pgce course assignment

• mrsstrickey
• Sep 9, 2020

What to expect on your PGCE

Miss K joins us for Wednesday Wisdom this week... Having trained in Performing Arts at University, Miss K made the decision to be a TA with special needs children in a mainstream secondary school. After 3 years of working as a TA, she took the amazing step into teaching. She completed a PGCE in Secondary English at Bath Spa University. Like many of you, she is starting her NQT year in September and has some advice for those who are just starting their PGCE (being fresh from the course!). You can follow Miss K on Instagram @missenglishnqt and Twitter @missenglishstar

I would like to start by congratulating you on considering or securing your place on a PGCE. Becoming a teacher is hard work, but like anything that is hard work, the rewards are worth it. Every day you will have an impact on the lives of young people. There is that famous quote that says ‘they may not remember what you said, but they will not forget how you make them feel’ my advice is to hold that close as you start this journey. This is my golden tip because developing strong and positive relationships with students will make all the difference to your experience as you train to become a teacher.

I am going to separate this post into sections related to some of the phases of training on your PGCE, as well as some of the most common concerns and things I wish I had known at the start of my training year. There may be some variations to your training depending on your specialism e.g Early Years, Primary or Secondary, but I will try to keep this as generalised as possible to suit all specialisms.

University Phase

To begin your training most of you will have a university-led phase. During this time, you will engage with a variety of sessions, from tailored lectures and activities with your subject specialism, as well as lectures that apply to the whole cohort like SEND and behaviour management. You will have subject mentors for secondary and I assume primary also have their own mentors. These will be the tutors who will supervise you during your PGCE and be your main point of contact. Ahead of your PGCE, my best suggestion is to familiarise yourself with the national curriculum and your subject. Find out what is taught most and what your responsibilities are, as these are discussions that are likely to take place at university. If you are not already familiar, then my next suggestion is to familiarise yourself with these key terms and their abbreviations:

Pupil Premium – PP

Free School Meals – FSM

Special Educational needs and disability - SEND

Looked after child – LAC

Assessment for learning - AFL

The reason I suggest this is that you will hear them during your university phase and as soon as you get into school. Teachers often talk with just the acronym, so the sooner you know them and understand the basics of what they entail, then the quicker you will be comfortable with ‘Teacher Talk’ as I like to call it.

Assignments

Perhaps the most time-consuming focus of your university training will be the written assignments that you need to pass in order to gain the PGCE qualification. There are 3 assignments and they vary in length depending on your training provider, however, the general summary of them goes as follows; two 3000-word assignments and one 5000-word assignment. The titles of them may differ, but they will generally cover the following topics: SEND, Assessment for learning, and a whole school policy. The main piece of advice here is don’t panic about these! You can resubmit if the assignment is not right the first time. There are also lots of sources that your provider will point you towards in order to support your writing.

Placement 1

Placement 1…your first real dive into teaching. An incredibly exciting time, but also a time that lots of you will feel apprehensive about and that is completely normal. Let me start by saying this. No one expects you to be perfect! Your first placement is all about finding your feet as a teacher, working out who you are and what works best for you. I coined this the ‘trial and error placement’ because it gives you the chance to make mistakes and learn from them.

By the time Christmas arrives, you should be teaching around 10hours a week. You will be given a lesson planning outline that will help you think about the key events in a lesson, as well as timing, differentiation, and assessment. Be aware, these can be time-consuming and most teachers will want to see them before you teach the lesson. Take the time to trial a multitude of different strategies and teaching methods because this is the best way to find your stride in the classroom.

While on placement, you will have a training mentor who will oversee your timetable and progress. You will have regular review meetings, most providers will ensure this happens once a week, where you discuss your progress and targets for the following week. It is crucial that you are honest about any struggles you have had; I don’t think enough trainees ask for help when they need it. Sometimes you are just in need of a little advice or reassurance. The biggest rush you will experience is the first time you teach a lesson that was successful, and it will happen more often than you think if you regularly reflect on your practice.

Placement 2

This is the longer of the two placements (primary and SCITT may have more) and the placement where you also face an increase in teaching hours. You will start with around 10 to 12 hours teaching and increase to 16 by the end of the placement. This may vary and I was certainly impacted by the arrival of Covid-19 on my placement. However, virtual teaching is an experience in and of itself, you should really have a go at teaching at session online and who knows? It may become part of the next scheme of teacher training.

You might start this placement feeling like you take a step backward because there is quite a gap between placement 1 and 2. It is absolutely okay to feel this way and have a wobble, but you will very quickly find your feet again. This placement is all about gaining the confidence in your teaching and improving your classroom practice. By placement 2 you may feel ready to start moving away from detailed lesson plans because you already know how to structure a lesson. This is individual to each teacher, don’t compare yourself. You will gradually be handed more independence and take on more responsibility, not only within your teaching but also in wider school responsibilities like parent’s evenings and lunchtime or after school commitments. I also think it is important to say that, although at this point you will be close to finishing your training, you are still a brand new teacher and you have lots still to learn and your practice still has a lot of developing to do. It is okay not to be the finished article by the end of your PGCE, but I promise you will have a lot more confidence in your ability, who you are in the classroom, and what works best for you and the students you teach. This way you can go into your new school as an NQT ready to work on yourself and enjoy the freedom to make your lessons suit your style and the needs of those students you are working with. As always, your students are your priority and if you shape your practice around them you are doing the best you can do.

Student relationships – This is my go-to mantra. Relationships are key to success in the classroom. Show them who you are from the moment they meet you, be kind and welcoming, and take an immediate interest in getting to know them. Learn names as quickly as you can!

Don’t compare yourself – Every trainee moves at a different pace and you will all have different backgrounds so some may find adjusting to school easier than others. There is no right way, you need to do what is best for you. Also, remember most teachers you meet have been doing their job for years and will appear to know everything…. they have taught it repeatedly for years, of course, they know more! so don’t feel inadequate everything comes with time.

Keep in contact with people on your course – This one may seem obvious, but it is ridiculously important. Keeping in touch will get you through some of the tougher times (because you will have them) and it also means you have a space to let off a little steam when you need to. Don’t bottle emotions up, talk about it, you will feel relieved once you do.

Time management – The PGCE is a balancing act and if you don’t time manage you will find yourself feeling overwhelmed. Decide what your priorities are for each day/week and get them done. Try to get ahead on assignments; it will make them feel like less of a mountain. Most importantly allow yourself downtime! Take some time off to do what you love and have a breather you will feel all the better for it.

Just make the most of the experience and enjoy it.

Good Luck! X

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Department of

Department of Education

Partnership schools.

Our Postgraduate Certificate in Education course offers you the opportunity to train to teach the secondary age group in one of the leading educational establishments in the country. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 places us as 1st in the UK for Degrees in Education for the eleventh year running. The University of Oxford’s Department of Education has a long history in initial teacher education, dating back to 1892.

The department works in partnership with over 37 secondary comprehensive schools in Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties, with most being within 30 miles of Oxford.

We work on an internship model (the Oxford Internship Scheme) which recognises the different roles of university and schools in teacher education and the need for a truly collaborative partnership. Such collaboration involves joint responsibility within the partnership for the planning, delivery and assessment of the programme.

All of our PGCE programmes run on a full-time basis for one academic year.

In addition to being awarded the PGCE qualification, successful students are also recommended for Qualified Teacher Status, which indicates that they have met the requirements of the Government’s Teachers’ Standards.

Our PGCE offers you excellent career prospects. As of October 2021, 90% of our 2020-21 student cohort were employed as a teacher or seeking teaching roles; 61% were working as a teacher in the state sector and 30% were working in a partnership school.

Student statistics for 2021-22 entry

• Application success: we accepted 1 in 3 applications
• Average age on starting the course: 25
• Age range of course starters: 37
• 8% of our students had previously studied at Oxford
• 37% of our students had never studied at a Russell Group University before
• Highest qualification: Undergraduate: 72%; Masters: 27%; PhD: 1%

Watch Dr Judith Hillier, Deputy PGCE Course Director, give us her account of the PGCE course programme

We offer the PGCE in the following subject areas:

English Geography History Mathematics Modern Languages (French, German, Spanish, Mandarin) Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

The course structure

The course begins with an orientation experience in September in a primary of your choice.

This is followed by the first week in the University of Oxford’s Department of Education. The rest of the autumn term is made up of ‘joint weeks’ with days spent in the University and days in school. You will be attached to the same school for the majority of the year, which makes it possible for you to get to know teachers and pupils in the school and to understand the school’s policies and practices.

The spring term consists primarily of school experience and for the summer term, interns move to a second school so that they have the opportunity to consolidate and extend their understanding and experience of learning and teaching.

This course structure reflects the internship model in that it is designed to:

• enable interns to become fully integrated into one school over a long period
• enable interns to learn about their own teaching in the context of the wider school, rather than focusing initially on their own classroom and only later widening their view
• allow schools to offer coherent and challenging professional development programmes over the course of the long placement, and in the short placement focus on preparation for continuing professional development
• enable school-based tutors to see interns’ development from the start of the course to a position of competence
• offer interns the opportunity to encounter a new school context at a time of the course when they are ready to make critical comparisons.

Components of the PGCE course

• Curriculum (subject related) work.
• Professional Development Programme.

Curriculum work includes a range of activities related to the teaching of a specific subject in the secondary school. These activities include seminars and workshops in the University, as well as collaborative teaching, solo teaching, observation and discussion in school. The activities are aimed at giving interns competence in teaching their subject, the opportunity to develop a range of teaching strategies, an understanding of wider issues affecting the teaching of those subjects within the whole school curriculum. The work in each subject is organised by the Curriculum Tutor and school mentor for that subject. Part of the work in each subject area is planned for all interns, and part develops from the progress of individual interns.

An experienced teacher (or mentor) co-ordinates the subject related classroom based activities of the intern. The mentor provides guidance and support and, as the year goes by, judges when and how to increase an intern’s experience and responsibilities. The school based mentor liaises with the Curriculum Tutor from the University to plan tasks and activities for the interns.

Interns complete up to three written assignments related to their subject teaching. These all involve school based investigation and the critical analysis of relevant research and professional literature.

The professional development programme (PDP) involves a range of activities related to important educational issues. These activities include lectures in the University, weekly seminars in school and an assignment focused on a specific aspect of schooling of the interns’ own choice. These activities are aimed at giving interns an understanding of whole-school and cross-curricular issues, and an appreciation of the contribution which they can make to developing these issues through teaching their own subjects.

The Professional Tutor responsible for interns at the school co-ordinates school based activities related to general educational issues, called the school professional development programme. Some aspects of the PDP are planned and organised for all interns by university tutors, who take responsibility for particular issues. The detailed programme for the interns in each school, however, is organised by the Professional Tutor and General Tutor for that school.

The PGCE at Oxford is assessed as an M level course (in line with the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education). Successful completion of the examined assignments at Masters level carries the award of 60 M level credits. Those who pass the assignments at Honours level can be awarded a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (provided that their practice also meets the Teachers’ Standards).

Watch Dr Katharine Burn, PGCE Course Director, tell us a little bit more about the PGCE Course Programme

Find out more about the Professional Development Programme (PDP) with Dr Katharine Burn

Study for your PGCE with us and you will benefit from our unrivalled relationship with local schools. We enjoy close links with more than 37 well established partner schools across Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties.  

Our partnerships, developed over many years, will enrich and inform your teaching experience, setting you on a path towards a bright future in the classroom. The non-selective, state-funded schools are all located in easy travelling distance across Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties. They offer genuine diversity, both in terms of intake and location. You will work in two of the schools, enabling you to experience and compare different approaches to policy and practice.   

School placements are allocated by your tutor and would depend on a school’s capacity for subject specialisms, your circumstances (e.g. childcare, disabilities), where you live, transport and your training/development plan. You will be expected to travel regularly between home, the department and partnership schools. You would also be responsible for organising your own transport.

Watch partnership school Professional Tutor, Rob, give his account of how he supports PGCE Interns

Watch Ex PGCE Intern, Liz, talk about her experience as a teacher in one of our partnership schools

Watch Ex PGCE Intern, Ross, talk about his experience as a teacher in one of our partnership schools

Watch Ex PGCE Intern, May, talk about her experience as a teacher in one of our partnership schools

Tuition Fee and Maintenance Loans

Students who are entitled to support under the student finance criteria can apply for a:

• tuition fee loan of up to £9,250 to cover your teacher training (‘Home’ student fee level), so you do not need to pay course fees upfront
• maintenance loan to help with living costs

You can still apply for a tuition fee and a maintenance loan if you already have a student loan, and regardless of whether you get a teaching bursary or scholarship. You will only have to make loan repayments once you’re earning. Your repayments will not increase if you already have a student loan and take an additional loan for teacher training.

Please note that if you are not eligible for ‘home’ fees, the international fee level for entry in 2024-5 is £36,000.

UK Government Teacher Training Bursaries & Scholarships 2024/25

The PGCE course fees (Home: £9,250; Overseas: £36,000) are due before any teacher training bursary or scholarship is paid. Therefore, a teacher training bursary or scholarship cannot be relied upon to cover the course fees.

Students cannot receive a bursary and a scholarship. Both the bursary and scholarship are tax-free and are paid via monthly instalments directly into your UK bank account whilst you study. All students are given an application form once an offer to study the PGCE at the University of Oxford has been accepted.

Teacher training bursaries and scholarships are separate from any Student Finance application. Students could receive all three types of funding: tuition fee loan, maintenance grant and a teacher training bursary/scholarship.

Postgraduate bursaries for PGCE students are as follows:

The scholarships available are as follows:

A scholarship award will replace a government teacher training bursary. Students cannot hold a teacher training bursary and a scholarship. For Languages and Physics, it is possible for international applicants to be eligible for a bursary or scholarship and still be required to pay international fees of £36,000. For all other subjects, international applicants are not eligible for any bursary or scholarship.

Please visit Funding: initial teacher training (ITT), academic year 2024 to 2025 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)   for more information.

Oxford Bursary

Home or Republic of Ireland PGCE students who are not in receipt of a teacher training bursary or scholarship, and who are from lower income households are eligible to be assessed for an Oxford Bursary. There is no additional application as the Oxford Bursary is based on the household assessment carried out by your regional student finance funding agency. Eligible students could receive up to £4,000. If you are eligible you will be notified of your entitlement from mid to late September 2023, you must have your financial assessment completed by May 2024 to be considered. Please visit the Oxford Bursaries webpage for more details.

Brasenose College: Oxford-Robert and Soulla Kyprianou Graduate Scholarships

One full scholarship is available for applicants who are ordinarily resident in the Republic of Cyprus and who are accepted by Brasenose College. The scholarship is jointly funded by the University and Robert and Soulla Kyprianou. Robert Kyprianou was a student at Brasenose College 1973 – 1976 and was one of the first students of Cypriot origin to study at Oxford. The scholarship covers course fees and provides a grant for living costs. The scholarship is only tenable at Brasenose College but all eligible applicants will be considered, regardless of which college (if any) you state as your preference. However, successful applicants will be transferred to Brasenose College in order to take up the scholarship. To apply an application must be submitted and an original Cypriot passport shown to the PGCE Office before Friday 6th January 2023.

The Queen’s College: Hastings Senior Scholarship

PGCE students who are accepted by The Queen’s College can apply for this scholarship which is a contribution of £3,500 towards course fees.  Eligible students would have completed all examinations for their Bachelor’s Degree at the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, York or Bradford and would have achieved a First Class Honours. For further details please, including how to apply, please see click here.

Blackfriars Hall

PGCE students who are accepted by Blackfriars Hall can apply for the New Blackfriars Scholarship (for more details please click here and/or for the Dominique Pire Scholarship (for more details please click here ).

When do applications open?

Applications for September 2024 entry open on Tuesday 10 October 2023. Apply through the Department for Education’s new site .

When do applications close?

There are no formal application deadlines for the PGCE at the University of Oxford. The University tutors continually review new applications until spaces for each subject are filled. If you meet our entry requirements we encourage you to submit your competitive application as soon as possible.

Do you offer a Primary PGCE?

No. The PGCE course at the University of Oxford works exclusively with state-funded secondary schools.

I have applied; when will I receive a response?

We will review and process your application as quickly as possible. If you meet the selection criteria for interview, you will be contacted by email and invited for an interview. If your application does not meet the selection criteria, it will be rejected on the DfE Apply system.

Do you accept qualifications from outside of the UK?

International qualifications viewed as comparable to qualifications taken within the UK are accepted for the PGCE. In order for the University of Oxford to formally recognise any overseas qualification, you must present a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC. Students in this position should wait until they have accepted an offer to study on the Oxford PGCE and should then contact Get Into Teaching on 0800 389 2500, as a teacher training applicant you can obtain the Statement of Comparability for free (this usually costs £49.50 plus VAT).

Do you offer distance learning?

The PGCE is a full-time course requiring attendance at the University and in school for placements. It is not possible to take this course through distance learning.

Will I be required to travel for my interview?

All applicants shortlisted will be interviewed online via Teams.

What degree class do I need?

Applications are welcome from candidates with a 2:2 classification or higher. In all cases we  review both your academic history and your attitudes towards teaching. Consequently we would also encourage applications from those who have extensive UK school experience and a 3 rd class classification. Honours classification would be competitive but is not essential when applying for the PGCE, however it will be essential for any teacher training bursary or scholarship application.

Do I need to complete school experience?

Candidates are encouraged to spend at least one day of observation in a non-selective, state funded UK secondary school prior to making an application. If, however, you cannot complete this observation, then you are still able to submit an application. All candidates are also encouraged to spend at least one day of observation in a non-selective, state funded UK secondary school prior to an interview. If, however, you cannot complete this observation, then you are still encouraged to attend the interview. Although strongly encouraged, school experience is not a condition for the Oxford PGCE.

Is there a residency requirement?

All PGCE students are normally expected to live within 25 miles of Oxford’s city centre. If you are moving to Oxford for the first time, we suggest that you seek accommodation as centrally as possible, because you will then have access to more public transport options and thus can be considered for placements within more partnership schools. As the PGCE works with schools across Oxfordshire and in neighbouring counties we can consider requests to be excused from this requirement, but this is not guaranteed.

What accommodation is available?

Accommodation is not guaranteed for any student, but there are plenty of options to explore. Colleges  and the Graduate Accommodation Office offer a wide range including non en-suite single rooms and private flats. Once an offer has been accepted PGCE students can simultaneously apply for college and Graduate accommodation.  If you have childcare responsibilities then advice is available from Childcare Services.

How are partnership schools allocated?

School places are decided by the University department, but are informed by student’s: home location, professional preferences, caring responsibilities and disabilities. Throughout the PGCE students experience two partnership schools, when your second school placement is decided the University department also consider your experience so far on the course and the developmental priorities that have emerged. It is important to note that not every school will offer a training place for every subject and that a place at a particular partnership school cannot be guaranteed.

How do I select my college?

All PGCE interns are guaranteed a college place. For the PGCE, a college choice is not made at the point of initial application. If you make your application before 1 March, upon accepting your offer to study you can select your preferred colleges from a list of available institutions, or you can choose to not state a preference. Those applying after 1 March will be allocated to a college with availability by the admin team.  Many PGCE students approach their college for accommodation and/or car parking facilities.

Can I be considered for a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course?

We do set SKEs as conditions of offers. SKE courses give students the opportunity to improve their knowledge before the PGCE starts. We typically set SKE courses where students have been outside of formal education for a significant period, or when they have studied a subject related to the area that they wish to complete a PGCE in. If invited to interview there will be an opportunity to have a tailored conversation about your SKE options with the panel. If you are interested in completing a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course then you should briefly mention this in your application form. For more information please see this website .

Do you accept international students?

Around two thirds of Oxford’s graduate students are international, and international students are welcome to apply for Oxford’s PGCE. Although not a condition of an application or of an interview, experience within a state-funded UK secondary school is highly recommended. If this is not possible then observing elements of UK teaching outside of the UK (for example, International GCSE lessons) is also highly relevant. Although strongly encouraged school experience is not a condition for the Oxford PGCE. International qualifications viewed as comparable to qualifications taken within the UK are accepted for the PGCE. In order for the University of Oxford to formally recognise overseas qualification the student must present a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC. Students in this position should wait until they have accepted an offer to study on the Oxford PGCE and should then contact Get Into Teaching on 0800 389 2500, as a teacher training applicant you can obtain the Statement of Comparability for free (this usually costs £49.50 plus VAT).

Can I get feedback about my application?

All unsuccessful applicants will be provided with feedback on their application via the Department for Education application system.

What if I’m unhappy about the outcome of my application?

Please refer to the University guidance on complaints and appeals regarding graduate admissions decisions, available on the University website at: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/applying-to-oxford/university-policies/complaints-and-appeals .

Please note that each admissions decision is made on the basis of a number of different factors and on an assessment of your application as a whole. There is no right of appeal in relation to the University’s academic assessment of your application.

Couldn’t find your answers under our FAQ section?

Please direct all enquiries to our PGCE administrative team , and they will be happy to assist you.

Phone: +44 (0)1865 274020 or 274058 Email: [email protected]

Course code Q3X1

The PGCE Internship programme in English is designed to prepare you to teach the subject in comprehensive schools. It aims to help you make the complex transition from having been a successful student of English in higher education to becoming a successful school teacher.

The English programme has been developed with colleagues from our partnership schools and is based upon the following core principles:

• the view that the creative, imaginative and expressive aspects of the subject have a key role in pupils’ learning
• the view that English teachers should write for pleasure, read widely for enjoyment and participate in cultural events in their school and in the wider community
• the view that English teachers should share their experiences as writers, readers, speakers and listeners with their pupils
• the understanding that writing is a practice that covers a wide range of processes, functions, rhetorical situations, and categories of discourse
• a broad view of what constitutes text and the understanding that technological innovation can change both what is considered as text, how text is prepared and how it may be interpreted
• the importance of literature in the development and understanding of human cultures and in personal, social and ethical development
• the importance of diversity in reading practices and the value of a range of interpretative approaches to texts
• an understanding of the English language at word, sentence and text level recognition and respect for varieties of language and languages
• a belief that English, as a subject, involves the development of social relationships and collaborative work
• the inter-relationship of speaking, listening, reading and writing

In addition, the programme covers the key professional skills of:

• lesson and course planning and preparation;
• assessment, recording and reporting;
• responding to individual learning needs;
• classroom and behaviour management.

English teaching in England is subject to continuous change and development. The Internship English programme is intended to enable beginning teachers to meet the challenges of change confidently and creatively.

Assessment of your progress and achievements are jointly carried out by your schools and the university, and you take part in informal and formal discussions about this. Continuous assessment is used throughout the course and there are no examinations.

We look for applicants with a good degree in English  or  a degree in another subject that involves textual study together with further degree-level work (through the Open University, for example) in English. We of course welcome applications from those with degrees in English Language or Linguistics as well as in English Literature.

If you think Oxford isn’t for people like you – talk to us! More than three quarters of our interns have degrees from outside Oxbridge.

Watch student, Daisy, give her account of the PGCE English course

Watch student, Jamilyn, give her account of the PGCE English course

Course code F8X1

Learning to become a geography teacher at Oxford is challenging, stimulating, very rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable. The subject naturally lends itself to a huge range of student learning activities, both in the classroom and in the field, and most interns find this diversity one of its attractions.

The main aims of the geography course are to provide the foundations for you to become an inspiring and effective geography teacher of young people who now find themselves living in a fast-changing world, and to quickly become innovative leaders in the field.

Central to the course is the basic tenant that all young people, regardless of social class, race, ethnicity, gender or ability can learn and enjoy geography, and that geography, as a discipline, has a significant contribution to make to the broader aims of education.

The idea of ‘subject’ is central to the design of the course and we encourage you to engage critically with ongoing policy and academic debates about what kinds of geographies are fit for a 21st century education system.

It follows that, by the end of the course, you should:

• be competent in the skills of teaching geography, as specified in the Standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status
• understand the contribution that you as a geography teacher can make to the education of pupils in the widest sense
• be able to take responsibility for your continuing professional development

The course consists of an integrated programme of lesson observations, school-based activities, teaching and reflection in school and university workshops, lectures, tutorials and fieldwork. In school you will begin by working with teachers and small groups of pupils. As your confidence grows, you will plan and teach lessons with a class teacher and with other interns, sometimes working with a group of pupils, sometimes with a whole class.

In the University, you will work with the other geography interns, and with the geography education tutors. You will be expected to read and to think about teaching in a critical and theoretical way, taking account of your own ideas about the sort of teacher you would like to be.

You will be able to make a real difference to pupils, fostering their learning of the important issues which shape the future.

All geography interns gain fieldwork experience in their schools and during a weekend residential course at a Field Studies Council Centre; the practicalities of organising such trips are explored in departmental sessions.

We welcome applications from candidates who have not studied Geography but have completed a degree in a related area, such as Geology. Applications from those who may need to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course are also welcome. If you are uncertain about the appropriateness of your degree then please contact the PGCE Office.

Watch student, Daniel, give his account of the PGCE Geography course

Course code V1X1

We are committed to enabling you to teach history in rigorous ways while taking account of the learners’ needs, desires and dispositions, across a range of different contexts. Our course is based on a strong set of partnerships built over a long period of time with local schools.  This partnership extends to include visits to local museums, a local case study and visits to a number of London schools to explore EAL and diversity issues. We have a real passion for history and young people and are looking for candidates that share this passion. Our course looks to support successful history teaching based on the use of engaging and rigorous historical enquiries that link substantive historical knowledge with critical historical thinking.

Course development evolves in response to feedback from all PGCE partners, combining insights from up to date research with the perspectives of PGCE students and their mentors. The course integrates teaching experience in partner secondary schools with practical university-based workshops and helps you develop teaching skills and a critical understanding of learning and teaching across a range of different contexts.

The curriculum programme is organised around six broad themes:

• exploring your preconceptions about the nature of history and about effective teaching and learning
• the context of history teaching today, including the nature of the history curriculum itself (Key Stage 3, GCSE and post-16), the relationship between history and citizenship education and the wider professional context of teachers’ work
• managing history classrooms
• planning for learning – exploring the range of decisions that you need to make in planning for single lessons and longer schemes of work, examining the range of goals and activities possible, and the ways in which you can select and tailor your objectives and learning tasks to ensure that all pupils are engaged and can make progress
• carrying out your plans
• evaluation: of both your own teaching and the pupils’ learning in history

In school you will be involved in all aspects of a teacher’s role. You will observe experienced teachers, and discuss your observations and your own developing ideas and practice with them; you will plan and teach collaboratively, and design and develop resources for that teaching. You will work both with individuals and small groups of pupils, as well, of course, as taking responsibility for teaching history to whole classes. In the university you will work with other history interns in seminars and workshops using a wide variety of approaches intended to develop your own repertoire and understanding of effective teaching and learning strategies, informed by both practical and research-based, theoretical perspectives. One key aspect of the PGCE programme is the space to share knowledge and understanding of the variety of contexts.

We welcome applications from candidates who have not studied History but have completed a degree in a related area, such as Law or Sociology. If you are uncertain about the appropriateness of your degree then please contact the PGCE Office.

Watch Dr Katharine Burns, PGCE Course Director, tell us about the PGCE History course

Watch student, Melissa, tell us about her account of the PGCE History course

Mathematics

Course code G1X1

The aim of the Mathematics course is to help you to become an effective secondary school teacher of mathematics. To help you achieve this goal, we teach you through a variety of styles, paces, approaches and presentations in the hope that you will use a similar variety when you teach. Learning mathematics can be challenging. It requires concentration, and can feel like hard work, but it also has the ability to surprise, and to give a sense of achievement and enjoyment. Learning to be a teacher will be all of these things too. Teaching on the PGCE course is strongly informed by the mathematics education research which takes place in the Department, some of which is undertaken collaboratively with partner schools. Course tutors are active researchers and experienced in writing for teacher trainees and practising teachers of mathematics.

Objectives of the course

• to provide mathematical experiences on which you can reflect as a learner, and relate these to planning for teaching
• to offer insights into children’s learning and, through recognition of their particular conceptions, to help you plan your teaching accordingly
• to provide skills and experiences in planning, teaching and managing effective lessons through which learners can gain mathematical knowledge, awareness and understanding
• to help you to reflect on and analyse your teaching, and make decisions about how to modify and adapt it to be more effective for students’ learning
• to introduce you to a range of resources, research and theoretical perspectives on which to base your growth as a teacher
• to enable you to develop skills and experience in ICT that will support your teaching and its management

Main themes of the course

• Developing reflective teaching (DRT): in which you think about your practice in a professional, developmental manner
• Learners’ mathematical development (LMD): in which you think about mathematics and lessons from the point of view of how learners think
• Teaching and learning a topic (TLT): in which you learn how to structure mathematical knowledge so that your teaching is effective
• Planning and management (PM): in which you look at planning and managing lessons, classrooms, professional work and yourself.

If you are committed to teaching mathematics in state comprehensive schools, can demonstrate your commitment to working with children in schools through voluntary work or other experience, have a good degree (a 2:2 or above) in mathematics or a mathematics-related subject, such as engineering or economics, and can provide an excellent academic or work reference, you are encouraged to apply. Applications from those who may need to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course are also welcome. If you are uncertain about the appropriateness of your degree then please contact the PGCE Office.

Watch student, Joanna, give us her account of the PGCE Mathematics course

Modern Languages

The University of Oxford offers a PGCE in Modern Languages (Chinese (Mandarin), French, German and Spanish).

We expect you to be able to offer two Modern Languages (from the four listed above), and we can provide a range of placements for various combinations of these languages. We may not be able to offer you an interview if we do not have school placement capacity in your preferred language combination.

It is important that you have qualifications in both the languages that you wish to teach. For your main language, these qualifications should preferably be at university level, or you should have it as one of your first languages, e.g. have spoken it from a young age. You will be expected to teach your main language up to and including A-level.

For your second language, your qualifications should preferably be at A-level or equivalent (B2 CEFR level). You will be expected to teach your second language up to age 14 as a minimum.

The Modern Languages PGCE course is designed and implemented jointly by colleagues in schools and the university working in close partnership. It is not our aim to prescribe particular approaches to teaching Modern Languages, but rather to enable you to draw on the full range of different sources available to you for your own professional learning – and in so doing to develop a clear and reasoned understanding of the sort of teacher that you want to become.  Tutors on the course, who have many years of classroom teaching experience as well as teacher training experience, will guide you and support you in this exciting but challenging process.

Our course will help you to become an effective and confident teacher by providing you with the following:

• opportunities to observe other practitioners in the classroom and to understand their decision making;
• insight into theories and findings from research into Second Language Acquisition, helping you to understand how adolescents learn a modern language in a classroom setting;
• opportunities to learn from school students themselves about their experiences of language learning and the barriers they encounter;
• opportunities to learn from, and share good practice with, other beginning teachers working in different school contexts;
• practical advice on: the preparation, teaching and evaluation of languages lessons; how to assess and monitor students’ progress; promoting positive behaviour for learning; and responding to the diverse needs of individual students;
• opportunities to try out and systematically evaluate a range of teaching approaches in a range of classrooms over an extended period of time;
• many ideas for using and adapting a range of modern language materials in the classroom.

Assessment of your progress and achievements are jointly carried out by your schools and the university, and you take part in informal and formal discussions about this. Continuous assessment is used throughout the course and there are no examinations

Student Ye-Ye Xu (French with Mandarin 2020-21) discusses her PGCE experiences in this podcast .

Watch Modern Languages PGCE student, Constance, tell us about her experience

Watch Modern Languages PGCE student, Phil, tell is about his experience

Religious Education

From 2024, the PGCE in Religious Education is suspended.

Course codes:   Biology C1X1           Chemistry F1X1          Physics F3X1

The teaching of the sciences in schools is normally organised within a single Science department or faculty to which teachers from the different sciences contribute their respective expertise Such a structure is reflected in the Oxford Department which, while actively recruiting for trainee teachers of the separate sciences – biology, chemistry and physics – works as a co-ordinated team of scientists.

The course aims to produce high quality teachers of the sciences across the 11-19 age range who will not only become competent teachers but will quickly become innovative leaders in their field. Interns will gain expertise in the different strategies for teaching science, and will get insights into the way that pupils learn across the whole range of attainments, aptitudes and pupil differences.

Interns will learn how to turn their own subject knowledge into a form that can be appreciated by pupils and will think critically about the aims and practicalities of teaching science in schools. To attain these goals, interns work with each other, the University tutors and their mentors in schools as adult learners, motivated to take responsibility for their own learning. The learning is structured through workshops, seminars, discussions, focussed assignments, school-based activities and sympathetic, expert, supervision and support. There are opportunities to prepare science lessons, in particular, by trying out practical work both here in the Department as well as in school. Between them the six science tutors cover such subjects as biology, chemistry, physics, earth and environmental sciences. All have extensive experience of teaching and are involved in curriculum developments and research in science education at national and international level.

Rather than attempt to train all interns to teach in a particular way, we aim to build on your existing strengths – as good scientists and as mature, autonomous, motivated personalities – to help you teach in the way most suited to you and your school students.

Aims of the course

• To develop as a professional
• To explore your pre-conceptions about science and teaching science, and draw on your teaching experiences in a positive and reflective way
• To have opportunities to use research and academic study to inform your thinking and practice
• learn how you can plan lessons which take account of how students learn science, so that you can  develop their scientific understanding and investigative skills
• To organise and manage school science lessons which are safe and secure learning environments
• To contribute to students’ understanding of science in society, citizenship and development of literacy and mathematical skills

We welcome applications from candidates who have not studied Biology, Chemistry or Physics but have completed a degree in a related area, such as Earth Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Science, Materials or Zoology. Applications from those who may need to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course are also welcome. If you are uncertain about the appropriateness of your degree then please contact the PGCE Office.

Watch Lead PGCE Science Tutor, Dr Judith Hillier, tell us about the main PGCE Science course 

Watch student, Ed, give us his account of the PGCE Physics course

Watch student, Rebecca, give us her account of the PGCE Chemistry Course

PGCE Science student, Jacob, gets a big hug from one of the snakes during an end-of-term reptile science lab visit!

PGCE Science student, Lucy, is not scared of her new acquaintance!

PGCE Science student, Euan, has discovered a natural bond with reptiles in our end-of-term reptile science lab visit.

Thomas, our PGCE Science student, makes friends with a reptile in our end-of-term science lab visit.

• Entry Requirements
• Fees and funding
• Application Procedure

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Discover more about the pgce student experience at oxford.

Primary PGCE

London, Bloomsbury Ages 3 - 11 Primary

UCL works in partnership with around 200 primary schools to enable Primary PGCE students to develop the knowledge and skills they need to become a primary teacher. We welcome a wide range of students each year to the Primary PGCE course and traditionally under-represented groups are particularly encouraged to apply. Our cohorts are typically very diverse, reflecting school communities across London.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

Applications open

Start teaching

IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, has been ranked 1st for Education in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for the past decade (2014–2023).

• Entry requirements

First degree

A minimum of a lower second-class UK Bachelor’s degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. For Primary Specialist Mathematics, a Mathematics degree or degrees with significant Mathematics content would be an advantage.

No specific subjects required.

English Language, Science (one from Combined Science, Biology, Chemistry or Physics) and Mathematics at grade C / 4 or above. We do not accept "applied" or "additional" GCSE subjects. Applicants who do not offer a GCSE in English Language, Science or Mathematics may demonstrate an equivalent standard by completing a test via Equivalency Testing or A Star Equivalency and achieving at least a grade 4. For Mathematics, equivalency tests in Mathematics Foundation or Mathematics Higher with grade 4 are accepted. For Science, equivalency tests in either Combined Science or Biology with grade 4 are accepted. BTEC, Functional Skills or Access course qualifications are not accepted in place of GCSEs.

School experience

We recommend that you aim to gain some experience in a classroom prior to interview.

Skills tests

Trainees will be assured against a set of fundamental Mathematics and English skills by the end of their teacher training.

Relevant experience and background

Applicants whose degree qualifications are lower than 2:2 standard may be admitted if they can demonstrate an appropriate academic background at master's level and above and/or significant postgraduate experience in the relevant field.

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

This programme is suitable for international students on a Student visa - study must be full-time, starting September.

DBS and occupational health

If you are made an offer you will be required to successfully complete Occupational Health and Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure checks. The Occupational Health Check is £90, and depending on your DBS requirements, there may be an additional fee of £15.00 if you can submit your DBS Enhanced Disclosure check via a UK Post Office. These checks are required to ensure you meet the Department for Education’s requirements for physical and mental health to teach, as well as assessing your suitability for access to children and vulnerable adults. More details can be found on the Entry requirements page.

About this course

Our Primary PGCE develops effective, confident teachers whose classroom practice is informed by an advanced knowledge of educational theory, and who will continue to learn and reflect throughout their careers. We will help students to acquire the skills and expertise to support children's learning, prepare them to teach in an inclusive urban environment, provide professional development in all national curriculum subjects and ensure that students show a concern for professional values and demonstrate the positive attitudes and behaviour expected from pupils.

A unique feature of the Primary PGCE is our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Pathway, for which students can apply once they firmly accept their offer. The SEND Pathway is a specifically tailored programme, based on the principle of inclusive pedagogy, which allows student teachers to gain deeper insights in how to work effectively with children with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities. Students on the SEND Pathway are able to access placements in special education schools and specialist resource bases, where possible, due to our strong and long-standing partnerships across Greater London.

Who this course is for

The Primary PGCE full-time programme is suited to those wishing to gain Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) for teaching in a UK maintained (state-funded) school and who have fulfilled the appropriate entry requirements.

What this course will give you

Students on the Primary PGCE programme benefit enormously from the complementary skills and expertise of staff in partnership schools and at IOE. The schools offer placements for teaching experience, and their teachers serve as tutors, mentors and joint assessors for our student teachers. IOE tutors have extensive experience of teaching, school management, inspection, research and consultancy.

Primary PGCE students can gain experience of teaching across one or more key stages: the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1; Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2; lower Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 9) and upper Key Stage 2 (ages 9 to 11).

Students will learn to teach all the primary curriculum subjects. They will also select one subject for specialist study from the range that we offer. For example, in 2023-24, Specialism choices were as follows: Children's Literature, MFL, Geography & Sustainability, Mathematics, PSHE, Music, Computing, Science, Art & Design and PE.

The teacher you want to be

Graduates of the programme have great career prospects, with many taking on further leadership roles within their schools or acting as mentors to new PGCE student teachers. Some of our graduates are now Headteachers, and many have developed their careers as subject specialist teachers, SENCOs and lead teachers in the classroom.

Overall, the Primary PGCE programme aims to provide a springboard into a rewarding career as a skilled teacher and future educational leader. It also lays the foundations for researching, writing and further study in education.

The tools of a great educator

• Understanding of theory and subject or phase pedagogy
• Creating a successful climate for learning, including behaviour management
• Planning and teaching classes that engage pupils
• Using assessment to inform planning
• Working with the wider school community, including parents

Employability

Graduates of the Primary PGCE programme are highly employable and sought after by a diverse range of schools in London and beyond. Almost all graduates secure their first teaching post by the time they finish the PGCE programme.

Teachers from IOE are reflective and creative professionals, who strive to ensure the very best for every child. They are excellent communicators and critical thinkers, who have a strong drive towards social justice.

Accreditation

Students who successfully complete this programme will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The programme is taught through a mix of face-to-face and online sessions, (including lectures, presentations, discussions, and classroom group tasks), and a practical teaching element based in three schools. Students are required to read widely and to carry out written assignments in their own time. 

Throughout the year, students will also participate in specific activities at IOE and in school that focus on important areas of our curriculum. These activities (totalling 20 days with at least 10 days in school) will help students to better understand links between theory and practice. They will also involve feedback from experts so that progress is supported in these pivotal areas. These days form part of the 130 days of teaching practice.

Student teachers are assessed through assignments, presentations, audits, feedback and tutorials. A final assessment is based on a range of evidence including observations of teaching, assignments, subject knowledge development, professional conduct and responses to self-study.

University sessions run 9.00am - 4.30 pm daily. During school placements you will be expected to attend at least 30 mins prior to the start of the school day and leave at least 30 after the school day ends.

Students will have readings and additional self-directed study to complete in addition to these contact hours.

I loved the variety of subjects with primary education and building the foundations for a love of learning that can stay with children. Abbie Sedgeman Primary PGCE Q&A with Abbie Sedgeman

This Programme is run over a period of 36 weeks.

The programme consists of three core modules, two at Masters level (level 7) and one at Undergraduate level (level 6). The Masters level modules carry a total of 60 Masters credits on completion.

As well as taking part in face-to-face teaching at IOE, you will be undertaking at least 130 days of teaching practice in contrasting partnership schools.

All student teachers undertake three school placements:

• School Experience 1 in Autumn & Spring Terms (organised by UCL)
• School Experience 2 in Spring Term (a one week placement in a contrasting setting (organised by UCL)
• School Experience 3 in Summer Term (organised by UCL)

Throughout the year, you will also participate in specific activities at IOE and in school that focus on important areas of our curriculum. These activities (totalling 20 days with at least 10 days in school) will help you to better understand links between theory and practice. They will also involve feedback from experts so that your progress is supported in these pivotal areas. These days form part of your 130 days of teaching practice.

Compulsory modules

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Upon successful completion of 60 credits and the Professional Practice module, you will be awarded a PGCE in Primary.

School placements

As part of the programme students will spend time on placements at schools or Early Years Centres, during which time their teaching experience will be supported by a tutor and mentor. Students will spend at least 130 days on placements.

During placement periods you should be prepared to travel to and from each school placement. It should be noted that there is variation in how accessible schools are, and whether they have parking facilities.

We ensure your placement will provide fulfilling and valuable experiences through:

• A dedicated team who will identify the best schools for your placements
• Support and guidance from your university tutor and your school-based mentor
• School experience that allows you to progress at an appropriate pace for you
• Reasonable travel times from your home to your school

Making the most of your placement

Teaching is a demanding profession and student teachers can feel nervous about school placements or anxious about the workload. Your tutor and school-based mentor will help you navigate your school experience, ensuring that you have the input you need. Empathetic feedback and discussion about your developing professional practice will support you to be successful.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Where you'll study

IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, is a world-leading centre for research and teaching in education, culture, psychology, and social science. We are one of the UK’s largest teacher training providers, offering a wide range of programmes across all phases of learning and more subjects than any other university. We also offer an extensive range of master’s programmes. Our research addresses society’s most important challenges and feeds into our teaching, enabling our graduates to go on to influence future generations for the better, from individual lives to societal change.

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Graduate Open Events: Learn to Teach with IOE

Are you interested in a career in teaching? Join our virtual events to find out more about Teacher Training at UCL, including admissions and student funding information.

Graduate Open Events: PGCE Primary Teacher Training

Fees and funding, fees for this course.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

Students are responsible for funding their travel to and from placements.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the UCL Scholarships and Funding website .

IOE-Clarke Scholarships

Deadline: 3 May 2024 Value: Tuition fees, return flights and stipend (1 year) Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need Eligibility: EU, Overseas

IOE-ISH Centenary Masters Scholarships

Deadline: 3 May 2024 Value: Tuition fees and accommodation (1 year) Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Application and next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

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What is a PGCE course?

A postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) is an academic qualification. You can get this through teacher training.

You do not need one to be a qualified teacher in England, but it can help you develop your teaching skills and knowledge.

The qualifications you need to teach in England

You need qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in most primary, secondary and special schools in England. You can get QTS through undergraduate or postgraduate teacher training.

Find out more about qualified teacher status (QTS) .

Many teacher training courses also offer you a postgraduate qualification such as a PGCE, but you do not need one to teach.

Teacher training courses

You can do a teacher training course that leads to:

• QTS with PGCE
• PGCE without QTS

Getting a PGCE without QTS means you will not be qualified to teach in most primary, secondary and special schools in England, although some schools will employ teachers without QTS.

If you get a PGCE without QTS you will also not be entitled to the same benefits during your training and career as QTS with PGCE. For example, better pay and support when you start teaching.

Read about Nathan who chose to get QTS with PGCE .

Benefits of having QTS with PGCE

A PGCE can give you a better understanding of teaching practices, educational research and theory.

It can also be beneficial if you want to teach in other countries because it’s an internationally recognised academic qualification. However, you should always check the local requirements of the country you’re looking to teach in.

It can also award up to 60 credits at master’s level which you could use towards a full master’s qualification. This is usually 180 credits.

You may want to do a master’s in education, for example, for your professional development and to gain additional expertise in your teaching career.

Types of PGCE courses

You can get QTS with a PGCE in primary or secondary education. Your course will involve both school placements and academic theory.

You can do this through a school-led, university-led, or an apprenticeship teacher training programme.

You can do a full or part-time PGCE course.

As part of selecting your course, you will need to decide if you want to train to teach at a primary or secondary level. Learn about deciding who to teach .

You can also do a PGCE without QTS in further education .

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for a postgraduate teacher training course usually include an undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification.

You also need the following GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above, or equivalent qualifications:

• science (if you want to teach primary)

What is a postgraduate diploma in education (PGDE)?

A PGDE in England is very similar to a PGCE, the difference being the number of academic credits you are awarded at the end of your course.

PGCE courses can contain up to 60 credits at master’s degree level, and PGDE courses can contain up to 120. This usually means that doing a PGDE will include more assignments.

More teacher training providers offer a PGCE than a PGDE.

Find your teacher training course

You can search for postgraduate teacher training courses to get QTS with a PGCE.

Search for a course

Find out more about teaching

Find out what being in a classroom is really like and get helpful guidance and support on getting into teaching.

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Surviving your PGCE

The PGCE is not an easy year. Put another way, the PGCE year is a hard, very intensive course bringing together academic and professional requirements, and actually working on the job while you're learning it too. That said, it is often one of the most rewarding years of many trainees' lives, meeting friends who last beyond the course, learning lots of new skills and finding out that they have a job that they love.

How you survive the year is down to you, but to give you some pointers as to how best to survive it, I've put together some 'top tips', if you like, of what to do and what not to do. Here they are:

1. Professionalism – yours - is key to the course. It is expected of you right from the very first in university, and from the moment you walk into school for you first practice. It is an innate quality that you need to get used to having and being. It is pivotal in everything you are and do:

In your knowledge and understanding

- what you know

In your practice

- what you do

In your values and development

- what you are

Get used to being a professional and it being expected of you. This is not so hard for mature students who have worked in industry or elsewhere, but it's not so easy for recently qualified graduates coming straight from university to the PGCE. If you're unsure, talk to your older peers and tutors, and your mentor, and get them to guide you.

2. The academic side is not necessarily going to be a breeze . You may have sailed through your university degree, but the chances are that the assignments for your PGCE (particularly if they are at M level) are going to be challenging to say the least. This is generally more so for undergraduates who have come from technical degrees and are not used to writing lengthy essays or reports. Universities are good at providing help with academic writing and reading skills – use them!

I would also recommend getting an assignment 'buddy' that you can trust to read your work and proof it for you before you hand in. In practical terms, if you stick to the assignment requirements you can't (famous last words...?) go wrong. If in doubt, ASK! Better to get help and pass than stay quiet and fail.

3. The standards . Don't we all go on about them: tutors, mentors, anyone else that observes you, and so on. With these my best advice is to start early. Use your university work as a 'dummy run' for your filing system.

One of the easiest ways is to get some lever arch files and enough tabs for one for each standard. Then label them up and start filing your work in the sections appropriately. As time goes on you will gather more and more stuff to file so best to keep this as a regular exercise. Those who haven't have had to spend whole weekends (I kid you not) just catching up on this so that their mentor can check it for them. Better to present your mentor with an organised system that is regularly updated, on a weekly basis, than a mess at the end of a placement!

4. Your teaching practice . Don't forget that this is teacher 'training' not teacher perfect. You are not expected to go in on day one of your first teaching practice and just be able to do it. Honest! You will be expected to be prepared, be hard working and learn from your mistakes, accept feedback with good grace and learn from it, and improve as you go along. It takes time and practice, and you need to get a feel for how you are as a teacher, and how you want to be as time goes on. All classes are different and even the same ones can be very different on different days and for different teachers – get out there and observe as much as you can – lots of different subjects.

And get out there and do as much as you can in the school – be part of it in other ways beyond your subject, coach rugby, go on the history trips, sing in the carol service, run a gaming club and so on. It helps you as a teacher for your pupils to see you as something other than the subject teacher that you are.

5. And finally, some more practical tips that I think are useful during the PGCE year... get a thick skin, buy loads of stationery, be organised, time planning is key, get a BAFTA for when you stand up in front of them, acquire nerves of steel, be creative and flexible (you never need plan B until you fail to prepare one!) and learn to think on your feet.

6. But most of all, don't give up all of your life . You need a balance. Take time out to do other things, time for yourself and friends and family – it really makes a difference to how you survive this year.

Teaching resources on Guardian Teacher Network

Coping with bad behaviour is one of the things that causes many PGCE students concern. But there are some fabulous tips to be had here . Rob Salter has created a wealth of resources to help new teachers in class and also looks at how Neuro-linguistic Programming can help.

Some more top tips on how to manage behaviour positively is available here from Pivotal Education's behaviour guru Paul Dix.

For a quick, simple but really handy way of choosing a student in class take a look at this resource created by English teacher Charlotte Rashford. It's ideal for any teaching practice.

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Postgraduate taught

PGCE Primary

Learn to be an effective teacher, and gain an insight into the key skills your students will need across the primary curriculum.

Year of entry: 2024 (September)

10 months full-time

Department of Education

September 2024 ( semester dates )

Apply for this course

Join us online or in person to find out more about postgraduate study at York.

Get to grips with up-to-date thinking and the latest research in teaching and learning for infant and junior school pupils.

Our PGCE Primary course will prepare you to teach National Curriculum at KS1 and KS2, specialising in Primary education.  You will be equipped you to meet the Department of Education’s National Teaching Standards and therefore achieve Early Career Qualified Teacher Status.

Accreditation

On successfully completing this course you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which is awarded by the Department for Education (DfE).

Rated good by Ofsted

In its most recent evaluation, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) awarded our PGCE programme a Grade 2: Good.

UK top 10 department

We're ranked 9th in the UK and World Top 50 for Education (QS World Rankings by Subject, 2023)

Experienced Tutors

You'll be taught by experienced practitioners, with recent or current experience of working in classrooms.

Course content

This course provides you with a stimulating, cross-curricular, highly-collaborative learning environment. A major strength of this are the teaching placements in partnership schools which are fully integrated into the programme structure. 

As a result you will not only be trained to create a safe and positive climate for learning, you will also have the opportunity to develop a strong sense of subject-specific pedagogy. You will be taught the knowledge and skills needed to engage in relevant educational research, all in line with the mandatory national Core Content Framework for Initial Teacher Training.

Over the course of your two teaching placements you’ll have the opportunity to work with different age groups with different abilities. You’ll experience a variety of schools and subject departments.

As part of your first placement you will complete assignments covering the topics below.

• Lesson Observation and Wider School Ethos
• Evaluation of a Learning and Teaching Sequence

During your second placement you will complete an assignment covering:

• Special Study - Reflective and Research Literate Practitioner 

You will also be assessed throughout the PGCE course around the Professional Aspects of Training. These include:

• Meeting Teachers' Standards
• Secondary Experience
• Professional Enrichment Experience
• Future Career Profile

Before starting a placement that forms part of your course, you are likely to be asked by the placement provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is to ensure that you do not disclose any information that is confidential to the placement provider.

The York approach

Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

• Independently and creatively plan, resource and deliver lessons by applying theory, discipline knowledge and appropriate level expectations
• Create an inclusive, stimulating learning environment by managing classroom dynamics and adapting to learning need
• Effectively assess learning and progression through critiquing a range of well-developed formative and summative strategies
• Critically reflect on, and perceptively develop their own classroom practice by assessing and selecting appropriate evaluative frameworks and engaging actively with a supportive network for feedback
• Communicate clearly, confidently and professionally with teaching colleagues, pupils, parents/guardians, support staff, external agencies and in academic contexts, using media appropriate to the situation;
• Contribute with justifications to debates and developments in primary education by applying a research-informed approach to the analysis of their own practice and by proactively researching broader education issue

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees for 2024/25.

Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.

Fees information

UK (home) or international fees?  The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student.  Check your fee status .

Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.

• Postgraduate taught fees and expenses

Funding information

Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2024/25 throughout the year.

If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a  10% Masters fee discount .

Funding opportunities

• UK government Masters loans
• Funding for UK students
• Funding for international students

Living costs

You can use our  living costs guide  to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Teaching and assessment

You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. You will work with university PGCE tutors and school mentors who are experienced teachers with mentoring expertise in each of your main placements, and all of whom hold QTS (qualified teacher status).

Teaching format

Participation in the PGCE course is an active process. Although there are lectures and presentations, much of your learning will come from workshops, seminars and school and classroom activities with strategies and techniques for an effective learning environment in your placement classrooms.

Trainees come to the course with a range of qualifications, employment backgrounds and interests. Throughout the course you will be encouraged to work collaboratively, sharing your experience, knowledge and technical expertise. Activities emphasise teamwork and require you to share the responsibility for your learning.

Throughout the course, you will be guided by mentors in your placement schools and supported in school and in university by your specialist university tutors.

Teaching location

The Department of Education is located in  Derwent College , on the west part of our campus. Most of your teaching will take place nearby on Campus West.

School placements take place across the region. We take many factors into consideration when allocating placements and will work with you to ensure you can get to your placement safely and easily. 

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's  easy to get around campus  - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.

Assessment and feedback

You'll complete three academic assignments: 

• Lesson observation - You'll critically evaluate the observations you have undertaken during the serial visits to your first placement school. 
• Evaluation of Teaching and Learning - You'll evaluate your early teaching by analysing some of the work pupils have produced in the lessons you have planned and delivered. 
• In-depth Focus Study - This is a small-scale study based on a piece of research. This is an opportunity for you to pursue an individual professional interest by investigating a particular aspect of what it means to teach your subject effectively

The primary aim of the course is to enable you to meet, and ideally exceed, the Teachers’ Standards and be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). 

• Education PGCE Administrator
• [email protected]

Related courses

• PGCE (Secondary) English
• PGCE (Secondary) Geography
• PGCE (Secondary) History
• PGCE (Secondary) Maths
• PGCE (Secondary) Biology
• PGCE (Secondary) Chemistry
• PGCE (Secondary) Physics 
• PGCE (Secondary) Modern Languages (French with German or Spanish)
• PGCE (Secondary) Modern Languages (German with French or Spanish)
• PGCE (Secondary) Modern Languages (Spanish with French or German)

Discover York

Accommodation

We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.

Student life

Explore campus and city life and hear what our current students have to say about living here.

Lively, full of culture and beautiful, York is regularly voted one of the best places to live and visit in the UK.

Find out more about York. Chat to staff and students and take the tour, on campus or online.

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Attend an open day

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Discover more about this subject area

PGCE information session

Sign up to our upcoming online PGCE Primary information session. Get an introduction to the PGCE teacher training courses for Primary level at The University of Manchester. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions.

Sign up now for our PGCE Primary information session

PGCE Primary / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

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Course description

The on-campus sessions not only provided us with fundamental and background knowledge for teaching but also gave us an opportunity to make friends, socialise and learn from each other's experience. "The placements, meanwhile, were very useful to put our learning into practice" Madhu Jena / PGCE Primary

PGCE Primary will train you to teach children aged 5 to 11. It provides training in all primary stage National Curriculum subjects, with a particular focus on Mathematics, English and Science.

Completion leads to a postgraduate qualification and recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

University-based sessions cover education theories, ideas and concepts, and will enhance your awareness of current educational issues.

You will spend a significant amount of time studying the core subjects outlined above, while also studying Religious Education, History, Geography, Art, Music, Design and Technology and PE.

Special features

• We have links with more than 200 schools, academies, and colleges, and you will benefit from significant school-based teaching experience.
• Our leading experts in education have trained more than 5,000 teachers in the last 15 years.
• Our students come from all over the globe and are from a variety of backgrounds - from recent graduates to mature learners.

Additional course information

Your University tutors, who are all highly experienced Primary practitioners, will provide excellent support for your academic work and your personal development.  

School mentors will provide advice and guidance whilst you are on placement. The culture of team working and best practice sharing among students will provide you with a support network available when you need it the most.

Teaching and learning

The structure of our PGCEs includes both school-based and university-based learning.

The course is run in partnership with more than 200 local primary schools located across Greater Manchester, including Bolton, Trafford, Tameside, Manchester, Bury, Stockport, Rochdale, Salford, Oldham, north Cheshire and south Lancashire.

You will spend 120 days of the programme learning and practising teaching on placement. The professional placements are:

• School experience block 1 (10 weeks, autumn term);
• Inclusion placement (1 week, spring term);
• Early Years Foundation Stage placement (2 weeks, spring term);
• School experience block 2 (11 weeks, spring/summer terms).

When on placement, you will observe and teach classes under the guidance of an experienced primary teacher. You will also have a mentor to help you to plan lessons, deal with marking and assessment, and improve your teaching skills.

Your remaining time will be spent at the University, for example in lectures and seminars.

We will support your training to become a primary school teacher by providing:

• an understanding of teacher professionalism;
• evidence to inform your practical actions, principles and values in educational settings;
• teaching that values diversity and respect for all backgrounds;
• the required knowledge, understanding and practical skills. 

As a guide, you should anticipate that time in university-based learning combined with school-based placements will roughly equate to the time commitment of a full-time job, with additional time required in evenings and weekends for background reading, lesson planning and completing written assignments.

Coursework and assessment

You will be assessed during your school placements, and you will receive high-quality feedback to enhance your development.

Your subject knowledge in English, Mathematics and Science will be audited regularly through taught course sessions, and you will also complete three 20 credit master's-level assignments during the year.

The written assignments will allow you to gain a maximum of 60 master's-level credits, and guidance and support to complete these assignments will be available from your University tutors.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service.

For more information, email  [email protected]

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Studying A PGCE

Find your perfect postgrad program search our database of 30,000 courses.

• by Charlotte King
• In Courses , Study in UK , Jobs and Careers , Study Advice , PGCE

Studying a PGCE is a popular way of training to become a teacher in the UK after studying an undergraduate degree, as not everyone who becomes a teacher knows that's what they want to do when they are applying for their initial degree..

If you've done a little bit of research into PGCE study, you'll probably have read about how tough the course is! It’s true that it’s a lot of work, but it’s also worth the effort.

So, what's it really like to study a PGCE?

Is there a difference between primary and secondary level PGCE courses?

Primary and secondary level PGCE courses are similar in many ways and the costs are basically the same. Being a PGCE student on either PGCE course will involve lectures, coursework, teaching placements and critiquing of your teaching skills, however there is a reason they are taught separately. This is because different age ranges require different approaches, so the trainee teachers need to be taught different skills dependent on what age group they wish to work with.

Primary school teachers need to have a large range of general skills, along with creative and artistic talents, to make lessons fun and interesting for younger children. Older children and teenagers at secondary schools require a different style of teaching and support to younger ones. So, primary and secondary PGCE courses will train the teachers differently, so they are specialists in their chosen age range.

How much time will you spend studying and attending lectures?

A PGCE is usually taught as a full-time postgraduate course, so expect at least 35 hours a week of lectures, as well as time needed to complete written assignments. There are some part-time PGCE courses that take two years to complete, but the majority of courses are full time. Most former PGCE students will advise you to get your assignments out of the way quickly to leave your mind free to get on with planning lessons and improving your teaching skills.

How much time will you spend preparing lessons and teaching?

When studying a PGCE course you are learning to teach, so initially you are going to need to spend more time planning lessons than a teacher with 20 years’ experience. You’ll probably hear stories of student teachers taking two hours or more to plan a single lesson. However, in real life students can usually whittle this down to about 30 minutes of planning per lesson, and then add in the time to create the resources needed for the lesson. You'll spend at least 24 weeks in teaching placement throughout your PGCE course, and during your teaching placements, you also need to factor in the time you'll spend reflecting and critiquing your teaching skills.

PGCE study – how will you fit it all in?

Your PGCE year is likely to be the busiest year you'll ever have, but you can do it! Complete your assignments as soon as you can, always avoid leaving them to the last minute. Try to spend your time on your school placements efficiently, making good use of all your time by arriving a little early and planning to stay after school time ends until at least 5pm to plan the next days’ lessons and catch up on any marking.

When you're not teaching, you should be doing your marking, planning lessons and creating resources. Make life easy for yourself by using resources that already exist, as well as creating resources that can be easily adapted for future lessons. Take advantage of all the support your fellow teachers, students, lecturers and mentors offer. Use other support as well, like online communities such as the Times Educational Supplement online community of student teachers.

Prepare the people in your life for the fact that you're going to be busy for the foreseeable future, so they’ll know what to expect and when to offer that vital support. Also, make sure you find out about any PGCE funding opportunities so you're not too worried about financing your studies.

Day in the life of a PGCE student

Bearing all of this information in mind, we asked a PGCE student what it’s really like to study a PGCE.  Georgia Flint is a School Direct PGCE student at the University of Winchester, and one of our recent Postgrad Solutions Study Bursary winners . This is what her usual day as a PGCE student is like.

“I am currently studying for Qualified Teacher Status on a School Direct PGCE and am the trainee class teacher for a fantastic Year 4 class. This is what a typical day looks like for me.

6:30am – The dreaded alarm, luckily at this time of year it’s light outside so getting up doesn’t seem so bad.

7:15am – This is when I leave for my drive to school, making sure I’ve got my lunch and my laptop I start my commute always listening to Heart radio.

8:00am – Arriving at school, the first thing I always do is turn on my computer and check my timetable for the day’s lessons.

8:15am – Time to get printing. Any worksheets that we need for the day will need to be printed and trimmed to go into the children’s books. Usually this is extra maths challenges and some reading pages for English.

8:30am – After I’ve written the new date on the whiteboard me and my mentor will decide on a morning task. Usually some kind of brainteaser.

9:00am – The school day starts! We have a maths and English lesson followed by a topic lesson like science or PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic education). At the moment I’m teaching decimals and we’re writing about the digestive system.

1:00pm – Usually in the afternoon we do more hands-on learning, like creating a digestive system out of a pair of tights!

3:00pm – Just like that the school day is over for the children. This is usually when I catch up with my mentor about the day and what we’ve got planned for tomorrow. We’ll look through the children’s books and do a bit of marking to see how they found the work today and if we need to go over anything again tomorrow.

3:30pm – Time to check I’ve got everything ready I can for tomorrow and have a look over my planning to see what tomorrow’s activities are and if I need to get any resources for them like Play-Doh or cubes for maths. Then, I check my printouts for tomorrow and send them to the printer if I’m feeling organised!

4:00pm – As a trainee my day finishes usually around this time depending on how much we have to do in the classroom or if we’re working on classroom displays.

4:10pm – Now it’s light in the evening I like to meet a friend for a run after school, we have a lovely common near my school and it’s been really nice to get some fresh air and have a chat. Unwinding like this is vital to staying positive especially in the current environment.

5:45pm – Finally home and first on the list is dinner! I eat early and usually spend the evening watching some TV. I try to be organised and do my school planning during my PPA time (planning, preparation and assessment time). Some evenings I will catch up on some uni assignments but that’s only if I have one due imminently! Having a work/life balance is really important so you don’t burn out.

9:00pm – I shamelessly go to bed very early and usually read for a bit before watching a show before I go to sleep. Most days I am tired but still very happy to get up the next day and do it all again.

I hope it’s been helpful for you to see what a normal trainee teacher day is like! If you’re thinking about going into postgraduate teaching, I would highly recommend a School Direct route. The School Direct route means that the PGCE student spends 80% of their time in school for the duration of the school year. This is different from the PGCE route, which has more time spent at university with placement times at schools throughout the year.”

Find PGCE courses

Discover a range of PGCE courses at Postgrad. Our course directory includes a variety of PGCE options from different universities, with full-time and part-time options available. Get started with your teaching career today.

Related articles

What Is A PGCE?

Getting Into Teaching

What Is A PGCE Student? A Definition

Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries

12 comments

Thandekile edista vezi dec. 22, 2018, 11:03 p.m..

I am young woman in 40's, I like working with people especially children. I did social worker at UNISA, now I wish to add teaching in my box as both will allow me to interact with children and people. I don't have enough funds for my studies, how can I get help in teaching bursaries I tried Funza lushaka but my application was not completed as it reject my ID number and my password. I am looking forward to further my studies but my dream will not be success without your help Thanks Regard Thandekile

Charlotte King Jan. 4, 2019, 9:25 a.m.

If you have an offer on a PGCE course you are eligible to apply for one of our Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries worth £500 > https://www.postgrad.com/psuk_study_bursaries_apply/ The UK government also offers great funding and financial support for PGCE students - this article should help you work out your options > https://www.postgrad.com/subjects/teaching_education/pgce_funding/ Good luck.

Jeanette Farrell May 23, 2019, 3:55 p.m.

If I have already completed an MA (self-funded) am I eligible for a tuition fee loan? With thanks.

Charlotte King May 31, 2019, 5:08 p.m.

Hi Jeanette, I think you should still be eligible for tuition fee funding as you haven't previously done a PGCE - but check the Government website to be sure > https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-my-teacher-training You are eligible to apply for one of our £500 Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries once you have been offered a place on a PGCE > https://www.postgrad.com/psuk_study_bursaries_apply/ Good Luck! Charlotte

Bonisile Nov. 23, 2019, 5:43 p.m.

I did an undergrad degree in tourism and I would really like to take on PGCE as my additional qualification because of the love of kids and imparting on them

Charlotte King Dec. 1, 2019, 6:30 p.m.

Hi Bonisile – that sounds great. Once you get offered a place on a PGCE course you will be eligible to apply for one of our Postgrad Solutions Study Bursaries worth £500. Good luck with your future plans!

Claire Pritchard Dec. 3, 2020, 12:43 a.m.

I did level 4 teaching / lecturing course . 1 year ) I also did a placement at a further education college . I’m interested in studying for a PGCE Can you advise how long it will take to qualify ? Will having level 4 lecturer qualification help in any way ?

Charlotte King Dec. 11, 2020, 1:01 p.m.

Hi Claire – a PGCE takes one year of full-time study. Our section on Teaching & Education has plenty of helpful advice > https://www.postgrad.com/subjects/teaching_education/

Vineet Sabharwal Jan. 15, 2021, 1:40 a.m.

Hi, I am a primary teacher residing in India. I am scheduled to move to UK along with my husband this year. If you could be kind enough to guide me on the following: 1. Is it possible to find work as an overseas trained teacher in the UK without QTS? 2. To study PGCE, are overseas students eligible for any financial help? 3. How many hours in a day of classes do we have to attend at the university while studying PGCE? Thanks again. Brgds.

Charlotte King Jan. 26, 2021, 7:51 a.m.

1. It is sometimes possible to find work at private (prep) schools in the UK without a PGCE. 2. This is the UK government's advice on funding > https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/ Also once you have been accepted on a PGCE program you are eligible to apply for a Postgrad Solutions Study Bursary worth £500 > https://www.postgrad.com/psuk_study_bursaries_apply/ 3. The ratio of class hours versus study hours varies, sometimes on a daily basis on – and tends to be higher if you opt for a School Direct PGCE program. Good .luck!

Bruno Grubb March 9, 2023, 12:59 a.m.

Your posts are always well-written and easy to understand.

Charlotte King March 13, 2023, 4:58 p.m.

Thanks – glad we can help!

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PGCE Assignment 2 Professional Development

Subject: Pedagogy and professional development

Age range: Age not applicable

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

24 February 2023

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A quick guide of PGCE teacher training assignment 2, which involves exploring professional development for obtaining PGCE in Secondary and post-16 MFL teaching. It was a successful submission (Distinction/Grade A), and it includes a reference list with supporting data for my final PGCE assessment .

Please be advised that Assignment 2 is intended to serve as an example and as a guide for secondary MFL trainee teachers. You must not copy them if you don’t want to be charged with plagiarism. Citations or paraphrasing are advised

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