and writing). We also make full use of ourOxford Brookes specials collections, a new collection of rare and antiquarian children's books and host a session in the Oxford Story Museum.

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

You will improve your practice through the course assessment tasks.

Assessments are supported in a number of ways:

  • online question and answer discussions
  • presentations of work in progress with tutor and peer feedback
  • formative tasks with detailed feedback.

Each coursework based module is assessed separately, in the following ways:

  • individual essays
  • seminar presentations
  • reports
  • portfolios
  • investigative research
  • group work.

Research

The School of Education, Humanities and Languages is a thriving centre for educational research and teacher professional development. Students on master's level programmes therefore join a large research community comprising researchers at all levels of higher education study.

We hold two major research conferences each year - the School of Education Research Conference and the EdD Colloquium. All students are invited to attend our annual Research

Seminar Series (which attracts both internal and external speakers). We also organise a number of conferences, lectures, seminars and debates, some of which have an international reach.

The School’s six research groups exist to encourage engagement in research, publication, conference presentations, seminars and workshops:

  • Inclusion and Wellbeing
  • Policy, Partnership and Leadership
  • STEAM pedagogy and learning
  • Humanistic Perspectives on Education
  • Early Years
  • Applied Linguistics

View all staff profiles for School of Education, Humanities and Languages

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After you graduate

Career prospects

Your learning on the course may lead to better prospects for career advancement.

Students frequently change role / direction as a result of developing new understandings and skills from their work on the course. 

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.